National Socialism is on the March
It is bizarre but there have been several articles recently claiming that National Socialists were not socialists.
National Socialists are a totalitarian variety of Market Socialists. This form of socialism holds that society should be centrally controlled but industry and commerce should be allowed to interact through market mechanisms. Social Democrats are also Market Socialists but they are not totalitarian.
The claim that National Socialists were not socialists relies on the fact that they opposed revolutionary Marxists in Italy and Germany and did not want the state to run industry. This argument could be used to deny the socialism of many socialist parties, such as the Labour Party in the UK. National Socialists were indeed opposed to revolutionary Marxism but only the far left would equate Marxism with socialism.
The claim from conflict that National Socialists could not be socialist because they were in conflict with revolutionary Marxism could also be used to aver that they were not Nationalists. The National Socialists invaded Nationalist Democracies such as Poland and France so the argument from conflict would mean that National Socialists are not Nationalist. In the period from 1910 to 1940 most countries were Nationalist and several were performing genocides (Turkey, Soviet Union etc). Eventually the European National Socialists were defeated by Nationalist Democracies. Only the far left would equate Nationalism with National Socialism.
One of the characteristics of the far left is that they tend to shoot each other: purges are the rule rather than the exception in communist states. The idea that because National Socialists hated a group of revolutionary Marxists they could not be socialist is facetious. It is also hard to reconcile the Molotov-Von Ribbentrop Pact between Germany and the Soviet Union with a hatred of the Left. Indeed, Stalin respected Hitler and even when German troops were finally pouring over the Soviet frontier could not believe it was happening.
Defining political movements by the nature of their opponents at a chosen time is false reasoning. The definition of National Socialism is straightforward: National Socialists are a totalitarian variety of Market Socialists.
(Image source: History Today)
The economic policies of the German National Socialists are summarised in their 1920 manifesto:
All citizens shall have equal rights and duties.
Every citizen should have a job. Their work should not be selfish, but help everyone. Therefore we demand
The abolition of incomes unearned by work. The breaking of the slavery of interest
So many people die or lose their property in a war, it is wrong for other people to make money from the war. Anyone who made money from the war should have all that money taken away.
We want all very big corporations to be owned by the government.
Big industrial companies should share their profits with the workers.
We want old age pensions to be increased.
etc..
These are broadly similar to the principles of Socialism, Fascism, Peronism, Syrian Baathism, Chinese Communism and all the other National Socialist/Leftist movements.
It should be remembered that National Socialists are as Internationalist as any other ideology. The “National” part of the label is not essential. The first proposal for an EEC was made by the NAZIs in WWII and Oswald Mosely, the British fascist, was a keen supporter of the EU.
Social Democracy is not National Socialism because it includes the principle of democracy. Were a Social Democratic party to dispense with democracy it would be National Socialist.
Democracy is an uncomfortable reality for many socialists. It is always easy for ideologists to accuse opponents of being misled because ideologists believe they are absolutely right. Outside of Socialist ideology there are conservatives and old fashioned Liberals who generally talk about the management of the economy and society rather than its control, and, in some places, there are religious parties.
National Socialism appeals to multinational corporations and is the current politics of China. The world has never been at greater risk of a National Socialist revival. The one thing that budding National Socialists fear most is that people will suddenly realize that the politics of the 1920s and 1930s is returning. The one thing that I fear most for global politics is that National Socialism is indeed returning.