Nazis: Left-wing, not Right.

     Everyone has heard the term “right-wing Nazi”, but are they really right-wing?

     Most people do not know that the NAZI party was actually a labor party. Worker, union and labor parties almost always tend to be left-wing. For instance, the various labor parties throughout the European Union are fully tilted to the left, not right. (And the difference between left versus right is simply how much government interferes with individual freedom; in a sense, how much regulations, laws, licenses, permits, etc. they wish to enforce. The more left one goes, more government exists and less liberty; the further right, less government and more freedom.)

     Today, the Democrat Party in the U.S. champions “worker rights” and leads the charge in many unions (i.e. labor and teacher unions). No one disputes that the Democrat Party is left-wing. Nazi’s stood for the same principles but are incorrectly deemed right-wing.

(Side-note, I’m not labeling the Democrat Party as Nazi’s, because they are not, but I’m using the terms in order to explain the confusion.)

     When one researches the past and present philosophy of the National Socialist Party (Nazi), almost all of the rhetoric resembles left-wing ideology.

     From the NAZI Platform itself:
     “In order to make higher education—and thereby entry into leading positions—available to every able and industrious German, the State must provide a thorough restructuring of our entire public educational system. The courses of study at all educational institutions are to be adjusted to meet the requirements of practical life. Understanding of the concept of the State must be achieved through the schools (teaching of civics) at the earliest age at which it can be grasped. We demand the education at the public expense of specially gifted children of poor parents, without regard to the latter’s position or occupation."
     "The State must raise the level of national health by means of mother-and-child care, the banning of juvenile labor, achievement of physical fitness through legislation for compulsory gymnastics and sports, and maximum support for all organizations providing physical training for young people ”

     State controlled education? National healthcare? This isn’t right-wing ideology. However, this is not sufficient to prove my case.

     Here are more points from the NAZI Platform:
     “We demand the nationalization of all enterprises (already) converted into corporations (trusts).
     We demand profit-sharing in large enterprises.
     We demand the large-scale development of old-age pension schemes.
     We demand the creation and maintenance of a sound middle class; the immediate communalization of the large department stores, which are to be leased at low rates to small tradesmen.
     We demand the most careful consideration for the owners of small businesses in orders placed by national, state, or community authorities.
     We demand land reform in accordance with our national needs and a law for expropriation without compensation of land for public purposes. Abolition of ground rent and prevention of all speculation in land.”

     Profit-sharing (aka “spreading the wealth”)? Nationalization of enterprises? Communalization? Rent/price control? Taking land for “public purposes”?

     How is any of this right-wing?

     It’s not. In fact, much of this stems directly from the philosophy that Karl Marx created, called communism.

     Franklin D. Roosevelt and Woodrow Wilson (both “progressives”) demanded much of the same when they were presidents, yet, no one disputes that they were left-wing. Yet teachers and media today state that Hitler was right-wing?

     One might ask, “Well why do people continue to say NAZI’s are right-wing when everything about them is left-wing?” Stalin said it best, “A lie repeated a thousand times becomes truth.” He was correct.

     When Hitler attempted to gain control of Germany through elections (and lost), his biggest rivals were the German Communist Party. But the rivalry was not because of great differences, but because they were both similar. It would be the equivalent of the Democrat Party trying to beat a party with shared viewpoints named the New Democrat Party, or the Republicans fighting with the New Republican Party.

     The Communist Party of Germany were taking votes away from the National Socialist Party of Germany. The German socialists could not gain enough votes to get an edge (and the same for the communist party), thus, the rivalry and hatred grew.

     Comparing the communist philosophy to ANY socialist philosophy (including national socialism), we can conclude that socialism allowed for slightly more economic and personal freedom. Under socialism, (including Nazi’s) government controls much of the economy and even owns many industries, but not all; while communist governments control and own everything, from local bakeries to huge corporations, and even the profits they take in.

     Did you know that Hitler nationalized the auto-manufacturer Volkswagen? Healthcare, education and banking was also nationalized under Hitler’s National Socialist Party.

     Historically speaking, the Nazi’s were to the right of the Communists, but they still existed on the left-side of the fence; just as today, moderate liberals are to the right of progressive liberals, but no one can honestly claim moderate liberals are right-wingers.

     The next time you hear someone incorrectly label Nazi’s as “right-wingers”, educate them!

Links for more information about the past and present National Socialist Parties:
http://www.nsm88.org/25points/25pointsengl.html
http://users.stlcc.edu/rkalfus/PDFs/026.pdf