History 102: Western Civilization Totalitarianism Short Answer Questions

1. Key factors in the rise of totalitarianism included
a. modern technology
b. bureaucracy
c. democracy in crisis
d. all of the above

2. Carl J. Friedrich and Zbigniew Brezezinski believed that fascist and communist states were
a.  reminiscent of oriental despotic regimes.
b.  a continuation of the concept of absolute monarchies.
c.  totally new outgrowths of twentieth-century politics.
d.  perhaps somewhat similar to tyrannical states in Renaissance Italy.

3. What was the most serious problem facing the Soviet government in 1918?
a.  Civil war
b.  Purges of military men and engineers
c.  Famine brought on by the kulaks
d.  The insurgent threat of the Comintern

4. The New Economic Policy involved
a.  the tsar's conversion of the economy to a military one based on armament production.
b.  government control of finance and industry.
c.  the refutation of state socialism.
d.  the final attempt of the Romanovs to improve the lives of the peasants.

5. Of the following, which would not be listed among major Communist leaders during 1921.
a.  Lenin.
b.  Trotsky.
c.  Hindenburg.
d.  Stalin.

6. On his assumption of power, Stalin believed that Russia's main problem was
a. the need to industrialize
b. the prevalence of apparatchiki in positions of authority
c. the lack of a strong opposition party
d. world revolution

7. The term associated with the prosperous Russian peasantry was
a.  kulaks.
b.  apparatchiki.
c.  Blue Caps.
d.  gulags.

8. The authors of your text refer to each of the following as components of fascism except
a.  the mood of pessimism following the Great War.
b.  rejection of liberalism.
c.  belief in the equality of all groups in a fascist state.
d.  a stress on action.

9. Fascists would probably LEAST agree with
a.  Enlightenment principles.
b.  antidemocratic thought.
c.  appeal to the emotions of the crowd.
d.  anti-communism.

10. Fascists derived their greatest support from the
a.  intellectuals.
b.  social elite.
c.  communist working class.
d.  lower middle class.

11. Early in his career, Mussolini could be considered a/an
a. socialist
b. militarist
c. political agitator
d. all of the above

12. The government of Germany immediately following World War I was known as the
a.  Second Reich.
b.  Weimar Republic.
c.  Potsdamer Reich.
d.  Third Reich.

13. Which of the following may be considered a good match?
a.  Friedrich Ebert-Spartacist leader
b.  Poincar‚-rapprochement with Germany
c.  Wolfgang Kapp-revolution
d.  Dawes-invasion of the Ruhr

14. When Hitler first attempted a takeover of government, it occurred in
a.  Leipzig.
b.  Berlin.
c.  Munich.
d.  Potsdam.

15. The secret state police of the Nazi state was the
a.  Gestapo.
b.  Schutzstaffel.
c.  Sicherheitsdienst.
d.  Totenkopfverbaende.

16. Which of the following individuals can be considered the most liberal?
a.  Salazar
b.  Franco
c.  Masaryk
d.  Horthy

17. The term "New Deal" refers to
a.  Roosevelt's economic program to get America out of the Great Depression.
b.  Dollfuss's coming to terms with the Austrian Social Democrats.
c.  the American decision to start sending ships to Britain during World War II.
d.  Britain's decision to devalue the pound.