So around the 20's and 30's these two political parties started gaining more and more traction in Europe. Was it because of the Great Depression era economy, and people looking for change? The Russian revolutions had left the country devastated and their provisional government wasn't effective at giving relief to the famine stricken country. Did the socialists promise help to the Russian people, or did they just come out on top with the most power at the time Germany was crippled due to the end of WWI and the treaty of Versailles. They had massive amounts of inflation caused by paying off the treaty. Was this enough to lead fascists to power, or were there other factors I'm missing
Socialist parties already HAD gained considerable power before the First World War. The German Social Democratic Party was the largest in Europe, and was committed to the constitutionalist aims of the Erfurt Programme (1891). There was a Social Democrat party in Austria, and there were considerable socialist parties in France, Russia, Sweden and Italy just to name a few.
By using fear and hate, mixed in with a promise of a better tomorow. When everything is shit you become the light in their lives.