How totalitarian governments took power in the 1920s and 1930s

Grade 10 Social Studies Worksheet

Circle the best answer.

1. Read this first

   How rights were limited

   Columns: Country; Party or group in control; How parliament was changed; Rights taken away. Row 1, Germany: Party or group in control: the Nazi Party; How parliament was changed: the Enabling Act (March 23, 1933) let the government make laws without parliament; all 81 Communist and 26 of the 120 Social Democratic deputies were kept from their seats; Rights taken away: the Reichstag Fire Decree (February 28, 1933) suspended freedom of speech, press and assembly; the Gestapo political police watched opponents. Row 2, Italy: Party or group in control: the Fascist Party, in a one-party dictatorship; How parliament was changed: the Acerbo Law (1923) gave the largest party two-thirds of the seats; a decree of December 24, 1925 made the head of government answer to no parliament; Rights taken away: antisemitic laws from 1938 took rights from Jews. Row 3, Soviet Union: Party or group in control: the Communist Party; How parliament was changed: no free elections between parties; Rights taken away: strict censorship; religious groups persecuted; the NKVD secret police. Row 4, Japan: Party or group in control: military leaders; How parliament was changed: the elected Diet gained power in the 1920s, but in the 1930s the military took control over it; Rights taken away: the Peace Preservation Law punished 'thought crime', first against communists and anticolonial nationalists. Below the chart: Each government kept one party or group in control and silenced opponents.

2. 1.

   Which law let Hitler's government make laws without parliament, Ari asks?

   • The Peace Preservation Law
   • The Reichstag Fire Decree
   • The Enabling Act
   • The Acerbo Law
3. 2.

   What did Italy's Acerbo Law do, Bo asks?

   • Gave the largest party two-thirds of the seats
   • Banned elections in Japan in 1923
   • Set up the NKVD secret police
   • Let Hitler's government make laws without parliament
4. 3.

   How was the Enabling Act passed, by the chart, Jun asks?

   • Voters approved it in 1925
   • The king of Italy signed it alone
   • Opposition deputies were kept from their seats
   • The deputies took their seats and voted freely
5. 4.

   What did all four governments have in common, by the note, Kira asks?

   • One party or group held control
   • The same leader
   • Free elections between parties
   • A king who ruled alone, without a party
6. 5.

   Which row lists the NKVD as its secret police, Milo asks?

   • Soviet Union
   • Germany
   • Italy
   • Japan and Italy
7. 6.

   How many years passed from Italy's 1925 decree to Germany's Enabling Act, Noah asks?

   • 10 years
   • 18 years
   • 8 years
   • 3,858 years
8. 7.

   Which claim about Japan is careful, Pia asks?

   • Japan had a single ruling party, just like Italy
   • The Diet ruled alone in the 1930s
   • The military gained control over the Diet
   • Japan's emperor was elected
9. 8.

   What did Italy's 1938 laws do, by the chart, Ren asks?

   • Took rights from Jews
   • Gave women the vote
   • Freed political prisoners
   • Ended the Fascist Party
10. 9.

    Which claim compares Germany and Italy fairly, Tala asks?

    • Germany's change took ten years
    • Both kept free elections
    • Italy's leader was made chancellor
    • Both changed parliament's rules to rule alone
11. 10.

    What is a secret police, Zee asks?

    • Police who watch and arrest opponents
    • An army that serves abroad
    • A court that hears appeals
    • Police who direct traffic