Not the least worst aspect of Fraser Anning’s sleazy “final solution” inaugural speech to parliament is that we have to go through the whole “Hitler was a socialist” malarkey all over again. Peter van Onselen is the latest to trot out this self-flattering liberal platitude.
There have been plenty of criticisms of Paul I’ve been reading on social media, pointing out Hitler was a fascist not a socialist. Nazism is national socialism which is considered a branch of socialism. https://t.co/OM8H1diZA1
— Peter van Onselen (@vanOnselenP) August 16, 2018
He’s already been schooled on Twitter by the redoubtable Harry Leslie Smith, the 95-year-old socialist activist who actually fought Nazism in World War II, but let’s go over it again.
The Nazi party, when Hitler joined it in the early 1920s (he was about the 150th member, not the seventh, as mythology claims) was a nationalist, racist, socialist party (as indeed was the ALP at the time) which saw capitalism as the enemy, and the Jews as its masters. The party quickly went from being racist to being exterminatory in its attitude to Jews. By the late 1920s, it had developed extensive links with business, who had begun to see its thugs as useful shock troops against the powerful Communist party, and the large Social Democrats.
When Hitler came to power in 1933, he wiped out the party’s remnant economically socialist grouping, the SA, in “The Night of the Long Knives”. Henceforth, the Nazis were in lockstep with German business. The first people into the concentration camps were Communists and socialists, and the camp inmates were quickly made available as work units to business.
The power of business in Germany continued into WWII, and helped Germany lose it — they ran a consumer capitalist economy well into 1944, the Nazis worried that they would lose public support if there were any privations. The giant private conglomerate IG Farben was happy to avail itself of the slave labour from Auschwitz-Birkenau to make household goods for Germans, and it continued trading with US and other companies throughout the war, through the Bank of International Settlements, established for that purpose. Last time I checked, that was capitalism. The UK meanwhile, was a genuinely socialised economy, suspending market relations for directed activity, nationalising substantial enterprises, and all but replacing money with a ration-coupon system.
The “Nazis were socialists” nonsense is the sort of student politics Liberalism that you’d hope that an actual politics lecturer like van Onselen would have grown out of. What are the annual fees for an arts degree at UWA again? Liberals were happy to co-operate with the far right in Germany, just as the “mainstream” right is happy to shake Fraser Anning’s hand — or a genuine liberal commentator, out of relentless ambition, is willing to publish in a newspaper which pumps out anti-African-Australian racism in industrial quantities. Fascism, socialism, left, right — it’s all a question of POV, ain’t it, PVO?
‘…national socialism which is considered a branch of socialism….’
Considered by whom? I’m surprised that an experienced journalist would resort to supporting his argument by implying widespread acceptance in some unspoken circle of expertise, rather than cite his sources. Or perhaps he was just referring to Paul Murray, i.e.
‘…national socialism which is considered (by Paul Murray) a branch of socialism….’.
Just like there has never been a true capitalist society, socialism in its theoretical form has never been fully realised anywhere. Hitler certainly adhered to socialist ideas when it suited him, just like so called capitalists are only capitalists when it suits their interest. Fact is, in its implementation, there is little difference between fascism and communism, socialism’s dogmatic cousin. And the victims of Hiter and Stalin’s terror couldn’t care less which ism that killed them.
Yep all extremists can justify murder for the good of their cause.
Why is this now an issue ?
Is there actually a fascist revival? NO… Dog whistle moral majority at its best, it feels good to pronounce abhorrence at these comments along with everyone else, a sense of belonging for the ethically simplistic.
Bask in the self righteous glory of this non-issue, then continue on as usual content to be farmed like worms by the financially and politically powerful.
I was thinking along similar lines, Kim. The question of ‘real’ socialist is valid only if you can point to leaders who are and list the comprehensive, broadly-accepted tests that if failed, would disqualify them.
If you can’t then the whole question becomes silly and unconstructive, like who is a ‘real’ Christian or a ‘real’ Australian.
I recognise Guy’s objections, but don’t think he’s thought the whole argument through.
Frankie Bole is quite amusing on this question.
Pastor Martin Niemoller’s poem sums up National Socialism.
First they came for the Socialists,
and I did not speak out –
Because I was not a Socialist.
Then they came for the Trade unionists,
and I did not speak out –
Because I was not a Trade unionist.
Then they came for the Jews,
And I did not speak out –
Because I was not a Jew.
Then they came for me –
and there was no one left to speak for me.
Daniel Jonah Goldhagen’s book Hitler’s Willing Executioners explains National Socialism = Facism.
Speaking of the blending of socialism with some other mad shit…I see the Nationals at their annual barn dance and bring your own plate conference, will be debating a welfare card for those under 30 years of age. Presumably this will be debated before they make demands for more taxpayers dosh for the landed gentry and perhaps after they unanimously agree to whatever energy policy Abbott wants to see today.
Adult Gubmint I tells yer!
But, but, but public money for hardworking, climate denying National Party supporting farmers is not like welfare like for those probably undeserving other people! It would make me laugh, if it wasn’t so downright evil, the semantics around the wording of financial assistance for farmers allowing said farmers to deny that it’s essentially the dole what they are getting.
Curzio Malaparte’s Fascist insider’s how-to-manual from 1931, The Technique of Coup d’Etat, characterises Hitler as a reactionary, already in thrall to business interests, and unable to harness the good will of the working class through supplanting trade unions with Fascist social organisation in quite the same way as Mussolini did.
If the Nazis were socialist, then North Korea must truly be a Democratic People’s Republic.