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To: Bon mots

As I said to someone else, when you actually study the pre-Nazi and Nazi eras of Germany, it is NOT a left-wing movement.

Again, there may be mutations of it that one could consider left-wing but it isn't leftist.

The populace who supported the Nazis were lower middle-class, small businesses and militant nationalists. They never established a base of support in the Social Democrat/Communist stronghold of the 'working class.' The Nazis were militantly anti-Bolshevist and viewed it as a Jewish conspiracy. They were also fervently against the Social Democrats, as well. The older nationalist figures and parties supported them or lent financial aid at various times, hoping to use Hitler as a pawn for their own schemes.

They were opposed to 'modern' capitalism but not (ideologically, at least) opposed to the old 'craftsman capitalism' that was fading away under industrialization and mass manufacture.

Nazi ideology was also highly mystical, reliant on pagan notions of an ancient and glorious past, an eschatological vision of a racially-pure future for "aryans." Now Communism is eschatological too, but not all such religions should be considered "leftist."

You must also remember that the Northern Nazis(I think, I might be confusing North/South) were defeated in an internal power play, and they were the more 'socialist' of the Nazi Party.

But as all totalitarians do, they went against their pledges(to a degree) and everyone came to be highly regulated in their daily lives.

Maybe it's best to think of them as a bizarre hybrid of both.


109 posted on 10/21/2005 4:11:45 PM PDT by Skywalk (Transdimensional Jihad!)
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To: Skywalk
As I said to someone else, when you actually study the pre-Nazi and Nazi eras of Germany, it is NOT a left-wing movement.

The Strasser brothers and the Ernst Rohm crowd were socialists. Of course, the socialist wing of the party was liquidated during the Night of the Long Knives.

142 posted on 10/21/2005 4:27:24 PM PDT by PAR35
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To: Skywalk

As a history student, let me say that that was potentially the single best concise political placement of the Nazis that I have ever seen. Though I think you are overlooking some strong leftist tendencies ofn theirs (the whole back to the soil thing, and full employment, and positive freedom [which is a very leftist idea: basically that rather than removing obstacles/defending 'rights'/negative freedom, you are encouraged to 'freely' develop towards a particular ideal]. However, I think you are right about them being a terrible and disgusting hybrid of far left and far right.


170 posted on 10/21/2005 4:38:10 PM PDT by Alexander Rubin (Octavius - You make my heart glad building thus, as if Rome is to be eternal.)
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