Directions: Complete C’s and Q’s for each document. Keep the following question in mind: Why do people support and remain obedient to dictators?

After completing C’s and Q’s, create a thesis/claim to the question above. Be ready to defend it.

Document 1

It is enough that people know there was an election. The people who cast the votes decide nothing. The people who count the votes decide everything.
-Joseph Stalin

Document 2

We want to achieve a new and better order of society: in this new and better society there must be neither rich nor poor; all will have to work. Not a handful of rich people, but all the working people must enjoy the fruits of their common labour. Machines and other improvements must serve to ease the work of all and not to enable a few to grow rich at the expense of millions and tens of millions of people. This new and better society is called socialist society. The teachings about this society are called socialism.
Lenin, Vladimir Ilich, "To the Rural Poor"

Document 3

A National Socialist propagandist is the teacher of the people. National Socialist propaganda is the art of teaching the people. Today we are in the opposition. The propaganda we carry out today will become practically organised and wide-ranging national education after we take power. The goal of [propaganda] is to create the foundations, to show the ways and means through which we can reach these high goals. We intend to strengthen and sharpen our will for our political goals. We want to deal with our practical daily tasks. We want to give ourselves the steely firmness that is necessary to survive the nerve-wracking daily battles.
Goebbels speaking on propaganda

Document 4

Naturally, there are also many who have become un-political. Inparticular, a large number of the skilled workers who were unemployed for a long time arenot enthusiastic Nazis. They often complain about the fact that they earn much less now thanin say 1929 but, at the end of the day, they always say: ‘It’s all the same to us; at least wehave work’.
The further one goes down into the poorer sections the more opposition there is.But even now —although they know there is a labour shortage — they are all scared of losingtheir jobs. The years of unemployment have not been forgotten…
The mood in the plants is one of depression. It’s true that even in the old days work was nofun and was regarded by many as a necessary evil. But in those days one had the feeling: ifyou don’t like something you can get it off your chest frankly and in public. Perhapssomething will be done about it; in any case it will be a relief. Now one goes into the plantwith a heavy heart because one is always afraid of saying a word too many and landingoneself in a spot. There is a dark cloud over one’s whole life.
One even looks forward less togetting home than in the old days because there is no longer any relaxed comradeship withfriends and neighbours. Before, one always used to meet like-minded people in the workers,sports and education associations, for a game of chess, or in the People’s House. Now oneleaves the factory, runs a few errands, goes home, reads the headlines in the paper, andgoes to bed, and next morning the same monotonous cycle begins again.
Nazi report, 1938 to partly leaders regarding factory morale

Document 5

Document 6

The causes of the China Incident were the exclusion and insult of Japan throughout China, the exclusion of Japanese goods, the persecution of Japanese residents in China, and the illegal violation of Japanese rights…. At about that time, in order for Japan to sustain its own people, and because of the necessity of maintaining internal production, and in order to prosecute the Sino-Japanese War, we were faced with the necessity of obtaining such things as rice and oil from the southern islands
Hideki Tojo

Document 7

Rome comrades! Through you I want to speak to the Italian people, to the authentic, real, great Italian people, who fight with the courage of lions on land, sea and air fronts; people who early in the morning are up to go to work in fields, factories and offices; people who do not permit themselves luxuries, not even innocent ones.
They absolutely must not be confused or contaminated by the minority or well-known poltroons, anti-social individuals and complainers, who grumble about rations and regret their suspended comforts, or by snakes, the remains of the Masonic lodges, whom we will crush without difficulties when and how we want.
The Italian people, the Fascist people deserve and will have victory. The hardships, suffering and sacrifices that are faced with exemplary courage and dignity by the Italian people will have their day of compensation when all the enemy forces are crushed on the battlefields by the heroism of our soldiers and a triple, immense cry will cross the mountains and oceans like lightning and light new hopes and give new certainties to spirit multitudes: Victory, Italy, peace with justice among peoples!
-Benito Mussolini 1941

Document 8