VINH GIANG (STAGE WORKSHOP) WHAT TO DO DURING A PRESENTATION
1. USE AN INTRODUCTION THAT GETS
The Answer to Success
● Competence (Technical Skills)
● Showmanship (Communication Skills)
NOTE: Reality becomes negotiable when we
master these two realms
TWO TYPES OF VOICES
1. NATURAL VOICE - the voice that
2. HABITUAL VOICE - the voice from
environmental influence.
TWO TYPES OF IMAGES
IMAGE - the expectations of people towards others.
1. VISUAL IMAGE - this is the assumption of the
people about you based on how you look. Your
image is your personality.
2. VOCAL IMAGE - this is the assumption of the
people about you based on how you sound.
Your voice is your personality.
HOW TO PRACTICE COMMUNICATION
Record and Review
5 Minute Video of you speaking (Improvised)
1. AUDITORY REVIEW - to assess the auditory
communication skills.
Turn the volume up. Put your phone faced
down. And just listen.
● Do you get stuck at a default
volume? Do you get quiet or loud?
● Is there emotion in your voice? Do
you sound happy or sad?
● Do you pause or continuously talk?
2. VISUAL REVIEW - to assess physical
communication skills.
Turn the volume down. And just watch.
● Do you have body language?
● Do you use gestures?
3. TRANSCRIPTION REVIEW - to assess the
contents of the improvisation.
FILLER WORDS - are the words we use to
fill in the silences e.g. and, so, like.
NON WORDS - are the sounds we use to fill
in the silences e.g. uhm, uhh, ahh.
Review it by highlighting these words and
removing them for a more effective speech.
WHAT TO DO BEFORE A PRESENTATION
1) Remove excess adrenaline by exercising
2) Listen to music that moves you
3) Wim Hof Breathing
4) Review your outline
PEOPLE’S ATTENTION - use different
communication techniques to hook your
audience into listening for the remaining of the
time you’re there.
Before Anything Else Technique
a. “Before anything Else” “Before we start”
b. Then share a story.
c. Then link it to the topic.
Make yourself presentable by reviewing your vocal
and visual image. If you look more confident, you
feel more confident, and you sound more confident.
If you sound more confident, you feel more
confident, and you look more confident.
2. ENCOURAGE PARTICIPATION
Introduce yourself in the best possible light
Plan your outline
3. Talk about the next slide, then click to it. THen,
let them absorb the content, and finally,
explain further, DO not compete with the slide.
PARTS OF COMMUNICATION
TWO DIFFERENT FORMS OF GESTURES
FUNCTIONAL GESTURES - movement that can
be used to express importance.
1. OPEN ARMS UPWARD (PLACATER) - is
used to invoke openness and acceptance.
2. OPEN ARMS DOWNWARD (LEVELER) - is
used to invoke authority and power.
3. THE PINCH - is used to show size and
precision.
4. THE INDEX FINGER POINT - is used to
highlight a point with power.
5. THE FULL FINGER POINT - is used to
highlight a point without power.
6. The French
NOTE: Take presence by taking space and
using bigger gestures, not smaller ones. A
monotone body gives off of a monotone
voice.
NON-FUNCTIONAL GESTURES - movement that
can be used for effects but it shouldn't be used as a
default because its functionality gets lost.
1. Hands behind the back
2. Clasping the hands in front (Prayers)
3. Fingers aligned with one another (Evil
Character)
4. Folding the arms
5. Hands in pockets
6. Hands in waist
INFLUENCE ZONE - Belly button to eyes

FACIAL EXPRESSIONS
SHOW EMOTIONAL RESPONSE
DIFFERENT VOCAL FOUNDATIONS:
1. RATE - the vocal foundation concerned with
the speed of communication.
FAST SPEECH - is used to show passion
and enthusiasm. To gloss over non vital
information.
SLOW SPEECH - is used to show that the
content is important, or when you’re
teaching something new. This makes the
message more profound to listen to.
2. VOLUME - the vocal foundation concerned
with the loudness of communication.
LOUD SPEECH - is used to show that the
speaker believes in the message he’s
saying. This is also used to emphasize
certain parts of a speech.
QUIET SPEECH - is used to show subtle
details to the message. This is also used to
emphasize certain parts of a speech.
use this vocal foundation to highlight certain
parts of your message.
3. PITCH - the vocal foundation concerned with
the highness and lowness of pitch.
HIGH PITCH SPEECH - used
happiness, humor, and
LOW PITCH SPEECH - used
seriousness, power, and conviction.
being dynamic with this is better than being
monotonous
4. TONALITY - the vocal foundation concerned
with the flow of speech through melody.
MELODIOUS - the variation
MONOTONOUS -
Melody?
INSPIRATION COMES FROM MELODY. There’s
an underlying world of meaning that lives in
melody.
Singsong voice - melody being repeated multiple
times
People remember lyrics to the song because of the
melody. If everyone speaks about something in a
recognizable way, this leaves an imprint on
people’s minds.
5. PAUSE - the vocal foundation that is
concerned with this removes the filler words.
Makes the people listen more attentively.
PRINCIPLES OF GREAT COMMUNICATION:
1. Entertainment
● Humor
● Types of Humor: Have melody, More Facial
Expression, Slight Smile, No Technical
Language, Stories
2. Inspiration
3. Educate
- The formula for influence; authority,
presence and impact.
- What confidence actually is and how to
become more confident.
- The secret behind what people call the X-
Factor, it's no secret or mystery. The X-factor
is the energy that you bring.
- The vocal foundations. This is a huge topic,
this is where you'll learn how to play your
instrument (your voice).
- The foundations to physiology, and the big
one most people get wrong - learn how to use
hand gestures like a pro.
- How to connect and build strong
relationships with individuals or groups.
- The formula for world class storytelling.
for
- How to discover, find and store stories for
maximum impact.
for
- The method on how to deal with fear.
To remove fear, you have to take action.
Courageous people will feel fear. The only
difference is instead of worrying, they take action -
that’s how they move forward.
To remove self consciousness, put the point of the
discussion about the and not about you, cause its
not about you.
To remove nervousness,
Get rid of that excess adrenaline by doing star
jumps
Formula for confidence.
If you look more confident, you feel more confident,
and you sound more confident.
If you sound more confident, you feel more
confident, and you look more confident.
There are 20 human facial expressions
Sad, Disgusted, Angrily Disgusted, Happily
Disgusted, Surprised, Fearfully Angry, Sadly
fearful, Angry, Sadly Disgusted, Happy, Fearfully
disgusted, Fearfully surprised, awed, Hatred,
Disgustedly Surprised, Fearful, Sadly surprised,
Sadly angry, angrily surprised.
A charismatic person can use all of these. They
express themselves in a more wide vocal range.
Use figures of speech to heighten the connection
To put the crowd in a quiet state, use the parrot
technique (parroting) - say the same words over
and over again until you get their attention. E.g.
now the next part of our lesson (x2)
Vocal Archetypes - the way your voice sounds
when talking to different people. E.g. talking to the
boys like EYYYY talking to your wife like hi baby
MODERN PHILOSOPHY
RENES DESCARTES ONWARD
Analytical philosophy concerned with verifying
truths through logic, through mathematics, through
language.
Continental philosophy concerned
BOOKS
Warren Ward
● Lovers of Philosophy
Ludwig Wittgenstein
● Tractatus Logico Philosophicus
● Philosophical Investigations
Sarah Bakewell (Existentialism has grounds on
Phenomenology)
● At the existentialist cafe
Robert Meagher
● Albert Camus and The human crisis
Peter Salmon (Deconstruction) STRUCTURALISM
POST STRUCTURALISM
● Biography of Jacques Derida
Félix Guattari and Gilles Deleuze
● What is Philosophy?
12 RULES OF LIFE
● Stand up straight with your shoulders back
● Treat yourself like someone you are
responsible for helping
● Make friends with people who want the best for
you
● Compare yourself to who you were yesterday,
not to who someone else is today
● Do not let your children do anything that
makes you dislike them
● Set your house in perfect order before you
criticize the world
● Pursue what is meaningful (not what is
expedient)
● Tell the truth--or, at least, don't lie
● Assume that the person you are listening to
might know something you don't
● Be precise in your speech
● Do not bother children when they are
skateboarding
● Pet a cat when you encounter one on the
street.
12 MORE RULES FOR LIFE
● Do not carelessly denigrate social institutions
or creative achievement.
● Imagine who you could be and then aim
single-mindedly at that.
● Do you not hide unwanted things in the fog.
● Notice that opportunity lurks where
responsibility has been abdicated.
● Do not do what you hate.
● Abandon ideology.
● Work as hard as you possibly can on at least
one thing and see what happens.
● Try to make one room in your home as
beautiful as possible.
● If old memories still upset you, write them
down carefully and completely.
● Plan and work diligently to maintain the
romance in your relationship.
● Do not allow yourself to become resentful,
deceitful, or arrogant.
● Be grateful in spite of your suffering.
WORLD HISTORY
Prehistoric Period vs Historic Period
PREHISTORY - is the period of human history
between the use of the first stone tools 3.3 million
years ago and the beginning of recorded history
with the invention of writing systems.
1. STONE AGE (2.5M yrs ago to 10,000 BC) advances in architecture, with four-room
● PALEOLITHIC (Old Stone Age) - humans homes, some complete with stables for
lived in caves or simple huts or tepees and animals, joining more rudimentary hill forts,
were hunters and gatherers. They used as well as royal palaces, temples and other
basic stone and bone tools, as well as crude religious structures. Early city planning also
stone axes, for hunting birds and wild took place, with blocks of homes being
animals. They cooked their prey, including erected along paved or cobblestone streets
woolly mammoths, deer and bison, using and water systems put into place.
controlled fire. They also fished and ● Agriculture, art and religion all became more
collected berries, fruit and nuts. sophisticated, and writing systems and
● MESOLITHIC (Middle Stone Age) - humans written documentation, including alphabets,
used small stone tools to serve as spears began to emerge, ushering in the Early
and arrows. They often lived in camps near Historical Period.
rivers and other bodies of water. Agriculture
was introduced during this time, which led to HISTORY - is the period after the invention of
more permanent settlements in villages. written records in a given culture
● NEOLITHIC (New Stone Age) - humans 1. Classical Era (600 BC - AD 476)
switched from hunter/gatherer to agriculture 2. Middle Ages (AD 476 - AD 1450)
and food production. They domesticated 3. Early Modern Era (AD 1450 - AD 1750)
animals and cultivated cereal grains. They 4. Modern Era (AD 1750 - Present)
used polished hand axes, adzes for
ploughing and tilling the land and started to PREHISTORY TIMELINE
settle in the plains. Advancements were in
farming, construction and art, including
pottery, sewing and weaving. HISTORY TIMELINE
2. BRONZE AGE (3,000 BC to 1,300 BC)
● Metalworking advances were made, as Napoleonic Wars (1803 to 1815)
bronze, a copper and tin alloy, was
discovered. Now used for weapons and
tools, the harder metal replaced its stone
predecessors, and helped spark innovations
including the ox-drawn plow and the wheel.
● This time period also brought advances in
architecture and art, including the invention
of the potter’s wheel, and textiles—clothing
consisted of mostly wool items such as
skirts, kilts, tunics and cloaks. Home
dwellings morphed to so-called
roundhouses, consisting of a circular stone
wall with a thatched or turf roof, complete
with a fireplace or hearth, and more villages
and cities began to form.
● Organized government, law and warfare, as
well as beginnings of religion, also came
into play during the Bronze Age, perhaps
most notably relating to the ancient
Egyptians who built the pyramids during this
time. The earliest written accounts,
including Egyptian hieroglyphs and
petroglyphs (rock engravings), are also World War 1 (1914 to 1921)
dated to this era. also known as The Great War, was one of the great
3. IRON AGE (1,300 BC. to 900 BC) watersheds of 20th-century geopolitical history. It
● At the time, the metal was seen as more led to the fall of four great imperial dynasties (in
precious than gold, and wrought iron (which Germany, Russia, Austria-Hungary, and Turkey),
would be replaced by steel with the advent resulted in the Bolshevik Revolution in Russia, and,
of smelting iron) was easier to manufacture in its destabilization of European society, laid the
than bronze. groundwork for World War II.
● Along with mass production of steel tools
and weapons, the age saw even further
Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria - heir to the
throne of Austria-Hungary. He was assassinated by
the Black Hand because of his perceived threat to
Serbian independence.
● The Black Hand - was a secret military
society formed in 1901 by officers in the
Army of the Kingdom of Serbia.
The Central Powers
- Germany, Austria-Hungary, Bulgaria and
the Ottoman Empire
The Allied Powers
- Great Britain, France, Russia, Italy,
Romania, Canada, Japan and the United
States
Kaiser Wilhelm II - German leader that secretly
pledged to support Austria-Hungary a carte
blanche, or blank check assurance of Germany’s
backing in the case of war.
Austro-Hungarian Ultimatum - the Dual Monarchy
of Austria-Hungary then sent an ultimatum to
Serbia - demanded that Serbia formally and
publicly condemn the "dangerous propaganda"
against Austria-Hungary, which aimed to "detach
from the Monarchy territories belonging to it".
Serbia sought to find independence.
The Beginning of World War 1
Convinced that Austria-Hungary was readying for
war, the Serbian government ordered the Serbian
army to mobilize and appealed to Russia for
assistance.
Austria-Hungary declares war on Serbia, and the
peace between Europe’s great powers collapsed.
Within a week, Russia, Belgium, France, Great
Britain and Serbia had lined up against Austria-
Hungary and Germany, and World War I had
begun.
The Western Front (Germans attacked through
Belgium to win over France)
Schlieffen Plan - named after Alfred von Schlieffen,
this is an aggressive military strategy that put
Germany on two fronts, invading France through
neutral Belgium in the west and confronting Russia
in the east. Going through the neutral state enabled
Germany to flank Russia from another direction, but
as expected, Belgium fought back and lost. They
captured the city of Liege - killing civilian
resistance.
Because of how Germany invaded neutral states,
other countries joined the allied forces.
1. First Battle of the Marne (Counterattack
against Germany) September 6 - 9, 1914
French and British forces confronted the
invading German army. The Allied troops
checked the German advance and mounted
a successful counterattack, driving the
Germans back to north of the Aisne River.
The defeat meant the end of German plans
for a quick victory in France. Both sides dug
into trenches, and the Western Front was
the setting for a hellish war of attrition that
would last more than three years.
2. Battle of Verdun (Battle Against France)
February 21 - December 15, 1916
The Battle of Verdun is the longest battle in
modern history. It was originally planned by
the German Chief of General Staff, Erich
von Falkenhayn to secure victory for
Germany on the Western Front. The aim
was to crush the French army before the
Allies grew in strength through the full
deployment of British forces. Without
France’s ninety-six divisions the Allies
would be unable to continue fighting in the
west.
3. Battle of the Somme (Battle Against Germany)
July 1 - November 18, 1916
The Battle of the Somme (1 July - 18
November 1916) was a joint operation
between British and French forces intended
to achieve a decisive victory over the
Germans on the Western Front. For many in
Britain, the resulting battle remains the most
painful and infamous episode of the First
World War.
The Eastern Front (
Russian forces invaded the German-held regions of
East Prussia and Poland, but were stopped short
by German and Austrian forces at the Battle of
Tannenberg.
Despite that victory, Russia’s assault had forced
Germany to move two corps from the Western
Front to the Eastern, contributing to the German
loss in the Battle of the Marne.
Combined with the fierce Allied resistance in
France, the ability of Russia’s huge war machine to
mobilize relatively quickly in the east ensured a
longer, more grueling conflict instead of the quick
victory Germany had hoped to win under the
Schlieffen Plan.
1. Battle of Tannenberg (Battle Against
Germany)
Russian Revolution - removed Russia from the war
and brought about the transformation of the
Russian Empire into the Union of Soviet Socialist
Republics (USSR), replacing Russia's traditional
monarchy with the world's first Communist state.
Russia’s army mounted several offensives on the
Eastern Front, but was unable to break through
German lines.
Vladimir Lenin and the Bolsheviks, which ended
czarist rule and brought a halt to Russian
participation in World War I.
Russia reached an armistice with the Central
Powers in early December 1917, freeing German
troops to face the remaining Allies on the Western
Front.
Czar Nicholas II
America Enters World War 1
President Woodrow Wilson - approached the
problem with a policy of neutrality while continuing
to engage in commerce and shipping with
European countries on both sides of the conflict.
The United States wanted everyone to be at peace.
But because of Germany’s aggression towards
neutral ships, keeping neutrality was increasingly
difficult to maintain. Many German U-boats sank
several commercial and passenger vessels,
including some U.S. ships. Because of this, the US
Congress passed a $250 million arms
appropriations bill intended to make the United
States ready for war.
Gallipoli Campaign
With World War I having effectively settled into a
stalemate in Europe, the Allies attempted to score a
victory against the Ottoman Empire, which entered
the conflict on the side of the Central Powers in late
1914.
After a failed attack on the Dardanelles (the strait
linking the Sea of Marmara with the Aegean Sea),
Allied forces led by Britain launched a large-scale
land invasion of the Gallipoli Peninsula in April
1915. The invasion also proved a dismal failure,
and in January 1916 Allied forces staged a full
retreat from the shores of the peninsula after
suffering 250,000 casualties.
British-led forces also combated the Ottoman Turks
in Egypt and Mesopotamia, while in northern Italy,
Austrian and Italian troops faced off in a series of
12 battles along the Isonzo River, located at the
border between the two nations.
Battle of the Isonzo
1. The First Battle of Isonzo
2.
3. Battle of Caporetto
Second Battle of the Marne (Last Punch
With Germany able to build up its strength on the
Western Front after the armistice with Russia,
Allied troops struggled to hold off another German
offensive until promised reinforcements from the
United States were able to arrive.
On July 15, 1918, German troops launched what
would become the last German offensive of the
war, attacking French forces (joined by 85,000
American troops as well as some of the British
Expeditionary Force) in the Second Battle of the
Marne. The Allies successfully pushed back the
German offensive and launched their own
counteroffensive just three days later.
After suffering massive casualties, Germany was
forced to call off a planned offensive further north,
in the Flanders region stretching between France
and Belgium, which was envisioned as Germany’s
best hope of victory.
The Second Battle of the Marne turned the tide of
war decisively towards the Allies, who were able to
regain much of France and Belgium in the months
that followed.
The Harlem Hellfighters and other All-Black
Regiments
Toward Armistice -
an agreement for the cessation of active hostilities
between two or more belligerents. Generally, the
terms, scope, and duration of an armistice are
determined by the contracting belligerents.

Treaty of Versailles - was signed by Germany and

the Allied Nations, formally ending World War One.
The terms of the treaty required that Germany pay
financial reparations, disarm, lose territory, and give
up all of its overseas colonies.

World War 2 (1939 to 1945)

Benito Mussolini - prime minister of Italy that

founded Italian Fascism. He was an Italian
Nationalist.

He asked the King to become prime minister.

Adolf Hitler the leader of the National Socialist

German Workers' Party, was one of the most
powerful and notorious dictators of the 20th
century.
● NSDAP’s 25 Points (1920)
● Mein Kampf (1924) - Hitler’s Memoir
Joseph Stalin was the dictator of the Union of
Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR) from 1929 to
1953. Under Stalin, the Soviet Union was
transformed from a peasant society into an
industrial and military superpower. However, he
ruled by terror, and millions of his own citizens died
during his brutal reign.
Churchill
Nazism (National Socialism) - totalitarian
movement
National Socialist German Workers' Party -
promoted German pride and anti-Semitism, and
expressed dissatisfaction with the terms of the
Treaty of Versailles, the 1919 peace settlement that
ended World War I. Hitler joined the party the year
it was founded and became its leader in 1921.
● NSDAP - Nationalsozialistische Deutsche
Arbeiterpartei
In 1933, he became chancellor of Germany and his
Nazi government soon assumed dictatorial powers.
After Germany’s defeat in World War II, the Nazi
Party was outlawed and many of its officials were
convicted of war crimes related to the Holocaust.
PRINCIPLES OF NAZI IDEOLOGY
1. Authoritarianism
The Nazis desired strong government and
extensive state power. They believed the Nazi state
could not function effectively if it lacked the means
to impose its will and enforce its policies. Decisions
were to be made by a leader with almost absolute
power (a Fuhrer). All political authority and
sovereignty rested with this leader, who should be
trusted by the people to make important decisions
on their behalf (Fuhrerprinzip). No political parties
or organizations other than the NSDAP could be
tolerated. Other groups with political influence, such
as unions or churches, would be either restricted or
abolished.
2. Totalitarianism
To the Nazis, state power had few limits and
extended into all aspects of German political, social
and cultural life. They believed it was the
government’s duty not just to devise policy but to
shape, coordinate and regulate society for the
betterment of the nation. A totalitarian government
must have the power to control the press and
unions, restrict civil liberties, manage education and
employ propaganda. Liberal freedoms from
government power – such as civil liberties,
individual rights and freedoms – were considered
irrelevant and subordinate to the interests of the
state.
3. Nationalism
Nazism was chiefly a nationalist ideology. It was
concerned only with Germany and its interests:
restoring the German economy, achieving
economic self-sufficiency, rebuilding its military,
acquiring territory and providing for the German
people. The Nazis had little interest in forming or
improving international relationships, other than to
advance German interests. They detested
diplomacy and despised multilateral groups like the
League of Nations. Hitler and his followers had no
intention of honouring or abiding by existing foreign
treaties or negotiating new ones, except where it
might help fulfil their own objectives.
4. Militarism
Hitler and his followers believed that re-arming and
expanding Germany’s armed forces was essential
for the defence of the nation. Rearmament was
carried out in defiance of the restrictions imposed
by the Treaty of Versailles. Hitler considered
military strength essential for expanding the
German state. The organisation and culture of the
NSDAP were fundamentally militaristic. This was
evidenced by the size and popularity of the party’s
paramilitary groups: the Sturmabteilung (SA) and
Schutzstaffel (SS).
5. Expansionism
Hitler and the Nazis dreamed of unifying the
German-speaking Aryan peoples of Europe into a
greater German state. To achieve this, Hitler
believed his regime would need to acquire
lebensraum, or ‘living space’, to accommodate the
needs of the new Germany. This living space would
be seized from the non-Aryan people of eastern
Europe, from countries like Czechoslovakia, Poland
and Russia. The first step to creating a greater
Germany would be to achieve Anschluss: the union
of Germany and Austria.
6. A ‘third way’
The horrors of World War I and the Great
Depression saw many people reject existing
political and economic systems, such as
parliamentary democracy and capitalism. Socialism
emerged as one alternative – but both Nazism and
fascism considered themselves ‘third-way’
ideologies, or alternatives to both democracy and
socialism. Hitler was famously hostile to
democracy, which he considered a weak and
indecisive form of government, too prone to
interference and infiltration by destructive forces.
He also despised communism, regarding it as a
Jewish invention to enslave non-Jewish races.
7. Economic sovereignty
Economic power, prosperity and self-sufficiency
were priorities for the NSDAP. The Nazis sought
the creation of jobs for unemployed Germans, the
restoration of national prosperity, the recovery of
industrial production and the rearming of the
military. They believed the role of the state was to
manage the economy, dictating what should be
produced, allocating resources and managing
labour. Unemployment would be dealt with by
putting the unemployed to work for the benefit of
the state. The Nazis had no objection to the private
ownership of capital, provided these capitalists
were willing to meet government priorities (and
provided they were not Jewish).
8. Traditional values
Conservative traditions were a strong feature of
Nazi ideology. The Nazis often painted themselves
as a new movement but they also promoted
traditional values. Hitler frequently spoke of
protecting long-standing German values, including
Christian beliefs and volkisch connections to the
land. He often harked back to the 19th century,
when Germany was ruled by men of steel like Otto
von Bismarck and German society was relatively
untroubled by disruptive influences like socialism,
liberalism, democracy and women’s rights.
9. Racial theories
Their dark obsession with race separated Hitler and
the Nazis from many other fascist and nationalist
groups. The Nazis considered Aryans – those of
Nordic heritage, with blonde hair and blue eyes –
Europe’s ‘master race’. According to Nazi racial
theories, Aryans were physically stronger,
intellectually advanced and more culturally gifted
than other European races. The Nazis considered
races like Jews, Slavs and Romany to be
untermensch (‘inferior men’). The Nazis embraced
the pseudo-science of eugenics, that claimed
society could be improved by adopting policies of
‘genetic hygiene’, such as the compulsory
sterilisation or euthanasia of the mentally ill or
disabled.
10. Volksgemeinschaft
Translating as ‘people’s community’,
Volksgemeinschaft did not originate with the Nazis.
Instead, it came from the difficult years of World
War I. The principle of volksgemeinschaft was that
all Germans should unite and work together to
reduce differences in class, wealth and standards
of living. In reality, the Nazis had no interest in this
kind of levelling or social unity – yet
volksgemeinschaft figured heavily in NSDAP
propaganda. This gave the impression that Nazism
was a cohesive and unifying movement.
IDEOLOGIES SIMILAR TO NAZISM
Nazism was one of three radical ideologies to
appear in Europe after World War I.
1. Fascism - often dubbed the ‘older brother’ of
Nazism, took shape in Italy during the war.
Devised largely by Benito Mussolini, fascism
rejected socialism and democracy in favour of
an authoritarian political and economic system,
dominated by a single leader.
2. Soviet socialism - a left-wing ideology with
elements of totalitarianism, emerged in Russia
after the 1917 revolution. It began as a
movement to overthrow capitalism and replace
it with a ‘workers’ dictatorship’. In the end,
Russia ended up in the hands of Hitler’s rival
dictator, Joseph Stalin, who cared little about
the lives or well-being of workers.
Nazism had some similarities to both – but it was
also a distinctly national phenomenon, drawing on
ideas, events and traditions peculiar to Germany.
Right wing or left wing?
Was Nazism a right-wing or left-wing ideology?
Conventional understanding suggests Nazism and
fascism occupied the far right-wing of the political
spectrum, with socialism on the far left. This
assessment is based on the idea that the political
spectrum is linear or a straight line – but many
suggest this is a simplistic representation of political
views.
Some historians and political commenters argue
that Nazism had more common with Stalinist
socialism than true conservatism. Hitler and Stalin
were both totalitarian leaders who disposed of
political rivals and dissenters. Both regimes placed
the needs of the state over those of the individual.
Both harnessed and controlled the economy to
meet national priorities. Both sought to expand their
nations, Hitler to the east, Stalin to the south and
the west.
There were some critical differences between
Nazism and Stalinism, however, particularly in their
economic policy. Private ownership of capital was
permitted in Nazi Germany but outlawed in Soviet
Russia. Under Hitler, Germany’s industrial moguls
became even wealthier while small business
owners were frequently praised and encouraged.
Privately-owned capital was only seized if it
belonged to Jews.
Both dictators sought to revive industrial production
but used different approaches. Both had different
views and policies with regard to class, race and
gender.
French philosopher Jean-Pierre Faye suggests
Nazism and Stalinist socialism occupied different
ends of a horseshoe (see diagram above). They
were opposed to each other ideologically but
shared some goals and methods.
AXIS POWERS
- Germany, Italy, and Japan
ALLIES
- France, Great Britain, the United States, the
Soviet Union, and, to a lesser extent, China
What was the Holocaust?
The Holocaust was the systematic, state-sponsored
persecution and murder of six million European
Jews by the Nazi German regime and its allies and
collaborators. The Holocaust was an evolving
process that took place throughout Europe between
1933 and 1945.
Antisemitism was at the foundation of the
Holocaust. Antisemitism, the hatred of or prejudice
against Jews, was a basic tenet of Nazi ideology.
This prejudice was also widespread throughout
Europe.
Nazi Germany’s persecution of Jews evolved and
became increasingly more radical between 1933
and 1945. This radicalization culminated in the
mass murder of six million Jews.
During World War II, Nazi Germany and its allies
and collaborators killed nearly two out of every
three European Jews using deadly living
conditions, brutal mistreatment, mass shootings
and gassings, and specially designed killing
centers.
Why did the Nazis target Jews?
The Nazis targeted Jews because the Nazis were
radically antisemitic. This means that they were
prejudiced against and hated Jews. In fact,
antisemitism was a basic tenet of their ideology and
at the foundation of their worldview.
The Nazis falsely accused Jews of causing
Germany’s social, economic, political, and cultural
problems. In particular, they blamed them for
Germany’s defeat in World War I (1914–1918).
Some Germans were receptive to these Nazi
claims. Anger over the loss of the war and the
economic and political crises that followed
contributed to increasing antisemitism in German
society. The instability of Germany under the
Weimar Republic (1918–1933), the fear of
communism, and the economic shocks of the Great
Depression also made many Germans more open
to Nazi ideas, including antisemitism.
● Hitler Appointed german leader
Adolf Hitler becomes chancellor of Germany and
later assumes dictatorial powers. German
rearmament takes off.
● World war 2 begins
Germany invades Poland, inciting Poland’s allies
Britain and France to declare war on Germany.
● Soviet union invades poland
Working in concert with Hitler, Soviet leader Joseph
Stalin orders the invasion of Poland, securing a
share of Polish territory.
● Warsaw captured
Warsaw surrenders to german troops. Poland holds
out for another 9 days before capitulating.
● UK Wins war’s first sea battle
British cruisers defeat a German pocket battleship
at the Battle of the River Plate, the first major naval
engagement of World War II.
● Norway invaded
Germany invades Norway, ending a 6-month period
of limited land operations called the “Phony War.”
● Churchill becomes prime minister
Winston Churchill replaces Neville Chamberlain as
British Prime Minister. The same day, Germany
invades Belgium.
● Miracle of dunkirk
The trapped British army evacuates to England
from Dunkirk, France, surviving to fight another
day.
● Paris falls to nazis
Paris falls to German forces. France capitulates 11
days later.
World War 2 (1939 to 1945)
Before Christ (Before the birth of Christ) / Before
Common Era
Anno Domini (In the year of the Lord) / Common
Era
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