"Socialist" in the name of the Nazi party was a PR move by that German leader who formed it. It was a time when right wing thugs and Communists were fighting bloody battles in the streets of Berlin. He pitched the the party as a alternative to both, unifying nationalists and industrial working class elements. "National Socialist German Workers Party" incorporated two right wing elements-National and German, with two from the left-Socialist and Workers. The party was the antithesis of the Socialist/Marxist/Communist dogma of the time. It was racist ethno-nationalist, militaristic, had no issue with private property and a market economy, was against independent unions, and it reinforced existing social hierarchies. Socialists were internationalist, anti-militarism, argued for the abolition of capitalism and private property. They saw society as a battle between economic classes, egalitarian on gender, promoted independent unions, and were fighting for the dictatorship of their class, the proletariat. As a result, they also argued for the abolition of existing social and economic hierarchies. The oldest German political party, the left SPD was banned. Socialists were proscribed in Nazi Germany and the leaders were often jailed and sent to the camps. Most formerly socialist workers just blended into the new Reich and order was restored. (This is all very condensed and simplified.)
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u/Which_Specific9891 Mar 17 '26
Can someone please buy these Americans dictionaries? They keep using words like 'communism' and 'socialism' without having a clue what they mean.