Was Hitler really right wing?
Discussion
Adolf Hitler said:
Left-wing politicians in particular are constantly insisting that their craven-hearted and obsequious foreign policy necessarily results from the disarmament of Germany, whereas the truth is that this is the policy of traitors ...
Not forgetting that Hitler actively sought support of business leaders by arguing that private enterprise is incompatible with democracy.Yea, that Hitler was a proper lefty.
Hitler’s always been a tricky one for the more right wing on PHs.
They like to say nothing good has ever come from the left and they point out Stalin and Pol Pot etc. Then Lefties point out Hitler and (and other dictators) etc and the right wingers have to say yeah but Hitler was actually a lefty because he was a national socialist.
They like to say nothing good has ever come from the left and they point out Stalin and Pol Pot etc. Then Lefties point out Hitler and (and other dictators) etc and the right wingers have to say yeah but Hitler was actually a lefty because he was a national socialist.
...This right wing, left wing thing is interesting. The political model we have far right, centre, far left. The assumption is that you can neatly fit people into the pigeon holes. The reality is many just don't, you'll find some right wingers, with one or two far left views, and vice versa. It doesn't make them centralise.
Part of the problem with politics today.
Part of the problem with politics today.
PositronicRay said:
This right wing, left wing thing is interesting. The political model we have far right, centre, far left. The assumption is that you can neatly fit people into the pigeon holes. The reality is many just don't, you'll find some right wingers, with one or two far left views, and vice versa. It doesn't make them centralise.
Part of the problem with politics today.
Yep. A figure of speech from the French revolution which has stuck with us and is borderline meaningless to us now. It's like the opposite of Orwellian NewSpeak. People don't really have the vocabulary for nuanced positions without putting in some effort, and once they do they can then get a label slapped on them so no-one else has to bother with the hard thinking.Part of the problem with politics today.
See also: New Labour, the SNP, the Conservatives, or Americans thinking the Democrats are Left Wing and the general rise and fall of Centrists.
Getting people to be enthusiastic about mediocre middle of the road policies which enthuse noone is a big ask.
Hitler is the spectre of right-wing evilness the tribal lefties like to constantly refer too but I personally think how left or right Hitler was in relation to his antics was as relevent as his facial hair. Trouble is, when Marxist ideology taken to it's conclusion will always end up with Stalin, Mao etc with millions dead and persecuted the left needs a "whatabout this right winger" to point to and Hitler fulfills that role if you ignore the logical fallacy.
What would actual right wing extremism look like? A miserable for the masses lawless anarchy run by the corps maybe?
What would actual right wing extremism look like? A miserable for the masses lawless anarchy run by the corps maybe?
I think it's useful to look at the other axis as well - although 95% of all politicians would be in the 'Authoritarian' zone [their raison d'etre...]
E.G.:
(You can do your own @ https://www.politicalcompass.org/test - or pretend to be Uncle Joe or the Gefreiter for giggles)
Pinochet may have been a better if not quite as dramatic example of ultra-right wing going wrong; if it is to contrast left vs right without reference to lib. vs auth.
I think it takes a few combinations to arrive at the likes of Hitler, Mao, Pot, Stalin; they weren't mainstream but morally bankrupt monsters with hyper-paranoia, psychopathy and maniacal megalomania. Uncle Joe had a doctrine and ideology to follow and in combination with his character ('I have no son') it led to the tens of millions slaughtered by 1. NKVD (authority) 2. Paranoia (swift execution of any threat) 3. Kulaks (communist / socialist doctrine leading to starvation of millions) and 4. Competence (his actions in the war after having shot all his generals and cabinet).
Hitler had a 'Make Germany Great Again' nationalist ideology - AIUI - taken to extreme levels rather than being led by a completely right/left ideology per se.
I think this is a point missed by many who focus on L v R; really we should be focussed on authoritarianism vs libertarianism as this is where the real damage (in terms of lives) is done. Socialism, by its nature though, easily slips into disaster as authoritarianism is a necessary tool to effect the ideology.
E.G.:
(You can do your own @ https://www.politicalcompass.org/test - or pretend to be Uncle Joe or the Gefreiter for giggles)
Pinochet may have been a better if not quite as dramatic example of ultra-right wing going wrong; if it is to contrast left vs right without reference to lib. vs auth.
I think it takes a few combinations to arrive at the likes of Hitler, Mao, Pot, Stalin; they weren't mainstream but morally bankrupt monsters with hyper-paranoia, psychopathy and maniacal megalomania. Uncle Joe had a doctrine and ideology to follow and in combination with his character ('I have no son') it led to the tens of millions slaughtered by 1. NKVD (authority) 2. Paranoia (swift execution of any threat) 3. Kulaks (communist / socialist doctrine leading to starvation of millions) and 4. Competence (his actions in the war after having shot all his generals and cabinet).
Hitler had a 'Make Germany Great Again' nationalist ideology - AIUI - taken to extreme levels rather than being led by a completely right/left ideology per se.
I think this is a point missed by many who focus on L v R; really we should be focussed on authoritarianism vs libertarianism as this is where the real damage (in terms of lives) is done. Socialism, by its nature though, easily slips into disaster as authoritarianism is a necessary tool to effect the ideology.
It's a circular argument - are right-wing groups really right-wing? I think most people would agree the BNP is far right. However many people would disagree that UKIP or EDL are right-wing. LEFT-RIGHT is a narrow definition that first many cases, but as the political chart shows it's just one particular axis of the political universe. Back to the question - was Hitler right-wing? No, he is far-right.
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