I have listened for ten years to both parties comparing their opponents to Nazis. I was familiar with the NSDAP's rise to power, and their medical program, and also the military history of WW2. I was not deeply familiar with the Nazi's socio-political views, other than as expressed in tertiary history sources. I went and looked up the Nazi political platform of 1920, which was unchanged through 1932, the year they rose to power. You can read their 25 point plan here. As a convenient reference, I am going to reproduce the plan, with my comments embedded after each point.
1)We demand the unification of all Germans in the Greater Germany on the basis of the people's right to self-determination.
This sounds like a call for universal suffrage and participation in government. As will be seen below, it is more an ab initio defining of who is a German, which is not constrained by the then-current boundary of Germany.
2)We demand equality of rights for the German people in respect to the other nations; abrogation of the peace treaties of Versailles and St. Germain.
This was one of the most appealing aspects of the NSDAP. The Versailles Treaty is recognized today as grossly unfair and largely unreasonable. It is responsible for much of the agonies of the Middle East today.
3)We demand land and territory (colonies) for the sustenance of our people and colonization for our surplus population.
Germany had colonies prior to WW1, and in the peace with Russia received most of Ukraine. The NSDAP wanted it all back. It is revealing that this was part of their political platform.
4)Only a member of the race can be a citizen. A member of the race can only be one who is of German blood, without consideration of creed. Consequently, no Jew can be a member of the race.
see comment under 5
5)Whoever has no citizenship is to be able to live in Germany only as a guest and must be under the authority of legislation for foreigners.
(for both 4 and 5) This was surprising to me. I am of course aware of the anti-Semitism of the Nazis, but not that it was an overt part of their platform. Voting for them looks rather different in light of this very plain racist point.
6)The right to determine matters concerning administration and law belongs only to the citizen. Therefore, we demand that every public office, of any sort whatsoever, whether in the Reich, the county or municipality, be filled only by citizens. We combat the corrupting parliamentary economy, office-holding only according to party inclinations without consideration of character or abilities.
In the breach, this was a complete falsehood cloaked in an appealing call for citizen control of the political apparatus. As in so many other similar examples, such calls hide plans for central authoritarian control and, in this case, to exclude Jews.
7)We demand that the state be charged first with providing the opportunity for a livelihood and way of life for the citizens. If it is impossible to sustain the total population of the State, then the members of foreign nations (non-citizens) are to be expelled from the Reich.
A response to unemployment and competition in the professions from Jews. Like so many parts of this platform, it sounds vaguely reasonable but was nothing but a basis to exclude Jews from many positions and jobs.
8)Any further immigration of non-citizens is to be prevented. We demand that all non-Germans, who have immigrated to Germany since 2 August 1914, be forced immediately to leave the Reich.
Germany for Germans, including all Germans not in current German boundaries, but excluding anyone in germany who is not German, ie, Jews.
9)All citizens must have equal rights and obligations.
This, combined with #4 and #8, means that any non-German can be expelled just for that. If only their government had practiced only expulsion, rather than extermination!
10)The first obligation of every citizen must be to productively work mentally or physically. The activity of individuals is not to counteract the interests of the universality, but must have its result within the framework of the whole for the benefit of all. Consequently, we demand:
See comments below #17
11)Abolition of unearned (work and labour) incomes. Breaking of debt (interest)-slavery.
12)In consideration of the monstrous sacrifice in property and blood that each war demands of the people, personal enrichment through a war must be designated as a crime against the people. Therefore, we demand the total confiscation of all war profits.
13)We demand the nationalisation of all (previous) associated industries (trusts).
14)We demand a division of profits of all heavy industries.
15)We demand an expansion on a large scale of old age welfare.
16)We demand the creation of a healthy middle class and its conservation, immediate communalization of the great warehouses and their being leased at low cost to small firms, the utmost consideration of all small firms in contracts with the State, county or municipality.
17)We demand a land reform suitable to our needs, provision of a law for the free expropriation of land for the purposes of public utility, abolition of taxes on land and prevention of all speculation in land.
The entire economic platform is straight Socialism. It might have come from Venezuela or Cuba today.
18)We demand struggle without consideration against those whose activity is injurious to the general interest. Common national criminals, usurers, profiteers and so forth are to be punished with death, without consideration of confession or race.
A frighteningly general call for capital punishment against very vague crimes. In fact the Nazis did kill many political opponents using just such vague pretexts.
19)We demand substitution of a German common law in place of the Roman Law serving a materialistic world-order.
Hello Venezuela, again....
30)The state is to be responsible for a fundamental reconstruction of our whole national education program, to enable every capable and industrious German to obtain higher education and subsequently introduction into leading positions. The plans of instruction of all educational institutions are to conform with the experiences of practical life. The comprehension of the concept of the state must be striven for by the school [Staatsbürgerkunde] as early as the beginning of understanding. We demand the education at the expense of the state of outstanding intellectually gifted children of poor parents without consideration of position or profession.
Another standard, Socialist call for equality of education for those capable of utilizing it, but also a call for State control of curricula (No Child Left Behind, etc, etc)
21)The state is to care for the elevating national health by protecting the mother and child, by outlawing child-labor, by the encouragement of physical fitness, by means of the legal establishment of a gymnastic and sport obligation, by the utmost support of all organizations concerned with the physical instruction of the young.
A very rational idea, that was manifested by the equivalent of the President's Council on Physical Fitness, and also the Boy Scouts. Access to medical care was in fact greatly improved, one feature of Nazi policy that made them popular.
22)We demand abolition of the mercenary troops and formation of a national army.
China's Red Revolution 20 years early, and also a throwback to the early French Republican armies. The Freikorps, and the unemployment among previous soldiers may underlie this.
23)We demand legal opposition to known lies and their promulgation through the press. In order to enable the provision of a German press, we demand, that:
a. All writers and employees of the newspapers appearing in the German language be members of the race;
b. Non-German newspapers be required to have the express permission of the state to be published. They may not be printed in the German language;
c. Non-Germans are forbidden by law any financial interest in German publications or any influence on them and as punishment for violations the closing of such a publication as well as the immediate expulsion from the Reich of the non-German concerned. Publications which are counter to the general good are to be forbidden. We demand legal prosecution of artistic and literary forms which exert a destructive influence on our national life and the closure of organizations opposing the above made demands.
One of the most troubling and powerful parts of the platform. It allows the State to decide what is a lie, and to shut down any media with which it disagrees. A part of every domineering government ever formed- French, Russian, etc.
24)We demand freedom of religion for all religious denominations within the state so long as they do not endanger its existence or oppose the moral senses of the Germanic race. The Party as such advocates the standpoint of a positive Christianity without binding itself confessionally to any one denomination. It combats the Jewish-materialistic spirit within and around us and is convinced that a lasting recovery of our nation can only succeed from within on the framework: The good of the state before the good of the individual".
A remarkable, broad claim that in essence lets the State outlaw any faith/belief that undermines Germanness. Read- you can't be a Jew.
25)For the execution of all of this we demand the formation of a strong central power in the Reich. Unlimited authority of the central parliament over the whole Reich and its organizations in general. The forming of state and profession chambers for the execution of the laws made by the Reich within the various states of the confederation. The leaders of the Party promise, if necessary by sacrificing their own lives, to support by the execution of the points set forth above without consideration.
The NSDAP becomes the government, replacing the mechanisms and bodies established by the Weimar constitution.
Actually reading the platform is very informative and revealing, both of Nazism and current American politics. Several observations-
-Nazism was a type of Socialism, and a movement of the Left, not the Right, as I have pointed out many times. As long as it is painted as a far Right position its nature will not be understood. Whether such assertions are a matter of ignorance, willful disbelief, or effort to label groups I don't know. Regardless, Nazism was a movement of the Left.
-There are elements that will be familiar to most Americans- school availability, health care, national self-determination. The existence of these items does not make Nazism related to any current party, however. Several of the items are standard Socialist dogma, and are reflected in elements of both the Republican and Democratic platforms.
-Neither of our major parties is remotely like the Nazis, and every such analogy should be recognized as hyperbole and distortion. Any argument that begins 'The Democrats are Socialists' or 'The Republicans are Fascists' is invalid to begin.
-The Nazis were overtly anti-Semitic from the start.
I was not aware of how strongly and openly anti-Semitic their platform was, thinking it was mainly Hitler's conviction that played upon various degrees of anti-Semitism in the German public. That is clearly not the case. This alters substantially the theoretical appeal of the NSDAP. I don't understand how anyone can vote for the disenfranchisement of their fellow nationals, their expulsion or their disbarment from work. This is a significant finding for me, as I have always been able to excuse the Nazi's election as a by-product of the disorder of the times, and their appealing pan-Germanism. I can't do that any more, and anyone who voted for such a platform has some culpability in its implementation.
Comparing Obama's recent tactics of governing by decree through the Federal bureaucracy to Nazism is grossly inaccurate, as are comparisons of Trump's desire to deport and prevent illegal immigrants. Disenfranchising citizens is completely different from enforcing existing law. I am very glad that both our parties, as flawed as they are, do not have platforms like this. Whenever we are in the heat of political disagreement, it is well to remember that the other party, whichever that may be, is nothing remotely like the NSDAP.
Ted
1)We demand the unification of all Germans in the Greater Germany on the basis of the people's right to self-determination.
This sounds like a call for universal suffrage and participation in government. As will be seen below, it is more an ab initio defining of who is a German, which is not constrained by the then-current boundary of Germany.
2)We demand equality of rights for the German people in respect to the other nations; abrogation of the peace treaties of Versailles and St. Germain.
This was one of the most appealing aspects of the NSDAP. The Versailles Treaty is recognized today as grossly unfair and largely unreasonable. It is responsible for much of the agonies of the Middle East today.
3)We demand land and territory (colonies) for the sustenance of our people and colonization for our surplus population.
Germany had colonies prior to WW1, and in the peace with Russia received most of Ukraine. The NSDAP wanted it all back. It is revealing that this was part of their political platform.
4)Only a member of the race can be a citizen. A member of the race can only be one who is of German blood, without consideration of creed. Consequently, no Jew can be a member of the race.
see comment under 5
5)Whoever has no citizenship is to be able to live in Germany only as a guest and must be under the authority of legislation for foreigners.
(for both 4 and 5) This was surprising to me. I am of course aware of the anti-Semitism of the Nazis, but not that it was an overt part of their platform. Voting for them looks rather different in light of this very plain racist point.
6)The right to determine matters concerning administration and law belongs only to the citizen. Therefore, we demand that every public office, of any sort whatsoever, whether in the Reich, the county or municipality, be filled only by citizens. We combat the corrupting parliamentary economy, office-holding only according to party inclinations without consideration of character or abilities.
In the breach, this was a complete falsehood cloaked in an appealing call for citizen control of the political apparatus. As in so many other similar examples, such calls hide plans for central authoritarian control and, in this case, to exclude Jews.
7)We demand that the state be charged first with providing the opportunity for a livelihood and way of life for the citizens. If it is impossible to sustain the total population of the State, then the members of foreign nations (non-citizens) are to be expelled from the Reich.
A response to unemployment and competition in the professions from Jews. Like so many parts of this platform, it sounds vaguely reasonable but was nothing but a basis to exclude Jews from many positions and jobs.
8)Any further immigration of non-citizens is to be prevented. We demand that all non-Germans, who have immigrated to Germany since 2 August 1914, be forced immediately to leave the Reich.
Germany for Germans, including all Germans not in current German boundaries, but excluding anyone in germany who is not German, ie, Jews.
9)All citizens must have equal rights and obligations.
This, combined with #4 and #8, means that any non-German can be expelled just for that. If only their government had practiced only expulsion, rather than extermination!
10)The first obligation of every citizen must be to productively work mentally or physically. The activity of individuals is not to counteract the interests of the universality, but must have its result within the framework of the whole for the benefit of all. Consequently, we demand:
See comments below #17
11)Abolition of unearned (work and labour) incomes. Breaking of debt (interest)-slavery.
12)In consideration of the monstrous sacrifice in property and blood that each war demands of the people, personal enrichment through a war must be designated as a crime against the people. Therefore, we demand the total confiscation of all war profits.
13)We demand the nationalisation of all (previous) associated industries (trusts).
14)We demand a division of profits of all heavy industries.
15)We demand an expansion on a large scale of old age welfare.
16)We demand the creation of a healthy middle class and its conservation, immediate communalization of the great warehouses and their being leased at low cost to small firms, the utmost consideration of all small firms in contracts with the State, county or municipality.
17)We demand a land reform suitable to our needs, provision of a law for the free expropriation of land for the purposes of public utility, abolition of taxes on land and prevention of all speculation in land.
The entire economic platform is straight Socialism. It might have come from Venezuela or Cuba today.
18)We demand struggle without consideration against those whose activity is injurious to the general interest. Common national criminals, usurers, profiteers and so forth are to be punished with death, without consideration of confession or race.
A frighteningly general call for capital punishment against very vague crimes. In fact the Nazis did kill many political opponents using just such vague pretexts.
19)We demand substitution of a German common law in place of the Roman Law serving a materialistic world-order.
Hello Venezuela, again....
30)The state is to be responsible for a fundamental reconstruction of our whole national education program, to enable every capable and industrious German to obtain higher education and subsequently introduction into leading positions. The plans of instruction of all educational institutions are to conform with the experiences of practical life. The comprehension of the concept of the state must be striven for by the school [Staatsbürgerkunde] as early as the beginning of understanding. We demand the education at the expense of the state of outstanding intellectually gifted children of poor parents without consideration of position or profession.
Another standard, Socialist call for equality of education for those capable of utilizing it, but also a call for State control of curricula (No Child Left Behind, etc, etc)
21)The state is to care for the elevating national health by protecting the mother and child, by outlawing child-labor, by the encouragement of physical fitness, by means of the legal establishment of a gymnastic and sport obligation, by the utmost support of all organizations concerned with the physical instruction of the young.
A very rational idea, that was manifested by the equivalent of the President's Council on Physical Fitness, and also the Boy Scouts. Access to medical care was in fact greatly improved, one feature of Nazi policy that made them popular.
22)We demand abolition of the mercenary troops and formation of a national army.
China's Red Revolution 20 years early, and also a throwback to the early French Republican armies. The Freikorps, and the unemployment among previous soldiers may underlie this.
23)We demand legal opposition to known lies and their promulgation through the press. In order to enable the provision of a German press, we demand, that:
a. All writers and employees of the newspapers appearing in the German language be members of the race;
b. Non-German newspapers be required to have the express permission of the state to be published. They may not be printed in the German language;
c. Non-Germans are forbidden by law any financial interest in German publications or any influence on them and as punishment for violations the closing of such a publication as well as the immediate expulsion from the Reich of the non-German concerned. Publications which are counter to the general good are to be forbidden. We demand legal prosecution of artistic and literary forms which exert a destructive influence on our national life and the closure of organizations opposing the above made demands.
One of the most troubling and powerful parts of the platform. It allows the State to decide what is a lie, and to shut down any media with which it disagrees. A part of every domineering government ever formed- French, Russian, etc.
24)We demand freedom of religion for all religious denominations within the state so long as they do not endanger its existence or oppose the moral senses of the Germanic race. The Party as such advocates the standpoint of a positive Christianity without binding itself confessionally to any one denomination. It combats the Jewish-materialistic spirit within and around us and is convinced that a lasting recovery of our nation can only succeed from within on the framework: The good of the state before the good of the individual".
A remarkable, broad claim that in essence lets the State outlaw any faith/belief that undermines Germanness. Read- you can't be a Jew.
25)For the execution of all of this we demand the formation of a strong central power in the Reich. Unlimited authority of the central parliament over the whole Reich and its organizations in general. The forming of state and profession chambers for the execution of the laws made by the Reich within the various states of the confederation. The leaders of the Party promise, if necessary by sacrificing their own lives, to support by the execution of the points set forth above without consideration.
The NSDAP becomes the government, replacing the mechanisms and bodies established by the Weimar constitution.
Actually reading the platform is very informative and revealing, both of Nazism and current American politics. Several observations-
-Nazism was a type of Socialism, and a movement of the Left, not the Right, as I have pointed out many times. As long as it is painted as a far Right position its nature will not be understood. Whether such assertions are a matter of ignorance, willful disbelief, or effort to label groups I don't know. Regardless, Nazism was a movement of the Left.
-There are elements that will be familiar to most Americans- school availability, health care, national self-determination. The existence of these items does not make Nazism related to any current party, however. Several of the items are standard Socialist dogma, and are reflected in elements of both the Republican and Democratic platforms.
-Neither of our major parties is remotely like the Nazis, and every such analogy should be recognized as hyperbole and distortion. Any argument that begins 'The Democrats are Socialists' or 'The Republicans are Fascists' is invalid to begin.
-The Nazis were overtly anti-Semitic from the start.
I was not aware of how strongly and openly anti-Semitic their platform was, thinking it was mainly Hitler's conviction that played upon various degrees of anti-Semitism in the German public. That is clearly not the case. This alters substantially the theoretical appeal of the NSDAP. I don't understand how anyone can vote for the disenfranchisement of their fellow nationals, their expulsion or their disbarment from work. This is a significant finding for me, as I have always been able to excuse the Nazi's election as a by-product of the disorder of the times, and their appealing pan-Germanism. I can't do that any more, and anyone who voted for such a platform has some culpability in its implementation.
Comparing Obama's recent tactics of governing by decree through the Federal bureaucracy to Nazism is grossly inaccurate, as are comparisons of Trump's desire to deport and prevent illegal immigrants. Disenfranchising citizens is completely different from enforcing existing law. I am very glad that both our parties, as flawed as they are, do not have platforms like this. Whenever we are in the heat of political disagreement, it is well to remember that the other party, whichever that may be, is nothing remotely like the NSDAP.
Ted
Thanks for sending this VERY informative post. I have just finished reading "The Nuremberg Interviews" (and have just acquired "Backing Hitler: consent and coercion in Nazi Germany") so I find this blog entry doubly helpful.
ReplyDeleteIt's too bad that DNA came too late. As to #4 & 5, they could define German blood however they chose without DNA. No matter that most Jews had lived in Germany (such as it was, as it had a very short history as Deutschland)for many generations. Have you studied eugenics, Ted? If not, I suggest it as your next educatory project. Eugenics is what played into this early claim that only certain people were German. Eugenics had early roots in America, as well as Europe and Great Britain, and can not be attributed to Hitler or the Nazi party. They jumped on board a train that was already rolling.
ReplyDelete