National Socialism

Adolf Hitler, the Central Architect, Ideologue and Political Leader of National Socialism

National Socialism (German: Nationalsozialismus), commonly abbreviated as Nazism, is a political ideology and movement that emerged in Germany in the early 20th century. It was formally established with the founding of the National Socialist German Workers' Party (NSDAP) on February 24, 1920. The ideology is primarily associated with Adolf Hitler, who became the party's leader in 1921 and later Chancellor of Germany in 1933.

Definition and Core Principles

National Socialism is a synthesis of nationalism and socialism, combining elements of both ideologies into a distinct political philosophy. According to primary sources, particularly Hitler's Mein Kampf and the NSDAP Party Program, National Socialism advocates for:

The 25 Points Program

The foundational document of National Socialism is the 25-Point Program, adopted on February 24, 1920. Key points include:

• Point 1: "We demand the union of all Germans in a Greater Germany on the basis of the right of national self-determination."

• Point 2: "We demand equality of rights for the German people in its dealings with other nations, and the revocation of the peace treaties of Versailles and St. Germain."

• Point 4: "Only a member of the race can be a citizen. A member of the race can only be one who is of German blood, without consideration of creed. Consequently, no Jew can be a member of the race."

• Point 11: "Abolition of incomes unearned by work."

• Point 13: "We demand the nationalization of all businesses which have been formed into corporations (trusts)."

• Point 14: "We demand profit-sharing in large industrial enterprises."

• Point 17: "We demand a land reform suitable to our national requirements, the passing of a law for the expropriation of land for communal purposes without compensation."

• Point 24: "The Party, as such, stands for positive Christianity, without binding itself confessionally to any one denomination."

National Socialism Beyond Germany

While National Socialism emerged in Germany and is most closely associated with the German experience, the ideology's core principles are not exclusively German and can be applied to other nations and peoples. The foundational concepts of National Socialism—national unity, racial consciousness, economic reform, and the rejection of international finance capital—are universal principles that can be adapted to different national contexts.

National Socialist movements have indeed emerged in other countries, adapting the core principles to their own national circumstances. In the Postwar era, several National Socialist movements have emerged across the world, including the American Nazi Party, National Alliance, and The New Way in the United States, the Nordic Resistance Movement in Sweden, and Golden Dawn in Greece.

Economic Theory: Gottfried Feder's Contribution

Gottfried Feder, an early economic theorist of the NSDAP, developed the concept of "breaking the interest slavery" (Brechung der Zinsknechtschaft). In his 1919 work Manifest zur Brechung der Zinsknechtschaft des Geldes (Manifesto for Breaking the Interest Slavery of Money), Feder distinguished between:

• "Creative" or "productive" capital: Capital invested in productive enterprises that create goods and employment
• "Rapacious" or "parasitic" capital: Capital that earns interest without productive work, particularly international finance capital

Feder argued that the charging of interest on loans was a form of economic slavery that enriched international financiers at the expense of productive workers and entrepreneurs. He advocated for:

• The abolition of interest slavery
• The nationalization of banks
• The elimination of "unearned income"
• State control over credit and currency

Hitler, in Mein Kampf, wrote of Feder's influence:

"For the first time in my life I heard a discussion which dealt with the principles of stock-exchange capital and capital which was used for loan activities... After hearing the first lecture by Feder, the idea immediately came into my head that I had now found the way to one of the most essential prerequisites for the founding of a new party."

Political Philosophy

Racial Theory

National Socialism posits that humanity is divided into distinct races, with the Aryan race being superior. Hitler wrote in Mein Kampf:

"All the human culture, all the results of art, science, and technology that we see before us today, are almost exclusively the creative product of the Aryan."

The ideology advocates for the preservation and strengthening of the German people through:

• Racial purity
• Opposition to miscegenation
• Eugenics and selective breeding
• Removal of elements deemed harmful to the racial community

Anti-Semitism

National Socialism identifies Jews as the primary enemy of the German people. Hitler's Mein Kampf contains extensive anti-Semitic passages, characterizing Jews as:

• A parasitic race
• The controllers of international finance
• The promoters of Marxism and Bolshevism
• The destroyers of national cultures

Socialism

National Socialism incorporates socialist elements, but redefines socialism in national and racial terms. Hitler stated:

"Socialism is the science of dealing with the common weal. Communism is not Socialism. Marxism is not Socialism. The Marxians have stolen the term and confused its meaning. I shall take Socialism away from the Socialists. Socialism is an ancient Aryan, Germanic institution."

The NSDAP program included several socialist measures:

• Nationalization of trusts
• Profit-sharing in large industries
• Land reform and expropriation
• Abolition of unearned income
• State provision for the elderly

Nationalism

National Socialism is fundamentally nationalist, advocating:

• The unity of all Germans in a Greater Germany
• The primacy of national interests over individual interests
• The rejection of internationalism
• The restoration of German honor and power

Leadership Principle (Führerprinzip)

The Führerprinzip (Leader Principle) is central to National Socialism. It posits that:

• Authority flows downward from a single leader
• The leader's will is absolute
• Subordinates owe absolute loyalty to their superiors
• The leader embodies the will of the people

What National Socialism Is Not

Based on primary sources, National Socialism explicitly rejects or differs from:

Not International Socialism/Marxism

Hitler and other National Socialist theorists consistently distinguished their movement from Marxism and international socialism. Hitler wrote:

"The internationalism of Marxism is not German... Marxism is the declared enemy of nationalism and patriotism."

Key differences:

• Marxism advocates international class struggle; National Socialism advocates national unity
• Marxism seeks to abolish private property; National Socialism preserves private property while regulating it
• Marxism is materialist; National Socialism incorporates spiritual and racial elements
• Marxism opposes nationalism; National Socialism is fundamentally nationalist

Not Capitalism

While National Socialism did not abolish private property, it rejected laissez-faire capitalism and what it termed "rapacious capital." Feder wrote:

"The distinction between creative and rapacious capital must be the axis around which the economic policy of the National Socialist state will revolve."

The NSDAP program called for:

• State control over large corporations
• Abolition of unearned income
• Breaking the power of finance capital
• Profit-sharing and worker participation

Not Democracy

National Socialism explicitly rejected parliamentary democracy. Hitler wrote:

"Parliamentary democracy has worked out in such a way that nonentities, by the hundred thousand, are sent to a representative body by the votes of masses who have no idea of the mental and moral qualities of their chosen delegate."

Instead, it advocated:

• The Führerprinzip (leadership principle)
• A one-party state
• The subordination of individual rights to the national community
• Decision-making by qualified leaders rather than popular vote

Not Pacifism

National Socialism glorified struggle and war as necessary for national survival and growth. Hitler wrote:

"Mankind has grown great in eternal struggle, and it will only perish through eternal peace."

Not Individualism

The ideology emphasizes the primacy of the community (Volksgemeinschaft) over the individual. The individual's rights and interests are subordinated to the good of the nation and race.

Not Secularism

While not tied to a specific Christian denomination, the NSDAP program stated support for "positive Christianity." However, National Socialism also incorporated elements of Germanic paganism and created its own rituals and symbols.

Implementation in Germany (1933-1945)

When the NSDAP came to power in 1933, it implemented many of these principles:

• Economic policies: State control of industry, public works programs, elimination of unemployment, regulation of finance
• Racial policies: Nuremberg Laws, persecution of Jews and other groups, eugenics programs
• Political structure: One-party state, Führerprinzip, elimination of opposition
• Foreign policy: Expansionism, Lebensraum (living space), preparation for war

See Also

• Adolf Hitler
• NSDAP
• Mein Kampf
• Gottfried Feder
• 25 Points of the NSDAP
• Führerprinzip
• Volksgemeinschaft
• Lebensraum