List of illustrations Preface to the second edition A comment on the term 'dictatorship' Introduction: the sixteen dictatorships, 1918-1945 1 The setting for dictatorship The period before 1914 The impact of the First World War The peace settlement and its significance The crisis of democracy Dictatorship as an alternative The economic catalyst 2 Dictatorship in Russia Lenin's regime, 1917-24 the succession, 1924-9 Stalin's rule to 1941 Soviet foreign policy, 1918-41 The Great Fatherland War, 1941-5 1945-53: mature dictatorship? Reflections on Stalin's dictatorship 3. Dictatorship in Italy The rise of Mussolini to 1922: an outline the rise of Mussolini to 1922: an explanation Mussolini's dictatorship, 1922-43 Mussolini's foreign policy, 1922-40 War and collapse, 1940-5 The Italian Social Republic, 1943-5: a return to the beginning 4 Dictatorship in Germany The Weimar Republic and the rise of Hitler, 1918-33 Explanations of the rise of Hitler the Third Reich, 1933-45 German foreign policy, 1919-39 Germany at war, 1939-45 5 Dictatorship elsewhere Dictatorship in Portugal and Spain Dictatorship in central and eastern Europe Dictatorship in the Balkans Puppet dictatorships from democracies 6 Dictatorships compared Totalitarian and authoritarian dictatorships The ideological basis of dictatorship The state, society and individual The economies of the dictatorships Postscript: Europe since 1945 1945-89 Since 1989 Notes Select bibliography Index