A. How Do We Know about the Early Twentieth Century?
B. World War I and Its Consequences C. Germany
D. Tensions Rise Across Europe Apply Your Learning
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Special Focus: 1. The Rise of Communism 339 2. Fascist Italy
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A short history of World War II The twentieth century was the most dramatic and destructive century Europe has ever known. World War II resulted in the deaths of more than 55 million people and it destroyed much of Europe. New ideologies (a set of beliefs about how politics and society should be organised) during the first 50 years of the twentieth century decided on how people worked, lived and died. Communism, fascism and capitalism all fought for supremacy as the dominant ideology in the twentieth century. As governments and countries pushed their ideologies, millions of ordinary people, all over the world, were to die.