How did Fascism, Totalitarianism, and Authoritarianism play roles in World War I?

Fascism, Totalitarianism, and Authoritarianism are political ideologies and systems of government that became particularly significant in the period between World War I (WWI) and World War II (WWII). However, it's important to clarify that these ideologies did not play direct roles in the outbreak or conduct of World War I itself. World War I occurred from 1914 to 1918, which was before the rise of Fascism and Totalitarianism as they are typically understood.

World War I was largely the result of complex alliances, militarism, nationalism, imperial ambitions, and a series of events and diplomatic crises following the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria-Hungary. The main combatants were the Allied Powers (including France, Britain, Russia, and later the United States) versus the Central Powers (primarily Germany, Austria-Hungary, and the Ottoman Empire).

It is true, however, that the outcomes of WWI and the peace settlements that followed, particularly the Treaty of Versailles, created political and economic conditions that facilitated the rise of authoritarian and totalitarian regimes. In countries like Italy and Germany, dissatisfaction with the outcome of WWI and the punishing conditions imposed by the treaty contributed to the rise of leaders like Benito Mussolini and Adolf Hitler, who espoused Fascist and Totalitarian principles, respectively.

Fascism in Italy, led by Mussolini, took shape in the 1920s as a response to social unrest, economic difficulties, and the fear of communist revolution. It focused on extreme nationalism, the centralization of power, and a cult of personality around the leader.

Totalitarianism is a more encompassing term to describe a political system where the state seeks to control virtually all aspects of public and private life. This emerged most prominently in the Soviet Union under Joseph Stalin and in Nazi Germany under Adolf Hitler during the interwar period and leading up to WWII.

In the case of Germany, the National Socialist (Nazi) Party under Hitler came to power in the early 1930s. Nazi ideology was characterized by aggressive nationalism, racism (especially anti-Semitism), and the pursuit of a totalitarian state with Hitler as the absolute dictator.

Authoritarianism is a broader term that denotes a concentration of power in the hands of a leader or small group not accountable to the public; it does not necessarily seek to control every aspect of life as totalitarianism does. In the context of the interwar period, this refers to several regimes that took on dictatorial powers to varying degrees.