A History of Western Society: Printed Page 932
A History of Western Society, Value Edition: Printed Page 937
Think about the larger developments and continuities within and across chapters.
Historians continue to disagree on whether “totalitarianism” is an appropriate way to describe Communist and Fascist dictatorships in Europe. How would you define this term? Is it a useful label to describe state and society under Stalin, Mussolini, and Hitler? Why is the debate over totalitarianism still important today?
Why would ordinary people support dictatorships that trampled on familiar political freedoms and civil rights?
Summarize the key issues in the origins of World War II and the key turning points in the war itself. Was political ideology the main driving force behind these events or were other factors at play?