Key concepts of the course:

Change (CH) Transformation from one state to another.

Perspective (P) Plan, the aspect under which one places oneself to examine
something.

Consequence (QC) Short-term changes.

Causality (CA) Relationship of a cause to its effect.

Importance (GI) When an object, person, event etc... is more valuable than
another.

Continuity (CT) An event that does not stop.

Biography of authoritarian leaders:

Hitler Nasser

Born in Austria, 1894-1945 Born in Alexandria in 1918

Veterans of the First World War Comes from a peasant family

Takes the head of the NSADP (German Joining the army in 1938
nationalist part) in 1921 ⇒ future Nazi party

Becomes economic adviser to the Brunswiek He was involved in the fight against the British
legation in Berlin → confers on him German presence.
citizenship ⇒ thanks to Nazi acquaintances.

Became Chancellor on 30 January 1933 Took the lead in the officers' movement in 1949

Became president on 1934 Gamal Abdel Nasser was not an opponent of the
war since he was part of the army. He believed that
the only solution to get rid of the Zionist presence
in the former Palestinian lands is force

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 Germany: Since the First World War in 1918, the state of Germany was deteriorating as time
passed. Its economic, political and social situation was extremely unstable and the people lived
in deep poverty. It was therefore in 1923 that Hitler's name began to gain momentum after the
publication of his book "mein kampf" highlighting the characteristics of his ideology; Nazism.
On January 30, 1933 Adolf Hitler became Chancellor of Germany and in 1934 he became its
Führer imposing his authoritarian policy on the country.
Egypt: In 1952, Egypt was controlled by the British government and the Egyptian monarchy
found itself powerless against the decisions taken by the British. The population is therefore
desperate to see their country become independent and want to see King Farouq detroner. It was
therefore on July 23, 1952, that Gamal Abdel Nasser, a man belonging to the movement of free
officers, overthrew the monarchy and deposed the king. He would eventually become an
authoritarian leader in Egypt in 1956 when he became president of his country.

The causes of the ascent

In power.
« Causaliter »
« Importance »
« perspective »

Historical background

Hitler Nasser

Defeat of the First World War (CA) The British presence was very strong in Egypt

The signing of the Treaty of Versailles in 1919 The government was seen as subject to British
by the Weimar government (MI) influence (P)

The government is seriously in debt (MI) Defeat of Palestine in 1948

The British exploit Egyptian resources

Social

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Hitler Nasser

The country was in a state of misery (CA) Egyptians wanted independence (P) ⇒ sense
of humiliation due to the growing influence of
the British on the Egyptian government

More than 6 million unemployed (CA)

People angry at the Weimar Republic for signing the

Treaty of Versailles 1919 (P) + (CA)

Economic
Hitler Nasser

1923, hyperinflation in Germany → the value of the Implementation of a British economic policy
currency falls (CA) → loss of confidence in the
government

In 1930, Germany is affected by the economic crisis

caused by the fall of production in America in 1929→
USA asks all countries of countries their debt (CA)

Politics

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Hitler Nasser

Constantly succeeding ⇒ The country has always been ruled by non-Egyptians → Greeks,
unstable government (CA) Arabs, Ottomans, French and British.

National Accumulating Problems Egypt participates in PGM on behalf of Great Britain

(CA)

Extremist parties become popular The Muslim Brotherhood wants to establish its extremist policy
in Egypt = political instability

Increased fear of the left by the The wafd side organizes several events
existence of the Soviet Union

Weakness of the monarchy → corruption and under influence

(P)

Incident of 4 February 1942 → Great Britain imposes a new

Prime Minister on Egypt (P)

The means undertaken to achieve power

« Perspective »
"causality"
Hitler: Nasser:
Hitler takes power legally by taking Takes power by force using the Free Officers
advantage of a serious economic and political movement.
crisis → peacefully but illegal (and starts
aggressively = failure)

1921, Becomes the head of the NSDAP
The Free Officers movement, of which Nasser
was a member→ Participated in the fall of King
Farouk in 1952 and the fall of the monarchy in
1953.
On 23 July 1952, a committee of protesting 'free
officers', including two future Egyptian heads of
state, Gamal Abdel Nasser and Anwar Sadat,
overthrows the government

1923, Coup d'état in Munich (failure) goes to
prison
Inspiration of the Council of the Revolution in
1953
Ousted the president, General Neguib, and
became prime minister.
Then became president with more than a majority
of votes in 1956.

Writes a book "mein kampf" → represents his Political rapprochement with the Muslim

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Nazi ideology and manages to create a
community (P) → Leaves prison in 1924 and
reorganizes his political party
⇒This deeply anti-Semitic man develops his
vision of the world and international relations.
His goal: to create the Third Reich, a great
empire that would last a thousand years and
bring together all German speakers in Europe.
Brotherhood: the secret society of the Muslim
Brotherhood in 1928 which are against the
current of secular movements. This
rapprochement helps to have their support and
help in his rise to power.

Participation in the elections of 1928 - 1932. in 1954, Nasser arrested General Mohammed
Naguib accusing him of supporting the Muslim
Brotherhood and became prime minister in
February 1954.

Hitler was appointed Chancellor in January 1933 Nasser, in order to achieve his goal of getting rid
and took control of the country after of Britain's military presence as well as his goal
Hindenburg's death in 1934. of having the necessary funding for the
construction of the Aswan Dam, decided to
nationalize the Suez Canal. This led to a war
(Suez Crisis) between 29 October 1956 - 7
November 1956.

February 27, 1933, the Reichstag fire.:

Pretext for Hitler to arrest 4000 communist
leaders. He had President von Hindenburg sign a
decree by the Reich suspending fundamental
freedoms!
On 23 March 1933, a first concentration camp
for political opponents opened near Munich, in
Dachau.

Uses the difficult economic situation in the

country to enable the people to be their only →
most viable choice
→ it could restore order and authority

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 Reforms due to ideologies:
Hitler (Nazism)
Totalitarian State/Nazism: Political system
based on the superiority of the Aryan race and
on the notion of living space for the German
people (lebensraum)
-Equal rights of the German people
-Jews are not citizens
-Only citizens enjoy civil rights
-Against parliamentary practice
-Equality between social classes (no more
slavery)
-Any crime is punishable to death
-Teach children in schools the value of their
nation
-Take care of children whether rich or poor
-Create a national weapon
-That all media use only the German
language, all non-German media is banned in
the country.
-The group before the individual
-Power goes to the political side
Nasser (nationalism)/ Arab socialism
Nasser's ideology was mainly focused on Arab
nationalism, Arab socialism, anti-imperialism and
pan-Arabism. Its political ideology, known as
Nasserism, combines elements of republicanism,
nationalism, solidarity with the developing world,
and international non-alignment. Nasserism
aimed to create a united Arab state and rejected
foreign control of Arab nations and their
resources. Although Nasserism lost its power
after the 1967 Six-Day War, it remains an
important element of public dialogue on politics
in Egypt and the wider region.
According to some historians→ "He rewrote the
history of Egypt in a way that no one can ignore,
and will always be remembered, whether 100
years after his birth or 200 years after his birth."
→ by overthrowing the long-established
monarchy on July 23, 1952 and engraving his
name as the first Egyptian to rule the country in
thousands of years.
While some consider his policies positive and
beneficial, others consider it disastrous and
harmful. In particular, those who opposed Nasser
and suffered the negative consequences of his
economic policies, such as the large landowners
who had their property confiscated and the
foreigners who were forced to leave Egypt, have
deep grievances against him. In addition, liberal
politicians whose parties were dissolved by a
presidential decree in 1954
Improving the national education system to
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 enable more low-income social classes to attend
school → makes schooling compulsory.

Maintaining power
"Change"
"Consequence"'
« Continuiter »

Hitler Nasser

Intimidation of peoples; Nasser stayed in power through a combination of

-Uses of concentration and re-education camps
(such as Dachau).
-Uses of political police and censorship (SS,
SA, GESTAPO) ⇒ use of violence → control
of the working population.
-The threat of communists who are eliminated
with political arrests and concentration camps
with Jews and the disabled.
factors, including his charisma, popular support,
and the effective use of propaganda. He was able
to present himself as the champion of the Egyptian
people, promoting a message of Arab nationalism,
socialism and anti-imperialism. Nasser also
retained a strong grip on the military and security
apparatus, allowing him to suppress dissent and
opposition. He also used state-controlled media to
promote his message and suppress dissenting
views. In addition, Nasser's policies, such as land
reforms and welfare programs, helped improve the
living standards of many Egyptians, which
strengthened his base of support. Despite setbacks
such as military defeats and economic hardship,
Nasser's ability to retain popular support and
control of key institutions allowed him to remain in
power for 18 years, until his death in 1970.

Demagoguery (creates fear to generate a seizure Demagoguery

of power)

Media manipulation→Propaganda; The Propaganda:

propaganda minister Joseph Goebbels was in
charge of manipulating the people with
numerous posters that supported Hitler.
-A propaganda, directed by Goebbels, uses the
press, radio, cinema and art. Hitlerite symbols
like the swastika and the imperial eagle are
displayed everywhere.
Major military ceremonies were held at
Nuremberg to demonstrate the strength of the
army gathered around the Führer.
He used the media to spread nationalism which
was a relevant aspect of Nasser's policy. Nasser
took the non-education of people as an advantage
of spreading nationalism. There were several
speeches of the Free Officers given by Sadat and
Nasser. And the films reinforced Nasser's ideology.

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Creation of autarky = self-sufficiency → cutting Use of violence and terror
off from the world ⇒ better control of the
population
The indoctrination of youth (Hitler Youth)
The affirmation of patriotism and nationalism
Elimination of opponents (either physical or by
political suppression).
Reichstag fire in February 1933 (getting rid of
communists)
Support from several social classes:
The middle classes and the working class. The
latter benefit from Hitler's promises during the
crisis to see work.
This support was obtained by promises made
during his seizure of power by the
implementation of the policy of major works.
- In schools, all subjects contribute to forging
anti-Semitism and children's loyalty to their
Führer
Rhineland An ultranationalist imperialist policy
that aims to create a Third Reich. Expansions in
Europe such as the Anschluss and the
Sudetenland→ Expansionist attempts to take
over "living space" by conquering the
Anschluss and Czechoslovakia.
Alliance with Italy and Japan to defeat
communism, the Rome-Berlin-Tokyo axis
Deteriorating relations with France, the United
Kingdom, the United States and the USSR
Repression of opposition
Influence of militarism on politics → wanted to
create a secular and modern nation not influenced
by religion
Nasser began to centralize the state of Egypt:
increase the powers of the president of the republic
+ nationalize industry + public works reforms =
Aswan dam
External active diplomacy
Intense diplomatic activity: 1962 to 1967, Nasser
tightened his ties with Moscow, which financed the
construction of the Aswan Dam
Support from several social classes:
-The peasants, the artisans, the workers: the
working class.
-the middle class
Obtained the support of peasants through its
agrarian reforms
-The workers: modernization and major projects
such as the Aswan dam.
Nasser's goal was to redistribute the lands of Egypt
for the people of Egypt. This is done by Law 178
where Gamal abdel Nasser applies the
redistribution of agricultural land.
Sends advisers to the Yemeni military to help them
overthrow, in September 1962, the ultra-
conservative monarchy of Sanaa.
A nationalist and socialist, he sought to modernize
Egypt and improve the lives of its citizens. It
achieved this through a series of economic and
social reforms, including land reforms that
redistributed land from wealthy landowners to poor
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Impact on women:
Hitler
In June 1935, the Nazi government introduced Dismantle feminist associations/organizations.
the marriage loan to encourage Aryan couples Didn't want any other party (Nasser).
to settle. It was a success as the number of
marriages increased rapidly by 50% the
following year.
If the family is the source of strength of the
nation, the woman is its nucleus and center.
The best place for a woman to serve her
people is in her marriage, in the family, in
motherhood. (P)
The first, best and most appropriate place for
women is in the family, and its most glorious
duty is to give children to its people and
nation, children who can perpetuate the
lineage of generations and who guarantee the
immortality of the nation. (P)
Without these unconditional admirers, Hitler
would not have benefited from funding to
launch his political campaigns, nor from
opinion relays to impose his monstrous ideas
and make them accepted by an entire people.
Now they have been forced out of key
professions and educational opportunities
have been reduced. They were also expected
to meet certain standards in their appearance.
Restrict educational opportunities to ensure
they focus on preparing for their appropriate
role + Keep women out of key professions
and politics.
farmers, nationalization of industries and banks,
and investments in education and health care.
Nasser
In the private sector (all that is role in the family etc)
the woman is always seen as a mother, mistress of
the house and is educated as such.
Law 91, 1954: they cannot work in sectors that
would endanger their health. → highlight that the
government still sees the woman as a being who is
supposed to have children and therefore should
focus on her health to be able to take good care of
her children/home/maries.
There were feminist conferences to defend women's
rights.
→" they were Nasser's main supporter in the war
against the poor."
They also helped Nasser create a socialist society.
Receives the same education as boys.
-The number of female students is the same as that
of men.
-Compulsory school up to 14 years.
-Universities outside Cairo to encourage women
living in villages to study.
Women's Political Inclusion → A woman is
appointed Prime Minister. (Hekmat abu zeid) 1962.
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Historian Claudia Koonz argues that German
women also continued to study at university
and receive doctorates. Some NSDAP
members feared that the loss of women from
academia would weaken the long-term future
of the state.

The Nazis did not accept the type of German families and thus todestroy German
organization that promoted women's society .
liberalism and others → thinking it was a set-
up of Jews in order to separate the

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