I've never understood the importance of 'net approvial ratings' and to be honest don't remember seeing them until recently. Considering how polarized the nation is, and has been for a while, we all know that 33% would vote for Hitler if he had an (R) behind his name, 33% for Pol Pot if he had a (D) and then the rest fluctuate. Thus this poll is pretty useless.
Actually no those voting for Hitler would be the left. The man and his party were socialists in the era they lived in. They believed in a third way between Communism and Capitalism. That third way was socialism. The 25 Points of Hitler's Nazi Party 1 We demand the union of all Germans in a Great Germany on the basis of the principle of self-determination of all peoples. 2 We demand that the German people have rights equal to those of other nations; and that the Peace Treaties of Versailles and St. Germain shall be abrogated. 3 We demand land and territory (colonies) for the maintenance of our people and the settlement of our surplus population. 4 Only those who are our fellow countrymen can become citizens. Only those who have German blood, regardless of creed, can be our countrymen. Hence no Jew can be a countryman. 5 Those who are not citizens must live in Germany as foreigners and must be subject to the law of aliens. 6 The right to choose the government and determine the laws of the State shall belong only to citizens. We therefore demand that no public office, of whatever nature, whether in the central government, the province, or the municipality, shall be held by anyone who is not a citizen. We wage war against the corrupt parliamentary administration whereby men are appointed to posts by favour of the party without regard to character and fitness. 7 We demand that the State shall above all undertake to ensure that every citizen shall have the possibility of living decently and earning a livelihood. If it should not be possible to feed the whole population, then aliens (non-citizens) must be expelled from the Reich. 8 Any further immigration of non-Germans must be prevented. We demand that all non-Germans who have entered Germany since August 2, 1914, shall be compelled to leave the Reich immediately. 9 All citizens must possess equal rights and duties. 10 The first duty of every citizen must be to work mentally or physically. No individual shall do any work that offends against the interest of the community to the benefit of all. Therefore we demand: 11 That all unearned income, and all income that does not arise from work, be abolished. 12 Since every war imposes on the people fearful sacrifices in blood and treasure, all personal profit arising from the war must be regarded as treason to the people. We therefore demand the total confiscation of all war profits. 13 We demand the nationalization of all trusts. 14 We demand profit-sharing in large industries. 15 We demand a generous increase in old-age pensions. 16 We demand the creation and maintenance of a sound middle-class, the immediate communalisation of large stores which will be rented cheaply to small trades people, and the strongest consideration must be given to ensure that small traders shall deliver the supplies needed by the State, the provinces and municipalities. 17 We demand an agrarian reform in accordance with our national requirements, and the enactment of a law to expropriate the owners without compensation of any land needed for the common purpose. The abolition of ground rents, and the prohibition of all speculation in land. 18 We demand that ruthless war be waged against those who work to the injury of the common welfare. Traitors, usurers, profiteers, etc., are to be punished with death, regardless of creed or race. 19 We demand that Roman law, which serves a materialist ordering of the world, be replaced by German common law. 20 In order to make it possible for every capable and industrious German to obtain higher education, and thus the opportunity to reach into positions of leadership, the State must assume the responsibility of organizing thoroughly the entire cultural system of the people. The curricula of all educational establishments shall be adapted to practical life. The conception of the State Idea (science of citizenship) must be taught in the schools from the very beginning. We demand that specially talented children of poor parents, whatever their station or occupation, be educated at the expense of the State. 21 The State has the duty to help raise the standard of national health by providing maternity welfare centres, by prohibiting juvenile labour, by increasing physical fitness through the introduction of compulsory games and gymnastics, and by the greatest possible encouragement of associations concerned with the physical education of the young. 22 We demand the abolition of the regular army and the creation of a national (folk) army. 23 We demand that there be a legal campaign against those who propagate deliberate political lies and disseminate them through the press. In order to make possible the creation of a German press, we demand: (a) All editors and their assistants on newspapers published in the German language shall be German citizens. (b) Non-German newspapers shall only be published with the express permission of the State. They must not be published in the German language. (c) All financial interests in or in any way affecting German newspapers shall be forbidden to non-Germans by law, and we demand that the punishment for transgressing this law be the immediate suppression of the newspaper and the expulsion of the non-Germans from the Reich. Newspapers transgressing against the common welfare shall be suppressed. We demand legal action against those tendencies in art and literature that have a disruptive influence upon the life of our folk, and that any organizations that offend against the foregoing demands shall be dissolved. 24 We demand freedom for all religious faiths in the state, insofar as they do not endanger its existence or offend the moral and ethical sense of the Germanic race. The party as such represents the point of view of a positive Christianity without binding itself to any one particular confession. It fights against the Jewish materialist spirit within and without, and is convinced that a lasting recovery of our folk can only come about from within on the principle: COMMON GOOD BEFORE INDIVIDUAL GOOD 25 In order to carry out this program we demand: the creation of a strong central authority in the State, the unconditional authority by the political central parliament of the whole State and all its organizations. The formation of professional committees and of committees representing the several estates of the realm, to ensure that the laws promulgated by the central authority shall be carried out by the federal states. The leaders of the party undertake to promote the execution of the foregoing points at all costs, if necessary at the sacrifice of their own lives. If you can read that and think Hitler was on the right then you've got problems. There is a reason Hugo Chavez gets compared to Hitler and it's not just because they both are dictators. Also the Jew thing.... The left and right in the past has not liked Jews but it's been the left that has been the most violent and even to this day the most hating of Jews. Hitler and the Nazi's were also for gun control. Gee I wonder who on average is always for gun control if not out right banning them? Leftists hate it when it's pointed out to them but both the German Labor Unions and the Communists voted with the Nazi's on a regular basis except for a couple items. It wasn't until Hitler took the final step and gripped Germany in his fist that they turned against him. Of course by then it was too late for them. So how is it that people who are racists on the right worship Hitler? If you take the time to look at these racists closely you quickly find out they are leftists in their personal beliefs or they have no fucking clue of what Hitler actually believed. Also for many of them it matters not what Hitlers policies were except that he hated Jews.
It's cool that you like to challenge conventional wisdom and commonly understood definitions, but let's not start another argument based exclusively on semantics. Fascism is generally another name for right wing authoritarianism. Many of the lies used by Hitler's excellent propagandists were simply selling points to trick the masses, especially most of the populist bullshit - item #9 and others are a sick joke. Krupps and the other mega-industrials had interests in common with the government. And, e.g., Germany was careful to respect Switzerland's space as banker to the stars; that list you presented was not based on some kind of pure, ideological grounds, but rather marketing. Look, instead, at how the leadership was splitting up the pie.
No that is not what fascism was. It's been redefined into that by the left that thinks and likes to tell people that IT can't be fascist. Of course one only has to look at the world for the last 100 years and see the majority of fascist countries were run by leftist dictators. The current crop of up and coming fascists in South and Central America are all socialist. That definition is not incompatible with socialism. You can be a fascist socialist, a fascist communist or even a fascist capitalist. Look past Hitlers actions and look at what he believed and what his party believed and you can not, if you are an objective person, support a position that Hitler fell on the right side of the political spectrum. We've all been taught that in school but as we all know a lot of what we got taught was wrong. Read Mein Kampf. Go beyond the usual lip service paid to Hitler's politics. Socialist right down to his toes he was....
Don't be dense. Everyone concentrates on the fact the man was evil, started a terrible war that killed millions, and slaughtered Jews and others by the millions just for who they were. But his personal beliefs were socialist. He was a leftist. His political party was a leftist party. The implication that many on the left like to play that they can't be fascists because it's only those right wing nut jobs who do that stuff is false.
I look at who gets the property. The "People"? Or the hierarchy. Markets were recognized over the State as more efficient. Ruling by fiat may have helped "correct" the bits of market forces not to the autocrat's liking, but to adopt your usage would be to eliminate any meaning to the term "right-wing extremism" - it merges and blends indistinguishably all the murderous mismanagement from Hitler to Stalin or Pol Pot. I don't have a problem with them all being lumped together, but then you lose the nuance of the differences in their methods (not in killing and disappearing the citizenry which are pretty much the same across the board, but in the means and ownership of production and wealth). The Nazis really liked money and art and wealth and riches, the Good Life, which is not a particularly leftist ideology, at least as the term is commonly understood or used.
Ahhhhh typical leftists..... Can't handle a little truth..... and they go crazy. Don't even want to step out of their neat little box and actually learn just who the NAZI's and Hitler were. "NO NO NO!!!!! HITLER WAS A RIGHTIE!!!!! " It's okay Chris......
Look at your arguement: Pay no attention to what Hitler actually did as far as economics go, but look at what he said. Because we all know that the words of a master propagandist are much more an indication of political leanings than policy.
11 That all unearned income, and all income that does not arise from work, be abolished. 14 We demand profit-sharing in large industries. (WINDFALL PROFITS TAX) 16 We demand the creation and maintenance of a sound middle-class, the immediate communalisation of large stores which will be rented cheaply to small trades people, and the strongest consideration must be given to ensure that small traders shall deliver the supplies needed by the State, the provinces and municipalities. 17 We demand an agrarian reform in accordance with our national requirements, and the enactment of a law to expropriate the owners without compensation of any land needed for the common purpose. The abolition of ground rents, and the prohibition of all speculation in land. Certainly looks leftist to me. The fact that they didn't take over completely is normal since they were socialists and not communists. Of course as history has shown the National Socialist German Workers' Party had no problem nationalizing things when needed. I guess like always you missed the leftists who talk the big game but love money and art and wealth and riches, the Good Life. It's why they have the special stores, the cars only they can get, the part of the road sectioned of only for their cars, access to the best foods from around the world, access to the best health care, access to the best living arrangements, access to the best electronics, access to any art, wealth and riches they want (in the name of the people of course), the biggest bank accounts of all their citizens (account conveniently located in another country in case they have to leave in a hurry). It's like a lot of leftists in the US. They preach it but they don't live it. Perfect example: Avram Noam Chomsky.
Good God..... HITLER DID LEFTIST THINGS AS FAR AS ECONOMICS GO. (which is why the labor unions and the communists voted with him in parliament until he took over totally) SOCIALISM IS NOT THE SAME AS COMMUNISM AS MANY ON THIS BOARD ALWAYS POINT OUT. HITLER WASN'T A COMMUNIST OR A CAPITALIST BUT HE WAS A SOCIALIST.
You ought to look beyond the manifesto (aka sales pitch) to historical events. You're okay. A little one-dimensional in your thinking, but keep on truckin'.
Historical events support me. Hitler and the Nazi party acted in leftist way in regards to the economy and the country. The fact they were scum sucking fascists doesn't take away from their leftist views and actions. Oh and I'm 100% right about leftists who talk the big game but love money and art and wealth and riches, the Good Life. If you can't see that with thousands of examples around the world that is your problem.
Well, your read of history's wrong, much like your characterization of anything I've ever said, here or elsewhere (particularly regarding the hypocrisy of government).
"We are socialists, we are enemies of today's capitalistic economic system for the exploitation of the economically weak, with its unfair salaries, with its unseemly evaluation of a human being according to wealth and property instead of responsibility and performance, and we are all determined to destroy this system under all conditions." --Adolf Hitler (Speech of May 1, 1927. Quoted by Toland, 1976, p. 306)
Well, duh, they called themselves National Socialists. The political situation as Weimar republic deteriorated was fertile ground for the message. It was a sales pitch, dude. A lot like Obama's manifesto - full of fodder for the credulous. Don't tell me you believe it.
Not everything is propaganda. Yes I believe Hitler believed it. Just as I believe that Obama believes his "manifesto" as well.
Well, then you should look to Nazi Germany's economic and industrial policy, its competition with Italy for cultural preeminence, the ownership of industry in German society, its respect for the merit of its neighboring Swiss bank and other aspects that until today defined the chief distinctions between fascism and communism. There are differences, and while I don't particularly care what you call it, I'll caution you against collapsing all tyrannies into the term "socialists" in situations where subtleties and nuances in the meaning of words hold any value. Nobody here is trying to characterize conservatives as a step away from Nazis, but your reaction to terminology that calls the Nazi fascists right-wing seems like you're responding to such a concern.
