National Socialism Unveiled: Debunking the Capitalist Myth and Exposing Its Socialist Core
Source: https://imgflip.com/i/2qho5y
Exposing National Socialism: Why Hitler Was a Socialist, Not a Capitalist
The Marxist narrative that National Socialism was a facade for capitalism distorts historical reality. Far from empowering profit-driven elites, Hitler’s regime was a socialist, totalitarian system fueled by state control and a racial collectivism that mirrored Marxism’s class-based socialism. Using Hitler’s own words in Mein Kampf (James Murphy translation, 1939) and insights from historians Günter Reimann, Adam Tooze, Götz Aly, Germà Bel, and Ludwig von Mises, this post dismantles the capitalist myth, highlights National Socialism’s racial-socialism, and contrasts it with Marxism and Fascism. Let’s set the record straight.
Hitler’s Ideology: Racial-Socialism in His Own Words
In Mein Kampf, Hitler frames history as a racial struggle, with Aryans as civilization’s architects, united by collective sacrifice. He vilifies Jews as selfish parasites, incapable of nation-building:
- “The individual must sacrifice himself to preserve the race… The Aryan’s greatness lies in his readiness to dedicate his efforts to the community.” (Mein Kampf, Murphy, p. 165)
- “The Jew stands in sharp contrast to the Aryan… His self-preservation instinct dominates, with no readiness for sacrifice beyond personal gain.” (Mein Kampf, Murphy, p. 167)
Hitler accused Jews of manipulating capitalism and Marxism to destabilize Aryan societies, using economic chaos to erode racial purity: “The Jew infiltrates nations, eroding them from within with lies, slander, and corruption.” (Mein Kampf, Murphy, p. 171). Rejecting capitalism’s “Jewish finance” and Marxism’s internationalism, he proposed a “Third Way”—National Socialism, or racial-socialism, to create a “People’s State” (Volksgemeinschaft) for Aryans:
- “Only by exterminating the international poisoners can we nationalize the masses.” (Mein Kampf, Murphy, p. 227)
- “I am a socialist… My thoughts and actions serve the Folk, bound by blood and shared destiny.” (Mein Kampf, Murphy, p. 227.
This racial-socialism prioritized the Aryan collective over individual profit, aiming to eliminate Jews and conquer Lebensraum (living space) (Mein Kampf, Murphy, p. 360-362).
The National Socialist Economy: State Control, Not Markets
A capitalist National Socialist economy would rely on free markets and entrepreneurial autonomy. Instead, the state enforced stringent control, as historians document:
Abolition of Property Rights:
- The Reichstag Fire Decree of February 28, 1933, nullified Weimar Constitution property protections, allowing state seizures without compensation (Reimann, The Vampire Economy, p. 12). “Property’s meaning has fundamentally shifted… Communal welfare trumps individual gain (Gemeinnutz geht vor Eigennutz).” (Reimann, p. 13). Jews and dissenters lost assets, while Aryans held property at the state’s discretion, a socialist hallmark (Tooze, Wages of Destruction, p. 113).
Gleichschaltung and Corporate Regulation:
- Gleichschaltung (alignment) integrated industries into National Socialist ideology, consolidating them into 13 state-supervised corporations and mandatory cartels (Tooze, p. 205). Reimann describes businessmen’s struggles: “We make profits, but we never know what we can keep… Government whims dictate our fate.” (The Vampire Economy, p. 17). Non-compliant firms, like Junkers’ factory, were nationalized (Tooze, p. 200).
Populist Redistribution:
- High business taxes (50-55% profits by 1941) funded welfare for Aryan workers and families (Aly, Hitler’s Beneficiaries, p. 74). “Tax credits, marriage loans, and child allowances eased financial burdens for parents.” (Aly, p. 76). Financed partly by looted Jewish wealth, these policies strengthened the Volksgemeinschaft, not corporate profits.
Primacy of Politics:
- Hitler’s “Primacy of Politics” elevated ideology over economics: “The Reich’s economic administration gained unparalleled control over the economy.” (Tooze, Wages of Destruction, p. 113). Autarky and Lebensraum served racial goals, not profit (Mein Kampf, Murphy, p. 360-362).
IG Farben: Evidence of Racial-Socialism
Marxists claim IG Farben’s Holocaust role proves capitalist greed. The evidence reveals state-driven socialism:
Synthetic Fuel: By 1931, synthetic fuel was unprofitable (23 Pfennig/liter vs. 5.2 for natural gasoline), but the National Socialist state funded IG Farben’s expansion for autarky and war: “The National Socialists demanded increased petroleum output, cost be damned.” (Tooze, p. 247). This defied market logic, a socialist trait.
IG Auschwitz: The state orchestrated the Auschwitz plant, offering tax exemptions and SS slave labor (Tooze, p. 551-553). “IG Farben’s cooperation allowed Himmler to exploit prisoner labor for economic goals.” (Tooze, p. 554). The SS-run Monowitz camp was unprofitable, with prisoners at 20-50% of free workers’ output (Tooze, p. 557), refuting profit motives.
IG Farben, a public corporation, was a state tool, advancing racial-socialism’s war and genocide objectives, not capitalism.
Refuting Marxist Arguments
Marxists assert National Socialism was capitalist due to industrial alliances, nominal property, or union suppression. These claims fail:
Trade Unions: Marxists argue union “crushing” shows anti-worker intent. The National Socialists consolidated unions into the German Labour Front (DAF): “Membership was mandatory… Fees provided significant resources.” (Bel, “Against the Mainstream,” p. 14). Lenin did the same with Soviet councils, a socialist strategy.
“Privatization”: Bel’s “privatization” claim is misleading: “Privatization was a political tool, not ideological.” (“Against the Mainstream,” p. 3). Transfers to National Socialist loyalists were Gleichschaltung, consolidating state power (Tooze, p. 205).
Profit: Profits were taxed and redistributed (Aly, p. 74). Mises explains socialist flaws: “Without calculation, economic activity is impossible… Socialism precludes true economic activity.” (Socialism, p. 119). National Socialist distortions (price controls, manipulated statistics) mirrored Soviet failures, not capitalist markets.
Racial-Socialism vs. Class-Socialism vs. Nationality Socialism
National Socialism (racial-socialism) and Marxism (class-socialism) were socialist and totalitarian, differing in focus:
- Racial-Socialism: Unified Aryans, eliminating Jews: “For the German racial community, social divides shrank.” (Aly, p. 39).
- Class-Socialism: Unified workers, eradicating the bourgeoisie: “Lenin called for the ‘dictatorship of the proletariat’… Hitler called for the ‘dictatorship of the Aryan.’” (TIKhistory, PDF, p. 14).
Fascism (nationality socialism) was less racist: “Mussolini believed race was spiritual… A Jew could be an Italian.” (TIKhistory, PDF, p. 15). Its corporate state was a distinct Third Way.
Why It Matters
Mislabeling National Socialism as capitalist conceals its socialist, totalitarian core. Both National Socialist and Marxist regimes used state control to pursue discriminatory utopias, causing atrocities. Recognizing racial-socialism and class-socialism as Tik from Tikhisotry calls it, clarifies history and warns against collectivism. The National Socialist economy’s collapse, as Mises predicted (Socialism, p. 119), parallels Soviet failures, exposing socialism’s economic flaws.
Sources: Adolf Hitler, Mein Kampf (1939, trans. James Murphy); Günter Reimann, The Vampire Economy (1939); Adam Tooze, Wages of Destruction (2006); Götz Aly, Hitler’s Beneficiaries (2005); Germà Bel, “Against the Mainstream” (2010); Ludwig von Mises, Socialism (1922); TIKhistory, “National Socialism WAS Socialism” (PDF, 2023, https://drive.google.com/file/d/1FYEe2xkJcOVQqgvgeFgDizlPbV54CrYN/view?usp=drivesdk).