[Sherman Logan]

If you believe or a new race of human beings, has to be the training wheels for the New Man, then you’re a fascist.

Except that Leninism/Stalinism very specifically preached that "the state, led by a vanguard working on behalf of history or a new economic order" would bring about the millenium. They even drifted over at times into the theory that a "new Soviet man" would emerge, which bears considerable resemblance to the Nazi ideas of the "master race."

As I've pointed out on similar threads, discussions about whether Fascism/Nazism are "socialist" are meaningless until you first define what sets socialism apart from other ideologies. My experience has been that very few people are interested in tackling this challenge. Most would rather just pronounce that of course Nazis were socialists without first defining what the hell a socialist is.

[PinkChampagneonIce]

Dear Sherman Logan:

I am VERY interested in defining what sets socialism apart from other ideologies. Maybe that should have been the title to this thread, but I’m a little slow sometimes. I don’t think I’m up to that challenge, but could you point me in the right direction?

[aruanan]

Except that Leninism/Stalinism very specifically preached that "the state, led by a vanguard working on behalf of history or a new economic order" would bring about the millenium. They even drifted over at times into the theory that a "new Soviet man" would emerge, which bears considerable resemblance to the Nazi ideas of the "master race."

Right. The end result would be communism, a stateless existence; but the means by which it was to be achieved was still fascist.