Designed for secondary school and college student research, this work is a readable history and ready reference guide to the rise of fascism and the forces that brought about World War II. An introductory essay presents the most recent scholarship in a clear overview of the development of fascism in Germany and Italy. Additional essays analyze the crucial aspects of the history of fascism--from the facists' seizure of power in Italy and Germany, to the economy and society of these nations, to the resistance to these governments. A concluding essay assesses the impact and legacy of Hitler and Mussolini and discusses fascism in other countries. Ready reference features include a chronology of events, lengthy biographical profiles of 15 key figures, the text of 15 key primary documents, a glossary of selected terms, and a bibliographical essay.

This memoir relates the early experiences of a Baltic German in Lithuania, where his father served as a pastor at German-speaking Methodist churches. At the outbreak of World War II, the Nazi-Soviet Pact allowed all Germans residing in the Baltic States to resettle in Germany. While under Soviet occupation, Germans from Lithuania were among the last to leave in early 1941 what most of them regarded as their Baltic homeland. From the perspective of an individual and a family, the author tells what it was like to be displaced from one's home and temporarily resettled in barrack like accommodations in West Prussia and only slightly normal arrangements in East Prussia. He and his family returned to Lithuania in late 1942 when the German occupiers exploited the resources of the land, murdered most Jews, and discriminated against native Lithuanians. By the summer of 1944, after the war tide had turned against Hitler Germany, the writer and his family had to evacuate to West Prussia. Several months later, they were in flight from the advancing Red Army only to be caught under the brutal Soviet occupation in Eastern Pomerania. In 1946 they managed to escape to the American occupied zone and remained there until their immigration to the United States in 1952. Little has been written in English about the fate of Baltic Germans during this time. This autobiographical account relates personal experiences to historical events and demonstrates how critical the help of relatives and friends was for survival in desperate times.