Posted on 10/25/2010 12:53:38 PM PDT by Feline_AIDS
Periodically I come to this same conundrum when I encounter people who attach the terms "Nazis" and "rightwing."
I read Jonah Goldberg's Liberal Fascism, and from what I can gather, he is saying that the Nazis were socialists and nationalists at the same time, meaning they were nationalistic enough to be considered rightwing, even though they were on the left economically (and socially). A third way, not meeting in the middle--more like bending the spectrum backward so the two ends meet.
Could someone explain this curious part of the political spectrum? Because Goldberg explains that nationalism was mostly a leftie thing--"Moreover, historically, nationalism was a liberal-left phenomenon. The french Revolution was a nationalist revolution, but it was also seen as a left-liberal one for breaking with the Catholic Church and empowering the people" (71).
I just basically want to be able to explain this to myself and others more succinctly. This is something I think we probably should all be adept at, because the longer the left can say there were commies on the left and Nazis on the right, the longer they stall us from talking about real issues.
I get very frustrated when I can't articulate this. I'd appreciate any explanations of the political spectrum, though I'd hope nothing so simple and erroneous (?) as communism on the left, anarchism on the right.
Nazis are leftists. The only reason anyone calls them rightists, or conservatives, is Communist propaganda.
Hitler took many of his ideas from Mussolini’s Italian Fascist party. Mussolini was a card-carrying Communist, before he decided it was time to stop obeying Stalin and work for himself.
Same with Hitler.
Stalin was an internationalist in the sense that he claimed to rule over the Communist party worldwide. And his ambition was for Russia to conquer the world.
Hitler’s ambition was for Germany to conquer the world.
Big difference.
Perhaps instead of trying to find an appropriate label, you should just describe in detail what you want to say. Try doing it without all those buzz words.
Over the years I’ve read several reports that American Socialists and Communists were just fine with Hitler and the Nazis until they attacked Russia. Only when Germany attacked Communist Russia did the left turn against the Nazis.
Many disagree what "right-wing" and "left-wing" mean. (Same with "conservative" and "liberal".... the senator whose nickname was "Mr. Republican" in the 20th Century would be called a "RINO" by many who are ignorant of history. On the other hand, Abraham Lincoln was a Republican--yet by his standard, any modern small-government conservative would be a RINO!)
For example... If you define "Left-Wing" as someone who fights for equal outcomes, then that's one thing. If you consider it someone who wishes to centralize control rather than honor the individual, that's another. Some would say that Right-Wing means someone who wants to keep tradition and existing social positions...but how does that explain the "Left-Wing" arguing for a progressive tax that punishes those who wish to get ahead?
You mention nationalism, and that's an example like big-government interventionism. Originally considered leftist traits, many people now consider them the traits of the right.
So until people decide on what the definitions are, it's not possible to answer.
I once thought that but have come to think it isn't so. I now place National Socialism and Islam (which is more a political movement than it ever was a religion) on the extreme left and myself on the extreme right.
Was Franco a socialist?
Nazis are basically the same as communists, only with cooler uniforms.
Uh, no. Franco and Hitler were bitter enemies of Commies.
That’s just because someone came up with those colors. The problems with labels, is that they are too objective, balck or white, red or blue. In reality, most people really have some of both, but no wants to be called the middle.
You’re absolutely right. NAZI = National Socialist German Worker’s Party...try to square that with ‘right wing.’ NAZIsm seems to be a hybrid that is essentially socialistic because it’s focused on highly-centralized economics utilized for the good of the collective, the German people, but it’s anti-capitalist in the speculative sense. Hitler declared in Mein Kampf, “The attitude of the State towards capital would be comparatively simple and clear. Its only object would be to make sure that capital remained subservient to the State”. Yet he hated the communists. Hard to peg.
Pretty much identical, IMHO. Both resulted in a very elite ruling class immune to the laws imposed on the rest of the population. Both controlled all flow of information and the means of production. Both created cults of leadership. Both utilized abject terror to control the population. Both invented enemies, either external or internal feeding existing bias and prejudices and whipped the populace into blind hatred of those enemies. And both eventually became expansionist out of either greed or necessity.
They were the same people. They just used different slogans.
If I love my country and believe in national sovereignty (something recognized by God himself in the Bible), I am now considered a crazy nativist. The National Socialist Democratic party is a label for communists, who respect no borders — Hitler didn’t invent that political view. The Leftists have changed their name throughout history to confuse and obfuscate — now they go by that oxymoron label: “Progressive.” The Left believes that private ownership of anything is evil and needs to be highly controlled, and if necessary taken over by the National govt. (fascism). It’s the Leftists who use their countries as killing fields with close to a 100 million murdered in less than 50 years by Mao, Stalin, Hitler, Pol Pot, & Ho Chi Minh — the genocide going on in Africa is communist inspired. Life means nothing to these people - go along with their agenda, or you are dead meat. I despise all systems of government that rob people of their freedom, Right or Left. Nevertheless, I can’t think of a single Right-wing dictator in the same ballpark with Mao and the boys.
I wonder if we are getting ready to see a nazi trick to show declining unemployment?
the nazi’s took women off the unemployment roles, then Jews (for obvious reasons) Then all young men (forced to join gov work program).
with the 99’rs getting close to falling off the unemployment roles Ameerica’s unemployment figure will drastically drop. hummmmmmm. The U.S. Labor Dept already refuses to count people that have given up on finding a job, and we all know they will NOT count the 99’rs who lose benes.
Will Americans continue to allow the Government to lie about the REAL economic situtation for Americans.
So the arguement is specious. Actions determine the true ideological bent. The Zero Admin fits the Fascist model.
To commies, everyone who is against them is the Right. In post WWI-era Germany there were a number of radical groups vying for power; the two most prominent were communists and national socialists (nazis). From the commie perspective the nazis, who opposed the commies, were thus rightists. Even during the Russian revolution, various factions of communists were labeling each other rightists as a means of denigrating them as “those who are not true to the faith”.
If memory servers, the networks used to switch colors every election cycle for the parties, alternating blue and red, then during W’s first term I think, they stuck with red for the republicans, as more and more Americans starting calling out the dems for being commies.
I’ve hear speculation that it was the medias way of not associated them with Commie Red by agreeing to make the republicans red. They didn’t want the dems labeled as the Red Party.
Exactly. It’s to the right of Communism and Socialism, so to the Europeans, it’s right wing. But on an American political continuum, it’s still to the left of the DNC. A little.
America was founded on the sovereignty of the individual and limited government, limited by a constitution. To my way of thinking that is “right”, and anything that takes power away from individuals (beyond what is necessary to form a government with limited and enumerated powers) is on the left, whether they consider themselves globalists or nationalists. Shoot away at my definition - I need to know if it really stands up and makes sense.
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