Is Nazism Left, or Right?

Discover the truth about Nazism’s political alignment. Despite its name, Nazism’s stance on private property and wealth accumulation proves it is not a leftist ideology.

Where Does Nazism Sit On The Political Spectrum

By Alberto Adler

Recently, I’ve seen many people claiming that Nazism would be a leftist ideology. The origin of this perception seems to be the name of the Nazi party. However, a name doesn’t always truthfully represent what it labels.

Just as we know that the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, which we know as North Korea, has nothing democratic about it despite its name, the National Socialist German Workers’ Party was not socialist. The term appears in the party’s name merely as a rhetorical device. However, what defines whether an ideology is left or right is not its name but the ideas it defends and the actions it undertakes.

Therefore, the first crucial question to determine if the Nazis are leftist is the Nazi stance on private property and ownership of the means of production? Neither Hitler, in his infamous Mein Kampf, nor the Nazi party ever advocated for the expropriation of private property or the nationalization of the means of production.

Means of production and businesses of all sizes and sectors remained in private hands. In fact, many businesspeople profited greatly from the Nazi regime. Importantly, these business owners accumulated personal wealth, contradicting the theory of Nazism’s supposed Marxist orientation. In Nazi Germany, there were millionaires, billionaires, and aristocrats.

It’s also worth noting that according to Marx and Engels, one of the pillars of capitalism is surplus value – essentially, the profit a business owner makes over labor costs. Under the Nazi regime, major industrial conglomerates took surplus value to an extreme, compensating the state for the use of forced labor from concentration camps.

Does Communism equal Nazism?

The Communist Party was the main political adversary of the Nazi Party. And Hitler never criticized capitalism itself. He blamed Jewish financiers (not all financiers) and Communists for Germany’s economic downfall and unemployment. With significant financial support from conservative Germans who feared Communism, the Nazi party became the most voted in 1932.

Besides the party’s name, the totalitarian methods of Nazism are also presented as traits that would align it with Communism since the USSR employed them as well.

Yes, both Nazism and Stalinist Bolshevism, despite their clear differences on private property, ownership of production means, profits, etc., were totalitarian regimes. Thus, they had many similarities in their modus operandi. Both reduced politics to a single party controlling all media, guided cultural production, and enforced censorship. There was a single leader, a dictator, who was idolized and deemed infallible. The secret police were the most powerful state entity. Individuals had no right to private opinions and existed solely as cogs in the state machine.

Those not conforming were removed from society and sent to concentration camps – in the Nazi’s case, this was exacerbated by Aryan racial supremacy ideals. Individual loyalty was due only to the regime, making family and friendship ties secondary at best.

However, it’s essential to understand that totalitarianism isn’t an ideology itself but a way of governing. Thus, it can serve despots of any ideological stance. Whether left or right, totalitarian regimes are always terrible for individuals and society.

The Take away

In conclusion, it isn’t the name or the totalitarian aspect that determines if an ideology is left or right. It’s primarily its relationship with concepts like private property, ownership of the means of production, and permission to make profits and accumulate personal wealth.

So, be skeptical when someone tells you that Nazism is a leftist trend. Either the person is misinformed, has ill intentions, or both.

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