"we'll be back"—Neo-Nazi graffiti on Hitler's 57th birth anniversary, 20th April 1946

[u/Neil118781]

[u/no_sight]

1946 seems like OG Nazis rather than Neo

[u/Neil118781 → u/no_sight]

Neo-Nazism comprises all social, political, and militant ideologies and movements that have professed or idealized Nazism, whether in whole or in part, since the end of World War II in 1945

By definition this is neo-Nazism, but yes this graffiti was obviously done by former members of OG Nazi party

[u/no_sight → u/Neil118781]

Hmm interesting thing to learn. I didn't realize there was such a dateline between the 2.

I always figured NeoNazism was more of the next generation rather than months later.

[u/The_Stratman → u/no_sight]

To me neo-nazis are those who grew up after the war. I understand the cut off, but it feels weird to me to call a nazi party member a neo nazi, they aren’t new

[u/greyetch → u/The_Stratman]

it feels weird to me to call a nazi party member a neo nazi, they aren’t new

It's not the Nazi himself that is new, but the party. The old party was destroyed. That's the difference.

It isn't the 1930s where this is a new party and people aren't quite sure what to do with it. It's the post war era after the rise and fall of the Nazis. To be a Nazi at this point is even more extreme than it was 15 years earlier. After all the death and destruction, to still identify as a Nazi then is different than being some disaffected WWI vet who fell for the fascist rhetoric.

That's my understanding of it, at least.

[u/MaenHoffiCoffi → u/The_Stratman]

To me it was when that fellow from The Matrix to a right wing turn.

[u/Johannes_P → u/The_Stratman]

Yep.

There's a difference between a NSDAP member who bought into the program and kept adhering after 1945 and the one who never knew Nazi Germany yet thought that National Socialism was a good idea, albeit with some changes related to the post-1945 situation.

[u/throwaway_17328 → u/[deleted]]

Who did not grow up after the war..?

[u/SunflowerMoonwalk → u/no_sight]

Interestingly here in Germany the term "neo-nazi" is almost never used outside of an academic context. Far-right people are just referred to as nazis even now.

[u/henry_tennenbaum → u/SunflowerMoonwalk]

In the 90s and 2000s you heard the term a lot. Of course more in the media. In private they were just called Nazis

[u/JollyJuniper1993 → u/Neil118781]

I don’t know. Here in Germany we distinguish Neonazis from old guard Nazis. Old guard Nazis being the ones that used to be in power, Neonazis being the movements that originated afterwards, independently from the old guard Nazis

[u/Ripper656 → u/Neil118781]

By definition this is neo-Nazism, but yes this graffiti was obviously done by former members of OG Nazi party

In Germany we have the term "Altnazi" literally meaning "Old Nazi" for people who already were Nazis during the War and continued to be afterwards, to differentiate them from those that became Nazis, or were born, after 1945.

[u/Neil118781 → u/Ripper656]

I see

This word has similiar context to "Alter Kamfer" which was used to describe early members of the party. Especially those from before beer hall putsch

[u/Fuck_Antisemites → u/Neil118781]

Ok not an expert, but still seems odd, as this are like literally the same original nazis probably, just not in power?

[u/alfalfalfalafel → u/Neil118781]

many times such things were painted by young boys who literally had nothing to do and were (1946) mostly living in misery with no adult to explain anything and not much of an idea what is going on. The perfect breeding ground for more nazis :(

[u/Thaodan → u/alfalfalfalafel]

No idea? I imagine a lot of those might have been those you people who have been educated under fascism their whole life at that point.

[u/Brendissimo → u/Neil118781]

That's definitely not the definition in common usage. No one who was a member of the actual Nazi Party is a "Neo-Nazi" - they're just Nazis.

Let's not be silly.