Dec 10 2008
National Socialist German Workers’ Party - Liberal, Nazi, or Both?
Okay, the title sounds a bit extreme and off the wall, but try to keep an open mind for a moment. Nazism was a movement that wanted a bigger, more powerful government, was disguised as a labor union, held strong liberal ideals, wanted to nationalize and socialize nearly every aspect of German life (because we all know how much the government can improve everything…), categorized people based on race, based an entire political strategy on the theory of evolution, and adored the work of Friedrich Nietzsche (who, by the way, based his nazi “superman” theory on the principles of evolution). …Wait, where else have I heard all of these ideas being promoted? It seems like a politician-or was it on t.v.? …Ah, forget it. Who’s hungry for a nice juicy socialist bail out package? Anyone?
I’m going to go ahead and guess that you either skipped history and civics, or failed them outright.
Thanks for the comment threedegrees. Well, the facts in my post were obtained from encylopedias, dictionaries, and history books, so I’m not sure where you’re coming from… Care to be a bit more specific? Maybe throw some facts back or get a discussion going…
You’re trying to link fascism to liberalism. There are inherent flaws in that argument. First and foremost would be the definition of a fascist state.
Fascism is commonly defined as an open terror-based dictatorship which is:
* Reactionary: makes policy based upon current circumstances rather than creating policies to prevent problems; piles lies and misnomers on top of more lies until the truth becomes indistinguishable, revised or forgotten.
* Chauvinistic: Two or more tiered legal systems, varying rights based upon superficial characteristics such as race, creed and origin.
* Imperialist elements of finance capital: Extending a nation’s authority by territorial acquisition or by the establishment of economic and political domination of one state over its allies.
You also attempt to tie nationalism with evolution(which is somehow liberal?) regarding Nietzsche and Nazi Germany. That is painting with a very, very broad brush. I could make the same claims about creationism, Manifest Destiny, and the Bush Administration. They would be false, but I could make them. While Nietzsche is often given credit for founding the mythos behind the Aryan “superman”, this is specific to one sub-group of a species, and little else beyond abject racism and national (misplaced) pride.
Furthermore, Hitler didn’t found the National German Socialist Workers Party. He took over the party to enact his vision. So the crux of your argument is, in effect, misplaced in terms of historical accuracy.
but other than everything he said it was a good post
@threedegrees: Again, thanks for responding.
In regards to linking fascism to today’s liberalism, that connection was never made in my post. I’m showing that the Nazi party was a liberal(nationalist), socialist party and that these concepts are eerily similar to the liberal socialism we see coming from the left today.
Secondly, I am tying nazism(a liberal, socialist party, remember), not nationalism, to the theory of evolution. Nazis killed everyone they deemed to be weak because they feared that humans had bypassed natural selection through medical science and were breeding flaws back into the genepool that would otherwise have been naturally eliminated. Broad brush or no, I think that the documented extermination of countless people in the name of natural selection is pretty significant evidence toward this. Nietzsche furthered these nazi ideas with the superman theory that was not only accredited to him, but he did indeed claim ownership of. Doesn’t it seem a bit odd to you that evolution is also pushed so hard by today’s liberal left, even without the proof it has needed for so long? Where does the scientific method play into that? (In case you haven’t guessed, I’m one of those darn creationists that everyone loves to hate)
Third, I never brought up Hitler or the founder of the nazi party(who, by the way, was a locksmith named Anton Drexler who lost leadership to Hitler one year after founding the party). Hitler supposedly founding the nazi party has no relevance to any of this…
Your arguments aren’t bad, but they unfortunately must be for some other posting as they have no basis in this one.
If you want to deny the facts and science behind evolution, I guess that’s your prerogative, but you’re sorely mistaken.
The extermination of millions of people had to do with a belief by Hitler’s Nazi Party(not Drexler’s) about genetic inferiority, not evolution. In fact, extermination of other races of peoples goes against evolutionary progress, as the survival of the fittest(you know, the core science behind evolution), is removed from the equation.
I don’t hate creationists, just feel very, very sorry for them.