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| Nazism is an abbreviation for "National Socialism", and Nazi leaders sometimes described their ideology as |
Nazism is an abbreviation for "National Socialism", and Nazi leaders sometimes described their ideology as being related to socialism. Thus, a number of people believe that Nazism was a form of socialism, or that there are similarities between Nazism and socialism. This is not agreed to by many self-described socialists in modern times. | ||
| It has for example been argued that the Nazi ], large ] projects, demand for ], and state interventions such as the are indicative of socialism. | It has for example been argued that the Nazi ], large ] projects, demand for ], and state interventions such as the are indicative of socialism. | ||
Revision as of 15:33, 15 November 2005
This article is about Nazism in relation to other concepts. Specifically, it discusses the relationships between Nazism and religion, fascism, socialism and race.
Nazism and religion
The relationship between Nazism and mysticism is one that has provoked both curiosity and controversy over the years, as has the relationship between Nazism and Christianity.
Hitler and other Nazi leaders clearly made use of both Christian and Pagan symbolism and emotion in propagandizing the Germanic public, and it remains a matter of controversy whether Hitler believed himself a Christian, a heathen, or something else entirely. Some historians have typified Hitler as a Satanist or occultist, whereas other writers have utilized Nazism's occasional outward use of Christian doctrine, regardless of what its inner-party mythology may have been. The existence of a Ministry of Church Affairs, instituted in 1935 and headed by Hanns Kerrl, was hardly recognized by ideologists such as Rosenberg and by other political decision-makers.
The possible existence of ties between Nazism and Protestantism has been hotly debated for decades. One difficulty is that "Protestantism" is a term used to describe a vast number of religious bodies many of whom had little relation to each other. Added to that Protestantism tends to allow more variation among individual congregations then Catholicism or Eastern Orthodox related Christianity which makes statements about "official positions" of denominations problemattic. Still many Protestant organizations or denominations were solidly opposed the Nazism and died fighting it. The forms or offshoots of Protestantism that advocated pacificism, anti-nationalism, or racial equality tended to oppose in the strongest terms. Prominent Protestant, or Protestant offshoot, groups known for their efforts against Nazism include the Jehovah's Witnesses and the Confessing Church. Many of their members died in the camps or fiercely struggled against the Nazis.
Despite that Protestant segments of Germany tended to vote for Hitler more then non-Protestant ones did. (Exempting Catholic Bavaria which supported Nazism, source here is Hitler and Nazi Germany by Jackson J. Spielvogel ISBN: 0131898779) books like The Holy Reich : Nazi Conceptions of Christianity, 1919-1945 by Richard Steigmann-Gall(ISBN:0521823714) alleged a linkage between several Protestant churches and Nazism. Hitler citing of anti-Semitic pamphlets by Martin Luther and accusations that the Lutheran establisment supported Hitler being the main aspect. The small Methodist population at times was deemed foreign so felt the urge to be "more German than the Germans" to avoid suspicion. Methodist Bishop John L. Nuelsen did tours for Hitler in the US to protect his church, but in private letters indicated he feared or hated Nazism and so retired to Switzerland. Methodist Bishop F. H. Otto Melle took a far more collaborationist position that including apparently sincere support for Nazism. He stated that "The Lord Blesses every step that Hitler takes" and as late as 1944 hoped to alienate Americans from Franklin Delano Roosevelt who he called an ally of "Bolshevism.". He felt that serving the Reich was both a patriotic duty as well as a means for advancement. To show his grattitude in 1939 Hitler made a gift of 10,000 marks to a Methodist congregation to purchase an organ. It should be noted that outside of Germany Melle's views were overwhelmingly rejected by most Methodists. The leader of Pro-Nazi segment of Baptists was Paul Schmidt. Hitler also led to the unification of Pro-Nazi Protestants in the Protestant Reich Church which was led by Ludwig Müller. The idea of such a "national church" was possible in the history of mainstream German Protestantism, but National Churches devoted primarily to the state were generally forbidden among the Anabaptists, Jehovah's Witnesses, and in Catholicism.
The nature of the Nazi Party's relations with the Catholic Church is also complicated. Many Catholic priests and leaders vociferously opposed Nazism on the grounds of its incompatibility with Christian morals. Pope Pius XI issued the encyclical Mit brennender Sorge (1937) condemning Nazi ideology. There was also strong protests among Catholics, and various other Christians, to the euthanasia programs.(Spielvogel) Further like political dissenters, many priests were sent to the concentration camps for their opposition, including the parson of Berlin Cathedral Bernhard Lichtenberg. (Some of these were Poles persecuted for their nationality.) However Hitler was never excommunicated by the Catholic Church and several Catholic bishops in Germany or Austria are recorded as encouraging prayers of support for "The Fuhrer."
Nonetheless, since the 1940s it has been claimed that the Church hierarchy headed by Popes Pius XI and Pope Pius XII remained largely silent in the face of Nazism, and allegations of the Pope's complicity are today commonplace; see for example John Cornwell's book Hitler's Pope: The Secret History of Pius XII .Several other accusatory tomes are now published in addition to Cornwell , and equally some others firmly defending Pius's wartime record, e.g. Ralph McInerny's The Defamation of Pius XII.) Misplaced Pages lists many main-stream sources concerning Hitlerism and Nazism , the concept of Widerstand or internal resistance against Hitler aw well as the study of the Holocaust and Anti-semitism.
As Nazism continued to rule Germany, for many people it became a kind of religion in and of itself, sometimes called Esoteric Hitlerism, and sometimes associated with Germanic Neopaganism.
Nazism and fascism
The term Nazism is often used interchangeably with fascism, but this usage is controversial. Some use the word Fascism (spelled with a capital F), only to describe Italian Fascism, while generic fascism (spelled with a small f) may include many different movements, in many different countries.
Nazism and Italian Fascism both employed a similar style of propaganda, including military parades and uniforms, and the Roman salute. The ideologies of both ostensibly included an extreme nationalism and a rebirth of their own nation to some former, past state of national greatness. Both movements, when in power, also put in place totalitarian governments that pursued wars of expansion.
There were also many important differences between the two movements. For example, racism was central to Nazism but of less significance in Italian Fascism. Fascist Italy did not adopt anti-semitism until it followed Hitler's example.
Nazism and socialism
Nazism is an abbreviation for "National Socialism", and Nazi leaders sometimes described their ideology as being related to socialism. Thus, a number of people believe that Nazism was a form of socialism, or that there are similarities between Nazism and socialism. This is not agreed to by many self-described socialists in modern times.
It has for example been argued that the Nazi war economy, large public works projects, demand for total employment, and state interventions such as the National Labour Law of January 20, 1934 are indicative of socialism.
Much depends on the definition that one chooses to give to the term "socialism". Definitions of socialism can range from the very restrictive to the very broad. Under a restrictive definition - for example one stating that only a system adhering to the principles of Marxism can qualify as socialist - there is a well-defined and very large gap between Nazism and socialism. Under a middle definition - for example one stating that socialism is any economic system based on extensive central planning of the economy and public ownership over the means of production - the distinction becomes less clear. Finally, advocates of the view that Nazism was a typical instance of socialism often hold a very broad definition of socialism; for example, they may argue that many forms of economic interventionism by the government necessarily constitute socialist policy.
For the socialists who consider democracy a core tenet of socialism, Nazism is often seen as a polar opposite of their views. Primo Levi argued that there was an important distinction between the policies of Nazi Germany and those of the Soviet Union or the People's Republic of China: while they were all arguably totalitarian, and all had their idea of what kind of parasitic classes or races society ought to be rid of, Levi saw the Nazis assigning a place given by birth (since one is born into a certain race), while the Soviets and Chinese determined their enemies according to their social position (which people may change within their life). There are many other philosophical differences betwen Nazism and modern Socialism.
There were ideological shades of opinion within the Nazi Party, particularly before their seizure of power in 1933, but a central tenet of the party was always the leader principle or Führerprinzip. The Nazi Party did not have party congresses in which policy was deliberated upon and concessions made to different factions. What mattered most was what the leader, Adolf Hitler, thought and decreed. Those who held opinions which were at variance with Hitler's either learned to keep quiet or were purged, particularly after 1933. This is comparable to the behavior of certain Communist states such as that of Stalin in the Soviet Union or Mao Zedong in China.
Industries and trusts were not nationalised in Nazi Germany, with the exception of private rail lines (nationalised in the late 1930s to meet military contingencies). The only private holdings that were expropriated were those belonging to Jews. These holdings were then sold or awarded to businessmen who supported the Nazis and satisifed their ethnic and racial policies. Military production and even film production remained in the hands of private industries whilst serving the Nazi government, and many private companies flourished during the Nazi period. The Nazis never interfered with the profits made by such large German firms as Krupp, Siemens AG, and IG Farben.
Efforts were made to coordinate business's actions with the needs of the state, particularly with regard to rearmament, and the Nazis established some state-owned concerns such as Volkswagen. The Nazis engaged in an extensive public works program including the construction of the Autobahn system.
Since the fall of the Nazi regime, many theorists have argued that there are similarities between the government of Nazi Germany and that of Stalin's Soviet Union. In most cases this has taken the form of arguing that both Nazism and Stalinism are forms of totalitarianism. This view was advanced most famously by Hannah Arendt in The Origins of Totalitarianism.
For more information see the articles on Totalitarianism and Fascism and ideology.
The politics of the time
Established socialist movements in Germany - the largest of whom were the Social Democrats (SPD) and Communists (KPD) - did not view the Nazis as socialists and argued that the Nazis were thinly disguised reactionaries.
Hitler despised Karl Marx and condemned Communism and Marxism as a Judeo-Bolshevist conspiracy. He pledged to block its rise in Germany and argued that the nation's downfall was due to Marxism and its Jewish influence. These political views prompted some prominent conservatives and capitalists to fund and support the Nazis because they saw them as a bulwark against Communism.
Some of the traditional center and right-wing political parties of the Weimar Republic accused the Nazis of being socialists citing planks in the Nazis' party program which called for nationalization of trusts and other social measures. However, the German National People's Party (DNVP), the most important party on the mainstream right, usually treated the Nazis as a respected potential ally.
Historians such as Ian Kershaw note the links between the Nazis and the German political and economic establishment, as well as the significance of the Night of the Long Knives in which Hitler purged much of the left elements (such as the Strasserites and homosexuals) in the Nazi Party. This was done at the insistence of the military and conservatives.
Nazism and race
Nazis claimed to scientifically measure a strict hierarchy among races; at the top was the Aryan race (minus the Slavs, who were seen as below Aryan), then lesser races. At the bottom of this hierarchy were "parasitic" races, or Untermenschen, which were perceived to be dangerous to society. Lowest of all in the Nazi racial policy were the Jews.
Nazi theory said that because the nation was the expression of the race, the greatness of a race could be evaluated according to a race's ability and desire to acquire a large homeland. German accomplishments in science, weaponry, philosophy and art were interpreted as scientific evidence to support Nazi racist claims.
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