National Socialism and Fascism brought a lot of troubles to humanity in the 20th century. Nazis and fascists are natural allies, and therefore they are often confused, although there is a difference between these ideologies.
What is National Socialism
National Socialism is an ideological and political trend that emerged in the early 1920s in Germany as a reaction to the country's difficult economic situation as a result of the defeat in the First World War. Its founder, Adolf Hitler, appealed to the national pride of the Germans humiliated by the terms of the Versailles Peace Treaty, blamed world Zionism and the German industrialists who had sold it for all the troubles and dreamed of returning the golden age of Germany, which fell on the days of the Nibelungs, the royal dynasty that ruled one of the German principalities in the XII century. The legends, composed of the wealth and power of the Nibelungen, Hitler, inclined to mysticism, perceived as historical documents and a guide to action.
Hitler and his followers made Nazism, the idea of the superiority of the German nation over others, as a tool for the revival of the German nation. When the party won the majority of the seats in the Reichstag (German parliament) as a result of elections, the purity of German blood was protected by law. Marriages with the Untermensch (members of the lower races) were prohibited. Economic and political benefits were to be distributed only among the Germans, the rest of the peoples were obliged to work and die in the name of the superior race. The Jews, who became the first victims of the Nazis of the Third Reich, were especially affected.
Since in Germany itself there were not enough benefits to return to the golden age, another component of National Socialism was militarism - a constant build-up of military power and a willingness to resolve controversial issues from a position of strength. Every German was to become an excellent soldier, every woman was to be able to please a tired soldier.
Seeking power, Hitler promised a fair distribution of public goods among the Germans. Taking advantage of the popularity of social democratic and communist ideas in Germany at the beginning of the 20th century, he introduced the word "socialism" in the name of his party. This did not mean the rejection of private ownership of the means of production, the nationalization of large enterprises owned by German industrialists, etc.
NSDAP ideologist Joseph Goebbels said: "Socialism is a seed to lure a bird into a cage."
What is fascism
Fascism is a political system that proclaims the absolute primacy of the state over the individual, an orientation toward the supremacy of the ruling ideology, the prohibition of dissent and the renunciation of many basic human rights. In one form or another, fascist regimes existed and exist in many states: the regime of Mussolini in Italy, Rivera and Franco in Spain, Codreanu in Romania, Salazar in Portugal, Pinochet in Chile, etc. The term comes from the word "fascia" - bundle, ligament.
Similarities between National Socialism and Fascism
Common features of these systems are the idea of complete control of the state over all aspects of the life of society and the individual (totalitarianism) and the subordination of the interests of the individual to the interests of the state, as well as authoritarianism - unconditional submission to the head of state and the prohibition of criticism of his actions.
"One people, one state, one Fuhrer" - this is how the principle of authoritarianism was formulated in the Third Reich.
Difference between National Socialism and Fascism
Unlike National Socialism, Nazism is not an obligatory component of fascism. For example, in fascist Italy, anti-Semitic laws were adopted only under pressure from Hitler and existed nominally. The regimes of Salazar, Franco, Pinochet were not Nazi.
