"National Socialism" was not Socialism.

[benburch]

Any more than the "Moral Majority" is either moral or a majority.

Any more than "Compassionate Conservatism" is compassionate.

Any more than "Family Values" values families.

Any more than "Right to life" thinks that any already born person really has a right to life.

Hitler knew that people wanted Socialism after their long ordeal of hyper-inflation and starvation, and so he used its name.

I'm getting pretty cheesed off at the Fascists on The Right trying to use Hitler's supposed "Socialism" as some sort of wedge to discredit any government program established for the common welfare, whereby they either display their monumental ignorance as to the nature of German Fascism or their dishonesty in their attempts to foist just that system on us again.

[Canuckistanian]

1. Hitler used "socialism" like Big Brother used "Ministry of Truth"

Many historical precedents as well.

[ET Awful]

2. You forgot that Hitler spent as much time as those guys do

ranting and raving about socialism, Marxism, communism, leftists, etc. Hitler considered all things left of his extreme right rantings to be creations of Jewish interests attempting to take over the world.

Or so any legitimate evaluation of history teaches us.

[benburch]

3. You know that. I know that. Educated people know that...

But these Fascists either are uneducated or liars. Or both.

[Warpy]

4. The first people he arrested and murdered were the communists

The next were the socialists.

This is what the right wing doesn't "get," because they are adept at reading titles but have never read a BOOK.

[benburch]

5. They believe whatever the Reichsminister says.

The Reichsminister for propaganda and national enlightenment, Carl Rove, sends out his morning FAX blast and his "Lord Haw-Haw" clones repeat it. And the sheep all bleat to the tune.

[lastliberalintexas]

6. I would wager that

a fairly substantial number of Americans do not know that. All that our schools teach is a paltry recitation of the 6 million Jews who were murdered. And of course that should be taught and remembered, but we should also remember that they killed the Communists, Socialists, intellectuals, gays, Gypsies, and any who disagreed with them politically. The Jews weren't the only ones Hitler's gang was out to "exterminate".

[Stop_the_War]

7. "National Socialism" had nothing to do with socialism at all.....

There were three major parties in Germany at the time right before the Nazis hijacked the country. There were the Social Democrats, a socialist left-wing party. There was the Center party, a moderate party. And there were the "National Socialists" or "Nazis" who were a very right-wing fascist and nationalist party. They weren't socialists, they used their name to try to get support from the unsuspecting German people. In a sense, they were mostly like the "National Syndicalists" in Italy who were not syndicalists at all.

[bryant69]

8. This is one of the most troubling aspects of the right

At least right now. The desire to believe that they are as pure as the driven snow and are totally innocent of any wrongdoing ever, while Liberals are blackguards and monsters. It's not enough that we have to take responsibility for Stalin and Mao and Pol Pot, we have to get Hitler, and Southern Slavery as well.

Bryant
Check it out --> http://politicalcomment.blogspot.com

[Stop_the_War]

9. Hitler and Southern Slavers were both right-wing

[benburch]

10. And I recall that Hitler thought he would get support in the South.

And that this would forestall our entry into the war.

[Spider Jerusalem]

11. "National Socialism" was socialist, at the beginning.

But Hitler co-opted the movement, brought along a lot of yes-men, bided his time until he had the power to eliminate his opposition, and killed everyone in the party leadership who believed in the "Socialist" part. "The Night of the Long Knives", this was called.