Hitler was a socialist!

[Middle-aged Europe]

If wasn't a socialist than what was he?

His party was called "National SOCIALIST Party".

So, what's your point?


East Germany's official name was "German Democratic Republic".

Russia's ultra-nationalists call themselves "Liberal Democratic Party".

Portugal's major conservative party is the "Social Democratic Party".

Denmark's most important right-wing party is the "Venstre" (= "the Left").

[Middle-aged Europe]

Yes, Hitler was a socialist. Before his rise to power, he vigorously defended himself against charges by Goebbels and the Strassers that he was a petty-bourgeois and not a true socialist.

Gregor Strasser could be counted as some sort of a "nationalist socialist" (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Bolshevism). Of course, he was executed after Hitler took power.

When it comes to "National Socialism", a certain nuance is also lost in translation. There's a difference between Nationaler Sozialismus and Nationalsozialismus. The Nazis always emphasized that they adhered to the latter (and opposed the former). In English both terms are translated into "National Socialism". I guess that's also the reason why you can find so many "Hitler-was-a-socialist!" threads in English-speaking forums.

[Middle-aged Europe]

Yes, he was a socialist. A national one.

You're an idiot.

Am I? Clue me this one then, cretin, what was Hitler's party called?

Aha. I win.

So you actually believe that East Germany was a democratic republic ??

[Middle-aged Europe]

Strictly speaking, the Nazis didn't believe in state control of the economy. Actually, they didn't believe in the state.

They believed in "the movement" and  that this movement should infiltrate, subjugate, and control all aspects of society, including the state. After this was accomplished, the state was to be used as one of many tools to achieve the movement's ultimate goals: enforcing the dominance of the master race.

So, the Nazis didn't exactly believe in the state controlling the economy. If anything, they believed that the movement should control both the state and the economy. And there were many ways to secure the movement's control over the economy. "State intervention" was one possible method, again using the state as a tool. Another (and more direct) approach was to make sure that most businessmen are either party members or at least loyal to the party. If all businessmen are party members then the moverment controls the economy.