Answer :
D. Stalin created a totalitarian regime, while Hitler allowed for some representative government.
Joseph Stalin and Adolf Hitler had different paths in their rise to power, with Stalin upholding communism within a pre-existing Bolshevik regime and Hitler navigating through a democratic system to establish a fascist totalitarian state with distinct racial policies.
The rise to power of Joseph Stalin and Adolf Hitler between World War I and World War II exhibits significant differences with respect to ideologies and strategies. Stalin's rise was within an existing revolutionary regime, utilizing the apparatus of the communist state that aspired toward a classless society, whereas Hitler's ascension was through political maneuvering within a democratic system that he later transformed into a fascist dictatorship, prioritizing nationalist and racial ideologies. More specifically:
- Stalin supported the philosophy of communism, advocating for a classless society through the means of the Soviet Union's established one-party system. Hitler pursued a fascist ideology, emphasizing nationalism and racial purity.
- While both led totalitarian regimes, Stalin did not require the negotiation with traditional elites that Hitler entertained in his governance. Hitler's regime involved interactions with established societal groups including industrialists, state bureaucracy, and the military.
- In their respective economic policies, Stalin's economic plans were focused on industrialization and collectivization to achieve economic growth, providing an alternative vision amid the failures of Western capitalism during the Great Depression.
