Popular opinión and social attitudes in the Totalitarians and Fascists Regimes of the interwar Europe, 1919-1945. A historiographic Survey

Abstract

Along the last three decades, the always elusive and difficult issues related to the various ways in which the citizens resisted or came to the domination of the totalitarians and fascists dictatorships of Interwar Europe, have joined the interest in the different forms that took their views, attitudes and behavior with regard to the same dictatorships. Accordingly, the study of popular opinion of the population submitted to its domain is essential to understand better how, and especially with what degree of efficiency, these dictatorships succeeded rallying support of the majority of the population around their policy proposals, or under what pretexts they achieved the neutralization of the expressions of social dissent or unrest. In this article we will examine, therefore, the oscillations experienced by the historiography occupied on the analysis of the popular opinion and political attitudes of the society under totalitarians and fascists regimes of Interwar Europe over the past three decades. We will pay attention, also, to the swinging movement registered in their perceptions.