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Comrade Corinna
28th November 2005, 02:32
The most outrageous cappie-idiot comment I have ever received in my life was:


HITLER was a hard core leftist! The Nazis were the National SOCIALIST German Workers Party

The idiot went on to explain to me that the only reason why Hitler did not like Communists was because the Communist party was their competition for the dominating German Left party.

Problem was, I couldnt even make my arguement because whenever I would try to say ANYTHING, the idiot would interject with "But WHAT??? HAHA YOU ARE A NAZI HAHAHA YOU LOOOOOSE COMMIE *****!"

What I dont get was this quote:

"We are socialists, we are enemies of today's capitalistic economic system for the exploitation of the economically weak, with its unfair salaries, with its unseemly evaluation of a human being according to wealth and property instead of responsibility and performance, and we are all determined to destroy this system under all conditions"

---adolf hitler, 1927


Was this just bullshit propaganda for Hitler to appeal to the working class or something?

RadicalLeft62
28th November 2005, 02:39
but the fact is he was an racist fuck who fought communists and killed many innocents. that quote is somewhat surprising tho.

Comrade Corinna
28th November 2005, 02:51
I think its not entirely out of the question that Hitler used this to appeal to the workers but really didnt follow up on it, or he just lied altogether.

Rockfan
28th November 2005, 03:11
Yeah well in 1927 the deppression was just starting. They wouldn't call themsevles National Socialists if the mis-guided, appalling and violent ideaoligy didn't have socialist elements in there. The guy you were argueing with has no clue dude.

Publius
28th November 2005, 03:15
Hitler was not a socialist, or a capitalist, or any of that: He was a pragmatist.

He played to whatever he could.

He took up National Socialism because it was the best way to consolidate power in his hands, including economic power.

A fascist state is supposed to make all citizens subservient to it; that's the goal.

So was he a 'socialist' in the sense that you mean it? No.

But he was a socialist because he used government to control the economy.

Statist would be the more accurate and less pejoritive term, but he is your problem, not ours.


The sad fact is, you and your communist ilk would agree with with him on issues more often than I would.

Honestly.

Publius
28th November 2005, 03:18
"We are socialists, we are enemies of today's capitalistic economic system for the exploitation of the economically weak, with its unfair salaries, with its unseemly evaluation of a human being according to wealth and property instead of responsibility and performance, and we are all determined to destroy this system under all conditions"

---adolf hitler, 1927



Think about this quote for a second.

What's his problem with capitalism?

The key is highlighted.

Responsibility and performance towards whom? The state of course.

His problem was the capitalism was too free. He had to change that.

He wasn't lying, he was belying his hatred of freedom.

He had every intention of destroying capitalism. But he wanted to replace it with fascism.

Correa
28th November 2005, 03:31
But he wanted to replace it with fascism.

Fascism (in Italian, fascismo), capitalized, was the authoritarian political movement which ruled Italy from 1922 to 1943 under the leadership of Benito Mussolini. Similar political movements, including Nazism, spread across Europe between World War I and World War II. Fascism generally attracted political support from big business, landowners, and patriotic, traditionalist, conservative, far-right, populist and reactionary individuals and groups. Classical fascism has also inspired contemporary neo-fascist organizations.

He was a "left winger" alright, HAHAHAHA! :lol:

That was too easy! :D

Publius
28th November 2005, 03:44
Originally posted by [email protected] 28 2005, 03:36 AM



Fascism (in Italian, fascismo), capitalized, was the authoritarian political movement which ruled Italy from 1922 to 1943 under the leadership of Benito Mussolini. Similar political movements, including Nazism, spread across Europe between World War I and World War II. Fascism generally attracted political support from big business, landowners, and patriotic, traditionalist, conservative, far-right, populist and reactionary individuals and groups. Classical fascism has also inspired contemporary neo-fascist organizations.

He was a "left winger" alright, HAHAHAHA! :lol:

That was too easy! :D

Wikipedia is hardly a definitive source.

Big Business? Yes, it had their support, but it wasn't capitalistic. They didn't support him because he supported a free-market, they supported him because if they didn't, they would go out of business. They had to support him. Not to mention that if you had Nazi support, you didn't have to compete; you were taken care of. Sweet deal. Not capitalistic.

Landowners? Again, if they DIDN'T support him, they wouldn't be landowners very long, would they? If you supported him, however, you were taken care of, or at least no thrown in jail. This isn't about politics, it's about survival.

Patriotic? Well duh, they're NATIONAL socialists. I'm quite 'conservative' and I'm not patriotic in the least.

Traditionalist? Only in the sense that they were anti-Jew, gypsy, communist, etc. I think traditionist is an innaccurate right-wing pinning, depending on how right-wing is defined.

Conservative? Try statist/authoritarian.

Far-right? Again, statist/authoritarian.

Populist? A supporter of the rights and power of the people? Isn't that a LEFTIST label? I don't see how it applies to the Nazis at all.

Reactionary? I should say.


Most of these pinnings don't accurately describe 'my side' of the 'right-wing', the libertarians of various sorts.

Hitler was a LEFTIST because he supported state intervention in the economy.

End of story.

And political and economic ideology are different.

He could be a 'social conservative' and still be an 'economic leftist'.

Xvall
28th November 2005, 03:57
I think Publius is pretty right; I don't think Hitler actually gave a shit about capitalism or giving people the right to start business or free trade (though he claimed to, at points).

Rockfan
28th November 2005, 03:57
Which brings us back to the point i made that they wouldn't call themsevles National Socialists if they didn't have socialist elements in there.

Xvall
28th November 2005, 03:59
Nearly every government has some socialistic element in it, though. The United States has a welfare system and taxes, but I would hardly say that makes it "socialist".

Correa
28th November 2005, 05:35
Michael Savage makes this comment once in a while and I can't stand it when he does. I will say that an argument could be that because Fascism is a centrally planned economy there is no "free trade". However privatization is even more concentrated as the state marries the corporations and the means of production are a far cry from being "collectivelly owned". To make matter worse any kind of "socialism" that Hitler carried out was applicable to members of the "Aryan" race only. Plus why would Hitler declare himself the ultimate enemy of communism if he was a socialist? It is safe to say folks that Hitler was NOT a socialist, he didn't have a free market system, but that does NOT make him a socialist.

Publius
28th November 2005, 15:43
Plus why would Hitler declare himself the ultimate enemy of communism if he was a socialist?

You don't understand: He didn't give a flying fuck about economics, capitalist, socialist or otherwise.

Nothing could be farther from his mind.

He wasn't a 'socialist' or a 'capitalist' or anything, he was a fascist!

He wanted to CONTROL EVERYTHING!

If you aren't his friend, you're his enemy.

Communists too. They were his competititon.



It is safe to say folks that Hitler was NOT a socialist, he didn't have a free market system, but that does NOT make him a socialist.

Of course it does.

WHat else does it make him?

He wanted the system which gave him the most control: socialism.

bcbm
28th November 2005, 21:46
Originally posted by [email protected] 28 2005, 09:54 AM
WHat else does it make him?

A corpratist? A collectivist?

Publius
28th November 2005, 22:58
A corpratist? A collectivist?

Forms of socialism.

bcbm
28th November 2005, 23:25
Originally posted by [email protected] 28 2005, 05:09 PM


A corpratist? A collectivist?

Forms of socialism.
It depends on how we're defining socialism. I see worker-control as essential to socialism, and that was certainly lacking in fascist states. I don't see all intervention in the economy as socialist, though it seems clear you do? I don't think that's proper usage of the word socialist.

Correa
29th November 2005, 05:04
Wikipedia is hardly a definitive source.

Its not just them, Fascism is a far right wing ideology and Communism is a far left wing ideology. What don't you understand?


He wanted the system which gave him the most control: socialism.

Are you serious? :lol:


You don't understand: He didn't give a flying fuck about economics, capitalist, socialist or otherwise.

Okay, did he want socialism? or did he not give a flying fuck?

Led Zeppelin
29th November 2005, 11:09
"We are socialists, we are enemies of today's capitalistic economic system for the exploitation of the economically weak, with its unfair salaries, with its unseemly evaluation of a human being according to wealth and property instead of responsibility and performance, and we are all determined to destroy this system under all conditions"

---adolf hitler, 1927

Do you have a source for that quote?

Nothing Human Is Alien
29th November 2005, 12:01
He wasn't a 'socialist' or a 'capitalist' or anything, he was a fascist!

Fascism is a form of hyper-capitalism. Read a book.

Nothing Human Is Alien
29th November 2005, 12:03
They didn't support him because he supported a free-market, they supported him because if they didn't, they would go out of business.

Is that why companies like Ford in the United States sponsered his party before they took power?

:rolleyes:

Jadan ja
29th November 2005, 13:44
They didn't support him because he supported a free-market, they supported him because if they didn't, they would go out of business.

I tought that not only they supported fascists before they were in power, but helped them taking power, didnt they?

Zingu
29th November 2005, 14:21
Sorry to burst your bubble guys, but Publius pretty much has the right idea; National Socialism is not left wing or right wing, Fascism really is its own thing.

Tungsten
29th November 2005, 14:34
CompaneroDeLibertad

Fascism is a form of hyper-capitalism. Read a book.
Does the book that you copied that nugget of wisdom from bother to explain what "hyper capitalism" is, or even what "non-hyper capitalism" is, in a non-contradictory fashion? Somehow, I doubt it.


Is that why companies like Ford in the United States sponsered his party before they took power?
Possibly the same reason why big businessmen like George Soros support the democrats and not the republicans.

Correa

Its not just them, Fascism is a far right wing ideology and Communism is a far left wing ideology. What don't you understand?
Why people still insist on using this one-dimensional "left-right" political scale, when it is obviously too simplistic.

viva le revolution
29th November 2005, 15:23
Government intervention in the economy is not the criteria for being socialist, the united states and britain did it to protect thir markets from cheap high quality indian textiles and the yankees did it to protect their steel industry from cheap british steel mined from india. In other words according to publius' definition of socialism, the united states and britain were socialist. Not to mention the exorbitant government subsidies in the high tech sector.

Publius
29th November 2005, 19:51
It depends on how we're defining socialism. I see worker-control as essential to socialism, and that was certainly lacking in fascist states. I don't see all intervention in the economy as socialist, though it seems clear you do? I don't think that's proper usage of the word socialist.

State control of the economy is how I'm defining it, for this purpose.

It has many different definitions and uses.

Publius
29th November 2005, 19:58
Originally posted by [email protected] 29 2005, 05:15 AM









Its not just them, Fascism is a far right wing ideology and Communism is a far left wing ideology. What don't you understand?

Your inane ramblings.

Detail for me how Fascism, which is statist (As anti-right wing as you can be), collectivsist (As opposed to individualist; right-wing), maintained a welfare state, maintained unions, maintained, price and wage controls, didn't maintain Natural Rights, didn't respect property rights and didn't even call itself right-wing, could actually be right-wing?

Do you even know what 'right-wing' is, or do you just associate it with 'bad'?


Are you serious? :lol:

What do you think he wanted?



Okay, did he want socialism? or did he not give a flying fuck?

He didn't really care. Socialism was just a convenient way to consolidate power.

Publius
29th November 2005, 20:02
Fascism is a form of hyper-capitalism. Read a book.

By 'hyper' I assume you mean 'non', as capitalism is defined as: An economic system in which the means of production and distribution are privately or corporately owned and development is proportionate to the accumulation and reinvestment of profits gained in a free market.


Alright, the means of production were 'owned' by private individuals, yes, but they were CONTROLLED by the state. The state could take them away at any time and use them for any purposes.

Not capitalism.

Development proporation to the free market? Nope. Production was DICTATED by the state; there was no free market. THere was rationing, price controls and wage control.

This is capitalism? You're the one who needs to read the book. Maybe first learn to define simple political and economic terms.

Publius
29th November 2005, 20:08
Originally posted by [email protected] 29 2005, 12:14 PM




Is that why companies like Ford in the United States sponsered his party before they took power?

:rolleyes:

THey supported him because he would also give them unfair advantages via special favor.

Again, not a free-market.

Here's a little helpful hint for you: Anything that isn't A COMPLETELY FREE MARKET can't be called free-market.

Capitalism that is not free-market is not accurately labelled capitalism. It may bear resemblance to it, but a non-free market becomes less and less capitalistic.

For example, the modern welfare state is PRETTY capitalistic. Calling it capitalist is an accurate term because the market distortions are minor.

Calling Nazi Germany capitalistic is WRONG, because the distortions were egregious.

Nothing with state-run economy, wage and price controls and rations can be called capitalist.

Period.

Amusing Scrotum
29th November 2005, 20:12
State control of the economy is how I'm defining it, for this purpose.

That's already got a name, Keynesian economics.


Keynesian.

Of or relating to the economic theories of John Maynard Keynes, especially those theories advocating government monetary and fiscal programs designed to increase employment and stimulate business activity.

dictionary.com (http://dictionary.reference.com/search?q=Keynesian)


Socialism.

1. Any of various theories or systems of social organization in which the means of producing and distributing goods is owned collectively or by a centralized government that often plans and controls the economy.

2. The stage in Marxist-Leninist theory intermediate between capitalism and communism, in which collective ownership of the economy under the dictatorship of the proletariat has not yet been successfully achieved.

dictionary.com (http://dictionary.reference.com/search?q=Socialism)

I think Hitler's economic policy is more compatible with Keynes than any of the various Socialist economic "schools of thought."

Though I think the case could also be made that Hitler was a traditional conservative with regards economic policy. I think the term for that is corporatism.


It has many different definitions and uses.

Keeping the definitions simple often stops a lot of undue confusion.

Correa
29th November 2005, 21:25
Not that games are the most reliable of sources, but this is from the instruction manual of "Hearts of Iron II".

National Socialist - Authoritarian & Far Right, Advantages and Limitations - This government is adept at maintaining good international relations, but tends to favour central planning over a free market. You will be restricted to policies that lean very strongly towards central planning and a closed society.

Fascist - Authoritarian & Somewhat Right, Advantages and Limitations - Similar to the above, a Fascist government may be slightly more open and free with its trade if it wishes.

I have ones for Paternal Autocrat, Left-Wing Radical, Leninist, Stalinist, Social Conservative, Market Liberal, Social Liberal, and Social Democrat. Of course keep in mind this addresses the governments regarding how they will affect your gameplay, but none the less it is revealing.

Amusing Scrotum
29th November 2005, 21:56
Detail for me how Fascism, which is statist (As anti-right wing as you can be), collectivsist (As opposed to individualist; right-wing), maintained a welfare state, maintained unions, maintained, price and wage controls, didn't maintain Natural Rights, didn't respect property rights and didn't even call itself right-wing, could actually be right-wing?

(Emphasis added.)

The suppression of Unions in Nazi Germany is well documented.

Plus, Social Darwinists or "race scientists" are well known for their anti-collectivist thinking. "The strong will survive" and all that.

Publius
30th November 2005, 02:30
Originally posted by Armchair [email protected] 29 2005, 08:23 PM



That's already got a name, Keynesian economics.

I doubt you're qualified to lecture me on economics.


I think Hitler's economic policy is more compatible with Keynes than any of the various Socialist economic "schools of thought."

Though I think the case could also be made that Hitler was a traditional conservative with regards economic policy. I think the term for that is corporatism.

Again, corporatism is a form of socialism.



Keeping the definitions simple often stops a lot of undue confusion.

No, it creates them.

Socialism is an economic, political and social order, all of which carry seperate definitions.

I'm reffering solely to economic socialism, which is the accurate term for state control of the economy, which was this was.

Publius
30th November 2005, 02:31
Not that games are the most reliable of sources, but this is from the instruction manual of "Hearts of Iron II".

National Socialist - Authoritarian & Far Right, Advantages and Limitations - This government is adept at maintaining good international relations, but tends to favour central planning over a free market. You will be restricted to policies that lean very strongly towards central planning and a closed society.

Fascist - Authoritarian & Somewhat Right, Advantages and Limitations - Similar to the above, a Fascist government may be slightly more open and free with its trade if it wishes.

I have ones for Paternal Autocrat, Left-Wing Radical, Leninist, Stalinist, Social Conservative, Market Liberal, Social Liberal, and Social Democrat. Of course keep in mind this addresses the governments regarding how they will affect your gameplay, but none the less it is revealing.

Which makes my point for me.

Interferance in the economy is the one thing that makes something 'not right wing'.

The more intereference, the less right wing. It's directly proportional.

Publius
30th November 2005, 02:35
(Emphasis added.)

The suppression of Unions in Nazi Germany is well documented.


Hardly matters.

Any government action in the economy, either support or repression of unions, is not right-wing.

It may not be left-wing, but it isn't right-wing as it's not free-market.

Is this really so hard to understand?

And the Nazi state took over and used unions for its own purposes, they didn't 'suppress' them, they took them over. In the act of taking them over, they did suppress them, but they weren't 'out to get them' any moreso than they were out to get EVERYONE.

THey didn't have a special vandetta, they just wanted power.



Plus, Social Darwinists or "race scientists" are well known for their anti-collectivist thinking. "The strong will survive" and all that.

But of course Fascist ideology places the state above the individual.

The individual is ALWAYS subservient to the state.

The Nazis didn't want a perfect race of 'individuals', they wanted a perfect race of SLAVES.

Correa
30th November 2005, 02:55
National Socialist - Authoritarian & Far Right........Which makes my point for me.

So you concede?


Any government action in the economy, either support or repression of unions, is not right-wing.

Come on. Don't insult my intelligence.


Is this really so hard to understand?

To accept your claim would be a fallacy.

DisIllusion
30th November 2005, 03:02
I always thought of Keynesian economics as somewhere on the middle between left wing and right wing. Fascism might be considered collective based on economics, but it's how they integrate that collective ideal into their beliefs that one certain race is better than any other that makes them so infamous.

Publius
30th November 2005, 03:19
Originally posted by [email protected] 30 2005, 03:06 AM








So you concede?

Of course not.

I agreed with their economic analysis. Taking that into account, their 'right-wing' designation is therefore fallacious.



Come on. Don't insult my intelligence.

I'm afrad I cannot, as I can't seem to find it.

Any government interferance in any sector of the economy for any purpose is not right-wing.

Any.

Say that to yourself 10 times then respond.

ANY.



To accept your claim would be a fallacy.

Eh?

Correa
30th November 2005, 03:32
While free market = right wing. Right wing does not = free market and perhaps this is why some people say that the far right and far left are hard to tell apart.


I'm afrad I cannot, as I can't seem to find it.

I must admit, that was a funny comeback. Kudos to you.

Jadan ja
30th November 2005, 03:46
You have unusual definitions according to which advocates of feudalism might be considered left-wing. We should use this definition (it is very simple, but I belive more correct your definitions): Right-wing are those opposing equality and left-wing are those opposing hierarchy. This places fascism on extreme right wing (believing that some nations are superior to others) and socialism (extending equality to economic equality) on left-wing. Advocates of capitalism would then be placed somewhere between, since they belive in some forms of equality (equality that can coexist with the market) and some form of hierarchy (hierarchy created by the market). In absence of fascists, they might be extreme right-wing, since no one is more right-wing then them in that case.

Totalitarianism is then certainly extreme right-wing, since hierarchy is so strong that those above you control every aspect of your life. If government makes restrictions to the market to protect hierarchy, it is a right wing policy, but if resrictions are made to protect against inequality, it is a left wing policy.

bcbm
30th November 2005, 03:53
Originally posted by [email protected] 29 2005, 02:02 PM
State control of the economy is how I'm defining it, for this purpose.
You're setting up the definition to fit your idea of nazism. I think that's somewhat intellectually dishonest. If we're going to operate off of definitions, it should the most commonly accepted definition of the people who uphold the ideology. By that standard, nazism certainly isn't socialist.


which is statist (As anti-right wing as you can be)

Its impossible to be a right-wing statist? I don&#39;t think so. The traditional left-right scale is somewhat flawed, surely you know that? I mean, are anarchists right-wing? <_<

Amusing Scrotum
30th November 2005, 04:01
I doubt you&#39;re qualified to lecture me on economics.

I doubt you&#39;re qualified to lecture me on Hitler.


Again, corporatism is a form of socialism.

From wikipedia -


According to Rodrigues, a corporatist state:

... does not simply license the existence of organised interest groups but incorporates them into its own centralised hierarchical system of regulation. In doing so, the state simultaneously recognises its dependence upon these associations and seeks to use them as an instrument in the pursuit and legitimation of its policies.


Contemporary popular usage of the term is more pejorative, emphasizing the role of business corporations in government decision-making at the expense of the public. The power of business to affect government legislation through lobbying and other avenues of influence in order to promote their interests is usually seen as detrimental to those of the public. In this respect, corporatism may be characterized as an extreme form of regulatory capture, and is also termed corporatocracy. If there is substantial military-corporate collaboration it is often called militarism or the military-industrial complex.


Corporatism is a form of class collaboration put forward as an alternative to class conflict, and was first proposed in Pope Leo XIII&#39;s 1891 encyclical Rerum Novarum, which influenced Catholic trade unions that organised in the early twentieth century to counter the influence of trade unions founded on a socialist ideology. Theoretical underpinnings came from the medieval traditions of guilds and craft-based economics; and later, syndicalism. Corporatism was encouraged by Pope Pius XI in his 1931 encyclical Quadragesimo Anno.

(Emphasis added.)

To counter the influence of Socialist trade unions.


One early and important theorist of corporatism was Adam Müller, an advisor to Prince Metternich in what is now eastern Germany and Austria. Müller propounded his views as an antidote to the twin "dangers" of the egalitarianism of the French Revolution and the laissez-faire economics of Adam Smith. In Germany and elsewhere there was a distinct aversion among rulers to allow unrestricted capitalism, owing to the feudalist and aristocratic tradition of giving state privileges to the wealthy and powerful.

(Emphasis added.)

You see it&#39;s the middle ground between two different forms of Capitalism.


Similar ideas were also ventilated in other European countries at the time. For instance, Austria under the Dollfuß dictatorship had a constitution modelled on that of Italy; but there were also conservative philosophers and/or economists advocating the corporate state, for example Othmar Spann. In Portugal, a similar ideal, but based on bottom-up individual moral renewal, inspired Salazar to work towards corporatism. He wrote the Portuguese Constitution of 1933, which is credited as the first corporatist constitution in the world.

(Emphasis added.)

Othmar Spann is said to be a "radical anti-liberal and anti-Socialist." - Wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Othmar_Spann).


Free Market criticisms

Free market theorists like Ludwig von Mises, would describe corporatism as anathema to their vision of capitalism. In the kind of capitalism such theorists advocate, what has been called the "night-watchman" state, the government&#39;s role in the economy is restricted to safeguarding the autonomous operation of the free market. In this sense of capitalism, corporatism would be perceived as anti-capitalist as socialism. Other critics argue that corporatist arrangements exclude some groups, notably the unemployed, and are thus responsible for high unemployment. This argument goes back to the famous "Logic of Collective Action" by Harvard economist Mancur Olson. However, many critics of free market theories, such as George Orwell, have argued that corporatism (in the sense of an economic system dominated by massive corporations) is the natural result of free market capitalism.

(Emphasis added.)

It is not in their "vision" of what Capitalism should be and it&#39;s "perceived" as being as anti-Capitalist as Socialism. It doesn&#39;t say that it is Socialism.

This is all from this link - Corporatism - Wikipedia.com (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Corporatism) - Now obviously wikipedia is not the best of sources, but in this case the article seems well researched and fairly neutral.


I&#39;m reffering solely to economic socialism, which is the accurate term for state control of the economy, which was this was.

Yet it is more accurately described as a corporatist economy. There were still Capitalist rights upheld in Nazi Germany and businesses were heavily regulated by the state, not owned or controlled by the state or the workers.

Another little gem from wikipedia -


In an economic sense, Nazism and Fascism are related. They both followed the economic model of corporatism, which included government control of finance and investment (allocation of credit), and supervision of industry and agriculture, combined with a strong influence of corporate business interests in the government&#39;s economic decisions. Corporate power and market based systems for providing price information co-existed with a strong, militaristic state. Independent labor unions were banned, and a single, government-run labor organization was created to replace them. Officially, the fascist and Nazi state sought to incorporate and harmonize all diverging economic interests. It was considered very important to unite labor and capital (workers and bosses) in order to combat socialism. The socialist and communist call for the workers of all countries to unite was seen by fascists and Nazis as a mortal enemy of the nationalist spirit which stood at the center of their beliefs.

(Emphasis added.)

Link (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nazism#Economic_practice).

Oh another little beauty of wikipedia -


Throughout Europe, numerous aristocrats, conservative intellectuals, capitalists and industrialists lent their support to fascist movements in their countries that emulated Italian fascism. In Germany, numerous right-wing nationalist groups arose, particularly out of the post-war Freikorps, which were used to crush both the Spartacist uprising and the Munich Soviet.

(Emphasis added.)

Link (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Facism#Anti-Communism).

Numerous ay.


And the Nazi state took over and used unions for its own purposes, they didn&#39;t &#39;suppress&#39; them, they took them over. In the act of taking them over, they did suppress them, but they weren&#39;t &#39;out to get them&#39; any moreso than they were out to get EVERYONE.

From on of the quotes above -


Independent labor unions were banned, and a single, government-run labor organization was created to replace them.

If you read the linked page on Corporatism, you&#39;ll see a single workers federation or union is a corporatist policy and as I have pointed out, even von Mises recognises that corporatism is not Socialism.


THey didn&#39;t have a special vandetta, they just wanted power.

Maybe, but their backers certainly had a vendetta and it was definitely anti-Communist.

And who folks are the biggest opponents of Communism? ....you guessed it, organised religion and Capitalism.

KC
30th November 2005, 04:55
Capitalism that is not free-market is not accurately labelled capitalism. It may bear resemblance to it, but a non-free market becomes less and less capitalistic.

For example, the modern welfare state is PRETTY capitalistic. Calling it capitalist is an accurate term because the market distortions are minor.

Calling Nazi Germany capitalistic is WRONG, because the distortions were egregious.

Nothing with state-run economy, wage and price controls and rations can be called capitalist.

Period.

Which definition of capitalism are you using?

Also, would you consider all state intervention socialist behaviour? Are you equating fascism with socialism? Which definition of socialism are you using?

bcbm
30th November 2005, 08:34
Originally posted by [email protected] 29 2005, 11:06 PM

Which definition of capitalism are you using?

Also, would you consider all state intervention socialist behaviour? Are you equating fascism with socialism? Which definition of socialism are you using?
As far as I can tell, he uses "capitalism" to mean pure, laissez-faire capitalism and socialism to mean "any government that interferes with the economy," which seems strange, as I would hardly call every government socialist.

LSD
30th November 2005, 09:28
Publius&#39; definition of "right-wing" is ludicrous -- largely because the terms "right-wing" and "left-wing" are so mind-numbingly one dimensional.

The focus on "family values" and a strong belief in traditional conservatism are the hallmarks of the "right", proudly so in fact. This despite the fact that actions in support of "traditional" and "family" values almost invarialbly means "market hampering" of one sort or another.

The US Republican Party&#39;s offial platform of opposing abortions is in direct violation of the free market. As is their opposition to "obsenity" and "indecency".

Are you trying to say that the US Replican party is left-wing?

How about Pat Buchanon? :lol:

The point here, of course, is that being right-wing is not defined by being capitalistic, being capitalist is. The right is a far more complicated animal than the Libertarian party would have you believe.

Now, on the subject of Hitler; politically, there is no doubt that he was on the right. His conservatism, his militarism, his traditionallism, his nationalism, etc... he was walking poster for classical right-wing causes.

But was Hitler economically "left" or "right"? The answer, this time, is complicated.

Economically, many of his policies were "left of center". He adopted, and indeed even pioneered, several techniques that would become SOP for social democratic parties over the next few decades.

His public works projects, for instance, could have come straight out of Keynes.

On the other hand, however, the NSDAP did allow a significant amount of private enterprise and certainly never made any serious efforts to curtail private ownership.

All rights were limited under the Nazis so naturally people were subject to the government in a way not found in non-totalitarian states, but this was a blanket subserviance, not a specific focus on property.

Indeed of all the rights that were specifically targeted (speech, association, voting, travel, etc..), owning, buying, and selling were not among them.

The state did effectively nationalize several key industries essential for the war effort, but that was not particularly unusual behaviour. In fact, despite the fact that they took control over long-term planning and fixed prices in those fields, the owners and managers of these businesses were quite free to make sizable profits, and most did.

For all the rhetoric that Hitler made before coming to power about the poor and the disenfranchised, the truth is that upon his ascendency, he really didn&#39;t make any funamental changes to the wealth disparity present in Germany. He came in during a depression, so he did have the opportunity and ability to change much about his country&#39;s economic situation. But the underlying system of markets and private property wasn&#39;t something that he wanted to transform.

That is a far cry from socialism&#33;

Even more tellingly, Hitler smashed trade-unions, disallowed worker organization, discouraged small business opening, and supported corporate consolidation. That is not capitalist, but it&#39;s also not left-wing.

The left isn&#39;t about "statism", it&#39;s about populism, about distributing wealth and, in it&#39;s statist varieties, using the state to do so. Using the power of the state to benefit the rich at the expense of the poor ...that&#39;s "right-wing", although it&#39;s a different branch of right-wingness than minarchist libertarians like Publicus adhere to.

So, where was Hitler economically? Interestingly enough, he doesn&#39;t really fit into contemporary grids. He was somewhere between the left and the right but we wasn&#39;t in the modern centre.

How&#39;s that for one dimensional&#33; :lol:

Publius
30th November 2005, 20:15
While free market = right wing. Right wing does not = free market and perhaps this is why some people say that the far right and far left are hard to tell apart.


Right wing does not always mean free-market, yes, but you can&#39;t be right-wing without &#39;free-market&#39;.

Publius
30th November 2005, 20:17
Originally posted by black banner black [email protected] 30 2005, 04:04 AM





You&#39;re setting up the definition to fit your idea of nazism. I think that&#39;s somewhat intellectually dishonest. If we&#39;re going to operate off of definitions, it should the most commonly accepted definition of the people who uphold the ideology. By that standard, nazism certainly isn&#39;t socialist.

Socialism as state control of the economy is not a &#39;far out&#39; definition. It&#39;s what the term has meant, in the popular lexicon, for the last 50 years.




Its impossible to be a right-wing statist? I don&#39;t think so. The traditional left-right scale is somewhat flawed, surely you know that? I mean, are anarchists right-wing? <_<

Yes, you can be a &#39;right-wing statist&#39;, but you must maintain a free economy.

Anarcho capitalists are indeed &#39;right-wing&#39;.

Publius
30th November 2005, 20:42
Originally posted by Armchair [email protected] 30 2005, 04:12 AM





According to Rodrigues, a corporatist state:

... does not simply license the existence of organised interest groups but incorporates them into its own centralised hierarchical system of regulation. In doing so, the state simultaneously recognises its dependence upon these associations and seeks to use them as an instrument in the pursuit and legitimation of its policies.

Yes, the state takes control of the economy.

Exactly what I was saying.





Contemporary popular usage of the term is more pejorative, emphasizing the role of business corporations in government decision-making at the expense of the public. The power of business to affect government legislation through lobbying and other avenues of influence in order to promote their interests is usually seen as detrimental to those of the public. In this respect, corporatism may be characterized as an extreme form of regulatory capture, and is also termed corporatocracy. If there is substantial military-corporate collaboration it is often called militarism or the military-industrial complex.

Did business affect government under Nazi Germany? Or did government affect business?

Who had the final say? &#39;Corpratism&#39; implies the corporations have power; under Nazi Germany, Hitler had power. Do you think he really cared what the corporations said or wanted? Did they rule him?

He let them do what they wanted in their own particular area until it came into conflict with his vision, then he took over.


Differentiate that from state socialism. I implore you.

socialism - Any of various theories or systems of social organization in which the means of producing and distributing goods is owned collectively or by a centralized government that often plans and controls the economy.




Corporatism is a form of class collaboration put forward as an alternative to class conflict, and was first proposed in Pope Leo XIII&#39;s 1891 encyclical Rerum Novarum, which influenced Catholic trade unions that organised in the early twentieth century to counter the influence of trade unions founded on a socialist ideology. Theoretical underpinnings came from the medieval traditions of guilds and craft-based economics; and later, syndicalism. Corporatism was encouraged by Pope Pius XI in his 1931 encyclical Quadragesimo Anno.

Gee, what would Catholic Pope have against the 1900&#39;s socialist movement? Atheism.

He proposed these unions only to stop atheistic socialism/communism.

&#39;guilds economies&#39; and &#39;syndicalism&#39; are both ANTI-CAPITALISTIC.

This is just an another flavor of socialism that does from it in one single area in terms of economics.

Both are government control of the economy; call it what you will, it isn&#39;t right-wing.


To counter the influence of Socialist trade unions.

But not oppose them.

It&#39;s like the Bolsheviks and the Mensheviks.

Were the Menshiviks not leftists simply because they weren&#39;t Bolshevists?

The &#39;corporatists&#39; were still &#39;collectivists&#39; though they didin&#39;t call themselves &#39;socialist&#39;. They meant to do the EXACT SAME THING, they just called it something else.

It was a battle for power, not ideology.



One early and important theorist of corporatism was Adam Müller, an advisor to Prince Metternich in what is now eastern Germany and Austria. Müller propounded his views as an antidote to the twin "dangers" of the egalitarianism of the French Revolution and the laissez-faire economics of Adam Smith. In Germany and elsewhere there was a distinct aversion among rulers to allow unrestricted capitalism, owing to the feudalist and aristocratic tradition of giving state privileges to the wealthy and powerful.

Important part emphasized.

Not free-market in the least.




You see it&#39;s the middle ground between two different forms of Capitalism.

The egalitarian French revolution that is known as an early attempt at socialism and inspired Marx and Engels? That one?

Because that revolution wasn&#39;t capitalistic in the least.

There aren&#39;t &#39;kinds&#39; of capitalism, there is capitalism as laid out by Smith.

Fascism was not free-market and was not utopian socialistic; it was state socialistic.




Similar ideas were also ventilated in other European countries at the time. For instance, Austria under the Dollfuß dictatorship had a constitution modelled on that of Italy; but there were also conservative philosophers and/or economists advocating the corporate state, for example Othmar Spann. In Portugal, a similar ideal, but based on bottom-up individual moral renewal, inspired Salazar to work towards corporatism. He wrote the Portuguese Constitution of 1933, which is credited as the first corporatist constitution in the world.

Again, a contradiction.



Othmar Spann is said to be a "radical anti-liberal and anti-Socialist." -

Just as Lenin was an &#39;anti-Menshevik&#39; but agreed with them on most issues?

Yes, the &#39;fascists&#39; and the &#39;socialists&#39; were enemies, but they proposed the same economic ideology.

The Nazis tacked on other, social, things that the Socialists didn&#39;t like, but economically, they&#39;re identical.

Free market theorists like Ludwig von Mises, would describe corporatism as anathema to their vision of capitalism. In the kind of capitalism such theorists advocate, what has been called the "night-watchman" state, the government&#39;s role in the economy is restricted to safeguarding the autonomous operation of the free market. In this sense of capitalism, corporatism would be perceived as anti-capitalist as socialism. Other critics argue that corporatist arrangements exclude some groups, notably the unemployed, and are thus responsible for high unemployment. This argument goes back to the famous "Logic of Collective Action" by Harvard economist Mancur Olson. However, many critics of free market theories, such as George Orwell, have argued that corporatism (in the sense of an economic system dominated by massive corporations) is the natural result of free market capitalism.[/QUOTE]

If you&#39;re bringing Mises up, shall I use him as a source?



It is not in their "vision" of what Capitalism should be and it&#39;s "perceived" as being as anti-Capitalist as Socialism. It doesn&#39;t say that it is Socialism.

Then tell me the difference.



Yet it is more accurately described as a corporatist economy. There were still Capitalist rights upheld in Nazi Germany and businesses were heavily regulated by the state, not owned or controlled by the state or the workers.

It might be accurately labeled corporatist, but in acutality, there is no difference in econonomic policy between a supposed corporatist state and a socialist state.

They both control the economy. The economy is state-run.

Of course they were controlled by state. Do you think they produced what they wanted to? Or what Berlin DICTATED?

You cannot tell me any meaningful difference between the Soviet economy and the Nazi economy.


In an economic sense, Nazism and Fascism are related. They both followed the economic model of corporatism, which included government control of finance and investment (allocation of credit), and supervision of industry and agriculture, combined with a strong influence of corporate business interests in the government&#39;s economic decisions. Corporate power and market based systems for providing price information co-existed with a strong, militaristic state. Independent labor unions were banned, and a single, government-run labor organization was created to replace them. Officially, the fascist and Nazi state sought to incorporate and harmonize all diverging economic interests. It was considered very important to unite labor and capital (workers and bosses) in order to combat socialism. The socialist and communist call for the workers of all countries to unite was seen by fascists and Nazis as a mortal enemy of the nationalist spirit which stood at the center of their beliefs.

Again, I accept that were anti-Socialist, but I maintain that economically, they were identical.

The Socialists did want to overthrow them and erect the same sort of economy to suit THEIR interests.

And this is pointless, as the &#39;corpratist state&#39; is not at all right-wing.



Throughout Europe, numerous aristocrats, conservative intellectuals, capitalists and industrialists lent their support to fascist movements in their countries that emulated Italian fascism. In Germany, numerous right-wing nationalist groups arose, particularly out of the post-war Freikorps, which were used to crush both the Spartacist uprising and the Munich Soviet.

Well of course. If you were a person in power, you know that if you support these guys, you&#39;ve got it made.

You don&#39;t have to compete if the state destroys your compeitition for you, which it did.

Capitalists will become non-capitalists as soon as it becomes more profitable; it did.




If you read the linked page on Corporatism, you&#39;ll see a single workers federation or union is a corporatist policy and as I have pointed out, even von Mises recognises that corporatism is not Socialism.

I&#39;ll accept the corporatist label as I understand it to be a minor distinction.

State control is state control.



Maybe, but their backers certainly had a vendetta and it was definitely anti-Communist.

And who folks are the biggest opponents of Communism? ....you guessed it, organised religion and Capitalism.

And corpratism.

Listen to this, since you&#39;re such a fan of Mises: http://www.mises.org/media.aspx?action=category&ID=82

&#39;Why Nazism is Socialism&#39; is one to listen to.

bcbm
30th November 2005, 21:30
Originally posted by [email protected] 30 2005, 02:28 PM
Socialism as state control of the economy is not a &#39;far out&#39; definition. It&#39;s what the term has meant, in the popular lexicon, for the last 50 years.
Generally state control means total state control with no enterprise, which I don&#39;t feel accurately describes Nazi Germany. Its also difficult to measure as the Nazis adopted a war economy (for obvious reasons), so their economic policies are somewhat clouded. I still don&#39;t feel socialism is an accurate description.


Anarcho capitalists are indeed &#39;right-wing&#39;.

I didn&#39;t say frauds, I said anarchists. Anarchists don&#39;t believe in state control of markets, but I wouldn&#39;t call them right-wing.

Amusing Scrotum
30th November 2005, 21:36
Yes, the state takes control of the economy.

Exactly what I was saying.

No, read it again, the state simultaneously recognises its dependence upon these associations and seeks to use them as an instrument in the pursuit and legitimation of its policies.

The state is dependant on the "corporation." The state does not control the "corporation."


Did business affect government under Nazi Germany? Or did government affect business?

Who had the final say? &#39;Corpratism&#39; implies the corporations have power; under Nazi Germany, Hitler had power. Do you think he really cared what the corporations said or wanted? Did they rule him?

He let them do what they wanted in their own particular area until it came into conflict with his vision, then he took over.

Hitler benefited greatly from foreign capital.

He relied on the corporations as much as they relied on him. After all, if the foreign investors had as little power as you suggest, they wouldn&#39;t have invested.


Differentiate that from state socialism. I implore you.

I don&#39;t see any private enterprise in State Socialism, do you?


socialism - Any of various theories or systems of social organization in which the means of producing and distributing goods is owned collectively or by a centralized government that often plans and controls the economy.

Did Hitler have any great say over foreign corporations before 1940? ....I doubt it, they would have kept investing in Germany otherwise.


Gee, what would Catholic Pope have against the 1900&#39;s socialist movement? Atheism.

He proposed these unions only to stop atheistic socialism/communism.

&#39;guilds economies&#39; and &#39;syndicalism&#39; are both ANTI-CAPITALISTIC.

This is just an another flavor of socialism that does from it in one single area in terms of economics.

Both are government control of the economy; call it what you will, it isn&#39;t right-wing.


The article I linked said that the Catholic Church saw Corporatism as a way to return to Feudalism, and Feudalism is not Socialism.

By the way, I haven&#39;t mentioned the left right axis. I have disputed your claims of Socialism.


But not oppose them.

Addressed above.


It&#39;s like the Bolsheviks and the Mensheviks.

Were the Menshiviks not leftists simply because they weren&#39;t Bolshevists?

What possible relevance could this have to this topic.


The &#39;corporatists&#39; were still &#39;collectivists&#39; though they didin&#39;t call themselves &#39;socialist&#39;. They meant to do the EXACT SAME THING, they just called it something else.

That is an incredibly simplistic view to take. I suspect it is one that nearly every political scientist disagrees with.


It was a battle for power, not ideology.

If your ideology is the same, then you don&#39;t need to battle each other for power.


The egalitarian French revolution that is known as an early attempt at socialism and inspired Marx and Engels? That one?

No. If you read the article you will see the revolution they refer to is this one - French Revolution (1789-1799) (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/French_Revolution) - described as a revolution for "democracy and republicanism."

A hundred years before the revolution Marx wrote about.

Please re-answer that point.


Just as Lenin was an &#39;anti-Menshevik&#39; but agreed with them on most issues?

Yes, the &#39;fascists&#39; and the &#39;socialists&#39; were enemies, but they proposed the same economic ideology.

The Nazis tacked on other, social, things that the Socialists didn&#39;t like, but economically, they&#39;re identical.

Were the German Communists of that time proposing private enterprise and private ownership?

Saying that the two are economically "identical" is absurd and really leads me to question whether anyone can take anything you say seriously.


If you&#39;re bringing Mises up, shall I use him as a source?

If you feel his idealistic drivel would benefit your argument. Feel free to "bring him in."


Then tell me the difference.

Well for starters private ownership. You can&#39;t get much more anti-Socialist than that.


It might be accurately labeled corporatist, but in acutality, there is no difference in econonomic policy between a supposed corporatist state and a socialist state.

As I said earlier, they are dependent on each other.


They both control the economy. The economy is state-run.

Large parts of Germany&#39;s economy was not state run. It may have been heavily regulated, but that is not the same as the state owning the companies.


Of course they were controlled by state. Do you think they produced what they wanted to? Or what Berlin DICTATED?

Well without numerous witness accounts from top corporate businessmen in Nazi Germany, I wouldn&#39;t be able to confidently say how much pressure Berlin put on them.


You cannot tell me any meaningful difference between the Soviet economy and the Nazi economy.

Private enterprise for one.


Again, I accept that were anti-Socialist, but I maintain that economically, they were identical.

The Socialists did want to overthrow them and erect the same sort of economy to suit THEIR interests.

So they were economically "identical" but the Socialists wanted the "same sort of economy." :lol:

At the very least be consistent.


And this is pointless, as the &#39;corpratist state&#39; is not at all right-wing.

Did I say it was right wing? .....no. I said a corporatist state was not Socialist.


Well of course. If you were a person in power, you know that if you support these guys, you&#39;ve got it made.

You don&#39;t have to compete if the state destroys your compeitition for you, which it did.

Capitalists will become non-capitalists as soon as it becomes more profitable; it did.

Yet no "Socialist" country has started its existence "in bed" with the Capitalists.

Lenin didn&#39;t enact the NEP until 1923 after the Capitalist powers had invaded.


I&#39;ll accept the corporatist label as I understand it to be a minor distinction.

State control is state control.

Oh so now they have a "minor distinction" instead of being "identical." :rolleyes:


Listen to this, since you&#39;re such a fan of Mises: http://www.mises.org/media.aspx?action=category&ID=82

&#39;Why Nazism is Socialism&#39; is one to listen to.

Someones already posted that hear before. Needless to say I found it distinctly ordinary then, I&#39;m not going to listen to it again.

You&#39;ll probably find the thread lying around somewhere.

black magick hustla
1st December 2005, 00:40
I think anticapitalists should just throw away the term "leftism".

There is a whole disgusting illusion behind that term, and even the so called "confrontation between right and left" is a mere spectacle.


Why do many anticapitalists try so hard to fit into a one dimensional parameter?

Publius
1st December 2005, 01:13
OK, let&#39;s get back to something meaningful: Where do you think the corpratist state lies on the left-right axis, or is that not an accurate way to describe it?

black magick hustla
1st December 2005, 01:27
Originally posted by [email protected] 1 2005, 01:24 AM
OK, let&#39;s get back to something meaningful: Where do you think the corpratist state lies on the left-right axis, or is that not an accurate way to describe it?
There are many connotations for such a primitive one dimentiona system.

I would say that it lies in the right, because generally, the left is about lack of classes and [/B]lack of private property[/B].

But, in the popular lexic, "left" most of the time means an authoritarian populist welfare government.

Hell, I consider anarchism a form of socialism&#33; However, today, it is mostly used as a very hardcore statist ideology.

Comrade Corinna
2nd December 2005, 01:08
That is the problem with a one dimentional political spectrum. With that, you get far left having a lot in common with the far right&#33; Many consider the "Far right" to be authoritarian capitalists or economic conservatives like Hitler (who scores slightly right of center on the political compass.org on economic issues but only slightly) and the "far left" to be authoritarian "communists" like Stalin. I guess the idea is the more you enforce the left or right-ism, the further left or right you are?

I agree with what it says on politicalcompass.org, how its a two dimentional square rather than a line. Economic issues cant be measured on the same axis as social issues. While I may be as economically Left as Stalin, or more so, I am not a Stalinist because I am not the hardcore authoritarian that he is.

"Left" and "Right" should be used to describe economic issues ONLY, and also in my opinion, how far "left" something is should not be a matter of how much the government controls the economy, but more related to how money is distributed and the power of big businesses/corporations have vs. the laborers. If you consider "left" to be a heavily planned and controlled economy, it raises the question "controlled in what way? and you get people equating corporatism with communism.

It is more complicated to differentiate between a society that controls the economy by means of dictatorial power, and favors large corporations and big business and advocates an authoritarian hierarchal government (FASCISM) .... and one that controls the economy meaning more regulation so that there arent any capitalist business owners exploiting workers for their own individual profit, and advocating a classless society with an even distribution of wealth.
Obviously, corporatism and communism are very, very different. It is simplistic capitalist theory that they are both the same on the political spectrum.

(fyi, this post is from a Leninist point of view)