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Do not fill this in! == Position within the political spectrum == [[File:WWII, Europe, Germany, "Nazi Hierarchy, Hitler, Goering, Goebbels, Hess", The Desperate Years p143 - NARA - 196509.jpg|thumb|upright=1.25|Left to right: [[Adolf Hitler]], [[Hermann Göring]], Minister of Propaganda [[Joseph Goebbels]], and [[Rudolf Hess]]]] [[File:Bundesarchiv Bild 102-02134, Bad Harzburg, Gründung der Harzburger Front.jpg|thumb|upright=1.25|Nazis alongside members of the far-right [[reactionary]] and [[Monarchism|monarchist]] [[German National People's Party]] (DNVP) during the brief NSDAP–DNVP alliance in the [[Harzburg Front]] from 1931 to 1932]] The majority of scholars identify Nazism in both theory and practice as a form of [[far-right politics]].<ref name=Fritzsche_Eatwell_Griffin/> Far-right themes in Nazism include the argument that superior people have a right to dominate other people and purge society of supposed inferior elements.<ref name="Oliver H. Woshinsky 2008, p. 156"/> [[Adolf Hitler]] and other proponents denied that Nazism was either left-wing or right-wing: instead, they officially portrayed Nazism as a [[Syncretic politics|syncretic]] movement.<ref name="Adolf Hitler p. 170"/><ref name="Rudy Koshar 1986, p. 190"/> In ''[[Mein Kampf]]'', Hitler directly attacked both left-wing and right-wing politics in Germany, saying: <blockquote>Today our left-wing politicians in particular are constantly insisting that their craven-hearted and obsequious foreign policy necessarily results from the disarmament of Germany, whereas the truth is that this is the policy of traitors ... But the politicians of the Right deserve exactly the same reproach. It was through their miserable cowardice that those ruffians of Jews who came into power in 1918 were able to rob the nation of its arms.<ref name="Adolf Hitler 2010, p. 287"/></blockquote> In a speech given in Munich on 12 April 1922, Hitler stated: <blockquote>There are only two possibilities in Germany; do not imagine that the people will forever go with the middle party, the party of compromises; one day it will turn to those who have most consistently foretold the coming ruin and have sought to dissociate themselves from it. And that party is either the Left: and then God help us! for it will lead us to complete destruction—to Bolshevism, or else it is a party of the Right which at the last, when the people is in utter despair, when it has lost all its spirit and has no longer any faith in anything, is determined for its part ruthlessly to seize the reins of power—that is the beginning of resistance of which I spoke a few minutes ago.<ref name="holocaustreader"/></blockquote> Hitler at times redefined socialism. When [[George Sylvester Viereck]] interviewed Hitler in October 1923 and asked him why he referred to his party as 'socialists' he replied: {{blockquote|Socialism is the science of dealing with the common weal. Communism is not Socialism. Marxism is not Socialism. The Marxians have stolen the term and confused its meaning. I shall take Socialism away from the Socialists. Socialism is an ancient Aryan, Germanic institution. Our German ancestors held certain lands in common. They cultivated the idea of the common weal. Marxism has no right to disguise itself as socialism. Socialism, unlike Marxism, does not repudiate private property. Unlike Marxism, it involves no negation of personality, and unlike Marxism, it is patriotic.<ref>{{cite web|title=1923 Interview with Adolf Hitler|url=https://famous-trials.com/hitler/2529-1923-interview-with-adolf-hitler}}</ref>}} In 1929, Hitler gave a speech to a group of Nazi leaders and simplified 'socialism' to mean, "Socialism! That is an unfortunate word altogether... What does socialism really mean? If people have something to eat and their pleasures, then they have their socialism."<ref>{{cite book|author-last=Turner |author-first=Henry A. |title=German Big Business and the Rise of Hitler |publisher=[[Oxford University Press]] |date=1985 |pages=77}}</ref> When asked in an interview on 27 January 1934 whether he supported the "bourgeois right-wing", Hitler claimed that Nazism was not exclusively for any class and he indicated that it favoured neither the left nor the right, but preserved "pure" elements from both "camps" by stating: "From the camp of bourgeois tradition, it takes national resolve, and from the materialism of the Marxist dogma, living, creative Socialism."<ref name="commentary"/> Historians regard the equation of Nazism as "Hitlerism" as too simplistic since the term was used prior to the rise of Hitler and the Nazis. In addition, the different ideologies incorporated into Nazism were already well established in certain parts of German society long before [[World War I]].{{sfn|Kershaw|1999|p=135}} The Nazis were strongly influenced by the post–World War I far-right in Germany, which held common beliefs such as anti-Marxism, anti-liberalism and antisemitism, along with [[nationalism]], contempt for the [[Treaty of Versailles]] and condemnation of the Weimar Republic for signing the armistice in November 1918 which later led it to sign the Treaty of Versailles.<ref name="Peukert, Detlev 1993 pp. 73-74"/> A major inspiration for the Nazis were the far-right nationalist ''[[Freikorps#Post–World War I|Freikorps]]'', paramilitary organisations that engaged in political violence after World War I.<ref name="Peukert, Detlev 1993 pp. 73-74" /> Initially, the post–World War I German far-right was dominated by [[Monarchism|monarchists]], but the younger generation, which was associated with ''völkisch'' nationalism, was more radical and it did not express any emphasis on the restoration of the German monarchy.<ref name="Peukert, Detlev 1993 p. 74"/> This younger generation desired to dismantle the Weimar Republic and create a new radical and strong state based upon a martial ruling ethic that could revive the "Spirit of 1914" which was associated with German national unity (''[[Volksgemeinschaft]]'').<ref name="Peukert, Detlev 1993 p. 74"/> The Nazis, the far-right monarchists, the [[reactionary]] [[German National People's Party]] (DNVP) and others, such as monarchist officers in the German Army and several prominent industrialists, formed an alliance in opposition to the Weimar Republic on 11 October 1931 in [[Bad Harzburg]], officially known as the "National Front", but commonly referred to as the [[Harzburg Front]].<ref name="machtergreifung"/> The Nazis stated that the alliance was purely tactical and they continued to have differences with the DNVP. After the elections of July 1932, the alliance broke down when the DNVP lost many of its seats in the [[Reichstag (Weimar Republic)|Reichstag]]. The Nazis denounced them as "an insignificant heap of reactionaries".<ref name="machtergreifung5"/> The DNVP responded by denouncing the Nazis for their "socialism", their street violence and the "economic experiments" that would take place if the Nazis ever rose to power.<ref name="machtergreifung6"/> However, amidst an inconclusive political situation in which conservative politicians [[Franz von Papen]] and [[Kurt von Schleicher]] were unable to form stable governments without the Nazis, Papen proposed to President Hindenburg to appoint Hitler as Chancellor at the head of a government formed primarily of conservatives, with only three Nazi ministers.{{sfn|Bendersky|1985|pp=104–106}}<ref>Stephen J. Lee. ''European Dictatorships, 1918–1945.'' Routledge, 1987, p. 169.</ref> Hindenburg did so, and contrary to the expectations of Papen and the DNVP, Hitler was soon able to establish a Nazi one-party dictatorship.{{sfn|Bendersky|1985|pp=106–107}} [[Kaiser]] [[Wilhelm II, German Emperor|Wilhelm II]], who was pressured to abdicate the throne and flee into exile amidst an attempted communist revolution in Germany, initially supported the Nazi Party. His four sons, including Prince [[Prince Eitel Friedrich of Prussia|Eitel Friedrich]] and Prince [[Prince Oskar of Prussia|Oskar]], became members of the Nazi Party in hopes that in exchange for their support, the Nazis would permit the restoration of the monarchy.<ref name="nicholas"/> Hitler dismissed the possibility of a restored monarchy, calling it "idiotic."<ref>{{cite book|title-link=The Second World War (Antony Beevor book)|title=The Second World War |first=Antony|last=Beevor|author-link=Antony Beevor |publisher=Back Bay Books |location=New York City|year=2013 |isbn=978-0316023757|pages=92–93}}</ref> Wilhelm grew to distrust Hitler and was appalled at the [[Kristallnacht]] of 9–10 November 1938, stating, "For the first time, I am ashamed to be a German."<ref>{{cite book|first=Michael|last=Balfour|title=The Kaiser and his Times|publisher=Houghton Mifflin|year=1964|page=409}}</ref> The former German emperor also denounced the Nazis as a "bunch of shirted gangsters" and "a mob … led by a thousand liars or fanatics."<ref>{{cite magazine|title=The Kaiser on Hitler|magazine=[[Ken (magazine)|Ken]]|date=15 December 1938 |url=http://www.oldmagazinearticles.com/pdf/Kaiser_Wm_and_Hitler.pdf |access-date=6 September 2023}}</ref> There were factions within the Nazi Party, both conservative and radical.<ref name="Michael Mann 2004, p. 183"/> The conservative Nazi [[Hermann Göring]] urged Hitler to conciliate with [[Capitalism|capitalists]] and [[Reactionary|reactionaries]].<ref name="Michael Mann 2004, p. 183" /> Other prominent conservative Nazis included [[Heinrich Himmler]] and [[Reinhard Heydrich]].<ref name="foundations"/> Meanwhile, the radical Nazi Joseph Goebbels opposed capitalism, viewing it as having Jews at its core and he stressed the need for the party to emphasise both a [[Proletariat|proletarian]] and a national character. Those views were shared by [[Otto Strasser]], who later left the Nazi Party and formed the [[Black Front]] in the belief that Hitler had allegedly betrayed the party's socialist goals by endorsing capitalism.<ref name="Michael Mann 2004, p. 183"/> When the Nazi Party emerged from obscurity to become a major political force after 1929, the conservative faction rapidly gained more influence, as wealthy donors took an interest in the Nazis as a potential bulwark against communism.<ref>Hallgarten, George (1973). "The Collusion of Capitalism". In Snell, John L. (ed.). "The Nazi Revolution: Hitler's Dictatorship and the German Nation". D. C. Heath and Company. p. 132</ref> The Nazi Party had previously been financed almost entirely from membership dues, but after 1929 its leadership began actively seeking donations from German industrialists, and Hitler began holding dozens of fundraising meetings with business leaders.<ref>Hallgarten, George (1973). "The Collusion of Capitalism". In Snell, John L. (ed.). "The Nazi Revolution: Hitler's Dictatorship and the German Nation". D. C. Heath and Company. p. 133</ref> In the midst of the Great Depression, facing the possibility of economic ruin on the one hand and a [[Communist Party of Germany|Communist]] or [[Social Democratic Party of Germany|Social Democrat]] government on the other hand, German business increasingly turned to Nazism as offering a way out of the situation, by promising a state-driven economy that would support, rather than attack, existing business interests.<ref>Hallgarten, George (1973). "The Collusion of Capitalism". In Snell, John L. (ed.). "The Nazi Revolution: Hitler's Dictatorship and the German Nation". D. C. Heath and Company. pp. 137, 142</ref> By January 1933, the Nazi Party had secured the support of important sectors of German industry, mainly among the steel and coal producers, the insurance business, and the chemical industry.<ref>Hallgarten, George (1973). "The Collusion of Capitalism". In Snell, John L. (ed.). "The Nazi Revolution: Hitler's Dictatorship and the German Nation". D. C. Heath and Company. p. 141</ref> Large segments of the Nazi Party, particularly among the members of the ''[[Sturmabteilung]]'' (SA), were committed to the party's official socialist, revolutionary and [[anti-capitalism|anti-capitalist]] positions and expected both a social and an economic revolution when the party gained power in 1933.<ref name="Joseph W. Bendersky 2007, p. 96"/> In the period immediately before the Nazi seizure of power, there were even Social Democrats and Communists who switched sides and became known as "[[Beefsteak Nazi]]s": brown on the outside and red inside.<ref>Heiden, Konrad (1938) ''Hitler: A Biography'', London: Constable & Co. Ltd. p. 390</ref> The leader of the SA, [[Ernst Röhm]], pushed for a "second revolution" (the "first revolution" being the Nazis' seizure of power) that would enact socialist policies. Furthermore, Röhm desired that the SA absorb the much smaller German Army into its ranks under his leadership.<ref name="Joseph W. Bendersky 2007, p. 96"/> Once the Nazis achieved power, Röhm's SA was directed by Hitler to violently suppress the parties of the left, but they also began attacks against individuals deemed to be associated with conservative reaction.{{sfn|Nyomarkay|1967|pp=123–124, 130}} Hitler saw Röhm's independent actions as violating and possibly threatening his leadership, as well as jeopardising the regime by alienating the conservative President [[Paul von Hindenburg]] and the conservative-oriented German Army.{{sfn|Nyomarkay|1967|p=133}} This resulted in Hitler purging Röhm and other radical members of the SA in 1934, in what came to be known as the [[Night of the Long Knives]].{{sfn|Nyomarkay|1967|p=133}} Before he joined the Bavarian Army to fight in World War I, Hitler had lived a [[Bohemianism|bohemian]] lifestyle as a petty street watercolour artist in [[Vienna]] and [[Munich]] and he maintained elements of this lifestyle later on, going to bed very late and rising in the afternoon, even after he became Chancellor and then Führer.<ref name="publishers"/> After the war, his battalion was absorbed by the [[Bavarian Soviet Republic]] from 1918 to 1919, where he was elected Deputy Battalion Representative. According to historian [[w:Thomas Weber (historian)|Thomas Weber]], Hitler attended the funeral of communist [[Kurt Eisner]] (a German Jew), wearing a black mourning armband on one arm and a red communist armband on the other,<ref name="Thomas Weber 2011, p. 251"/> which he took as evidence that Hitler's political beliefs had not yet solidified.<ref name="Thomas Weber 2011, p. 251"/> In ''Mein Kampf'', Hitler never mentioned any service with the Bavarian Soviet Republic and he stated that he became an antisemite in 1913 during his years in Vienna. This statement has been disputed by the contention that he was not an antisemite at that time,<ref name="Jeffrey S. Gaab 2008, p. 61"/> even though it is well established that he read many antisemitic tracts and journals during that time and admired [[Karl Lueger]], the antisemitic mayor of Vienna.{{sfn|Kershaw|1999|pages=34–35, 50–52, 60–67}} Hitler altered his political views in response to the signing of the Treaty of Versailles in June 1919 and it was then that he became an antisemitic, German nationalist.<ref name="Jeffrey S. Gaab 2008, p. 61"/> Hitler expressed opposition to capitalism, regarding it as having Jewish origins and accusing capitalism of holding nations ransom to the interests of a parasitic [[Cosmopolitanism|cosmopolitan]] [[Rentier capitalism|rentier]] class.<ref name="R.J. Overy 2004. pp. 399-403"/> He also expressed opposition to communism and egalitarian forms of socialism, arguing that inequality and hierarchy are beneficial to the nation.{{sfn|Bendersky|1985|p=49}} He believed that communism was invented by the Jews to weaken nations by promoting class struggle.{{sfn|Bendersky|1985|p=50}} After his rise to power, Hitler took a pragmatic position on economics, accepting private property and allowing capitalist private enterprises to exist so long as they adhered to the goals of the Nazi state, but not tolerating enterprises that he saw as being opposed to the national interest.<ref name="Michael Mann 2004, p. 183"/> German business leaders disliked Nazi ideology but came to support Hitler, because they saw the Nazis as a useful ally to promote their interests.{{sfn|Tooze|2006|pp=101}} Business groups made significant financial contributions to the Nazi Party both before and after the Nazi seizure of power, in the hope that a Nazi dictatorship would eliminate the organised labour movement and the left-wing parties.{{sfn|Tooze|2006|pp=100–101}} Hitler actively sought to gain the support of business leaders by arguing that private enterprise is incompatible with democracy.{{sfn|Tooze|2006|p=99}} Although he opposed communist ideology, Hitler publicly praised the [[Soviet Union]]'s leader [[Joseph Stalin]] and [[Stalinism]] on numerous occasions.<ref name="François Furet 1999. pp. 191-192"/> Hitler commended Stalin for seeking to purify the [[Communist Party of the Soviet Union]] of Jewish influences, noting Stalin's purging of Jewish communists such as [[Leon Trotsky]], [[Grigory Zinoviev]], [[Lev Kamenev]] and [[Karl Radek]].<ref name="communism"/> While Hitler had always intended to bring Germany into conflict with the Soviet Union so he could gain ''[[Lebensraum]]'' ("living space"), he supported a temporary strategic alliance between Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union to form a common anti-liberal front so they could defeat liberal democracies, particularly [[France]].<ref name="François Furet 1999. pp. 191-192"/> Hitler admired the [[British Empire]] and its [[Western European colonialism and colonization|colonial system]] as living proof of Germanic superiority over "inferior" races and saw the [[United Kingdom]] as Germany's natural ally.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Nicosia |first1=Francis R. |title=The Third Reich and the Palestine Question |date=2000 |publisher=Transaction Publishers |isbn=0-7658-0624-X |page=82 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=kYFrAgAAQBAJ&pg=PA82}}</ref><ref name="britain"/> He wrote in ''Mein Kampf'': "For a long time to come there will be only two Powers in Europe with which it may be possible for Germany to conclude an alliance. These Powers are Great Britain and Italy."<ref name="britain">{{cite book |last1=Buchanan |first1=Patrick J. |title=Churchill, Hitler, and "The Unnecessary War": How Britain Lost Its Empire and the West Lost the World |date=2008 |publisher=Crown/Archetype |isbn=978-0-307-40956-0 |page=325 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=PYESsQRyIIMC&pg=PA325}}</ref> Summary: Please note that all contributions to Christianpedia may be edited, altered, or removed by other contributors. If you do not want your writing to be edited mercilessly, then do not submit it here. You are also promising us that you wrote this yourself, or copied it from a public domain or similar free resource (see Christianpedia:Copyrights for details). Do not submit copyrighted work without permission! Cancel Editing help (opens in new window) Discuss this page