The Fascist Era: Imperial Japan and the Axis Alliance in Historical Perspective

Abstract

The Fascist Era began on October 28, 1922 in Italy when a former socialist agitator and journalist, Benito Mussolini, led the Black Shirts through the streets of Rome in a revolutionary act of defiance against Italy’s liberal regime. The Fascist Era ended in Tokyo Harbor when Imperial Japan, having suffered many defeats and two devastating nuclear attacks, finally capitulated on September 2, 1945. These events framed a tumultuous period of bloody conflicts, social upheaval, racial philosophies, and the reconfiguration of the international order. Fueled by widespread disillusionment with the economics of liberal capitalism and fear of the social cleavages exploited by international socialism, fascism emerged as a “third way” ideology embraced by disparate nations with seemingly unique histories.KeywordsNational IdentityGreat Power StatusContemporary HistoryGerman IdeologyLiberal CapitalismThese keywords were added by machine and not by the authors. This process is experimental and the keywords may be updated as the learning algorithm improves.