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Freedom of Speech, and Political Rights |
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Freedom of Speech, and Political Rights |
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Nazism appears in many forms, and in order to fight this multi-faceted ideology we must first be able to recognise the many guises it may take. If we are to be serious in opposing Nazism, then we must become fully aware of what it actually is. True Nazism True Nazism was a product of its time and place, given the historical circumstances of a defeated Germany after World War One, the humiliation of the “crushing” Versailles Treaty, widespread poverty, and rampant communist activity - all of these factors combined to create the conditions which were to produce Nazism. This actual Nazism is an historical product of Germany from the period 1919 to the 1945, and - as such - cannot truly be reproduced in another time or country. Nazism is an abbreviation of the full name of the Nazi Party, Nationalsozialistische Deutsche Arbeiter Partei (NSDAP), its adherents describing themselves as National Socialists. It should be realized that the term “Nazi” properly refers specifically to the NSDAP, and not to the broad range of German Nationalism. The Nazis of Germany were a specific German organisation, and Nazism should not be confused with other forms of German nationalism, racial-nationalism, or imperialism, and nor should it be confused with any foreign forms thereof. There were other nationalist parties in Germany at the same time as the Nazi Party, such as the German National People's Party, the League of Revolutionary National Socialists, the Socialist Party of Saxony, and the Folkish Freedom Party. These parties were not “Nazi” parties. Some were considered more “moderate” than the Nazis, some were considered more “extreme”. After the Nazi assumption of power in 1933 some of these groups were suppressed, whilst others were incorporated into the Nazi Party. The only actual neo-Nazis existing today are those in Germany who seriously follow the Nazi creed, having an historical origin and attachment with remnants of the NSDAP and its ideology from the 1919-1945 era. Why Nazism was bad for the German people The Nazis created an authoritarian and repressive climate in Germany. German citizens couldn't criticize the government or its policies, without being subject to official or non-official harassment from the Nazi government, party, or adherents. Citizens could be reported to the police or Gestapo for making anti-Nazi comments, with interrogation and possibly jail resulting. In his autobiography, Bounden Duty, Alexander Stahlberg (a German officer who rose to become the adjutant to Field Marshal Erich von Manstein) remarks on the fear that ordinary Germans had - even before the war - of being denounced to the Gestapo, simply for critising Hitler or the Nazis in private.[1] During the Second World War, criticism of the war was stifled. Although this happened in Allied countries as well, it was even more apparent in Germany. All anti-Nazi Germans were persecuted and placed into concentration camps; it was not just Jews and Gypsies in the camps. Ordinary Germans found that they had become scared to open their mouths in company, just in case the “wrong person” was listening and would report them later. Adolf Hitler and the Nazi regime apparently made many improvements for many Germans; in employment, trade, removing the heavy economic yoke of the Versailles Treaty, relief from poverty, amongst other reforms. But just because they made some civil improvements didn't mean it was alright for them to ruin Germany by war; nor was it alright to create an oppressive authoritarian regime that meant the loss of civil liberties for the general populace As with the Italian fascists: So what if the trains ran on time? Better to have late trains, than to live in a country without freedom and democracy. To this can be added their often horrible treatment of Gypsies, Jews, and peoples under German occupation. The Nazi-led regard for Adolf Hitler was of messianic proportions, treating him as a demi-god. This deification of Hitler created an atmosphere of Oriental despotism, similar to that of the old Chinese emperors, whereby the will of their leader, their god, becomes the law of the land, as the will of the leader was to outweigh the needs of the state and its people. Nazism, in many ways, became a cult rather than a political ideology - and this bears true even into modern times, considering the cultist outlook of the modern so-called Nazis. The Nazi dictator Adolf Hitler was much like the communist dictator Joseph Stalin. Both went beyond any possible human concern for those who went against their rule, imprisoning whole classes of people in concentration camps instead of individuals. Not only was this morally wrong, but was also nationally wasteful in that it undermined and weakened their nations, showing a weakness in their psychologies, revealing that they had no control over their limits as to their despotic ways. The Nazis were pan-German, not pan-European The Nazis wanted to unite the German ethnic populations of Europe together, and sought to return these people to Germany, or - more correctly - to the Third Reich (other lands, such as parts of Poland, were integrated into the new Greater Germany).
The Nazis viewed the European Slavic peoples as “untermenschen”; that is, as part of a sub-human or inferior race.[2] In a speech in Kiev, USSR, on 5 March 1943, Erich Koch, the Reich Commissar for the Ukraine said
Naturally, we should recognize that, like all movements, the Nazi Party was not entirely homogeneous, but rather contained within it diverging ideas, schools of thought, and factions. Some Nazis were pan-European, such as the leadership of the Waffen-SS, who created non-German formations from other European peoples - such as the French, Belgians, and Norwegians. Even an insignificant British group was created (this group never fought in battle as a unit, and was created more for propaganda purposes, although some English and Irish individuals fought on the Russian Front and possibly in the battle for Berlin).[10] Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party were Imperialists, not Nationalists The Nazi Party under Adolf Hitler was not a Nationalist party, but was instead Imperialist in its ideology. Hitler's Mein Kampf clearly stated that he sought an expansion of lebensraum, or living space, for the German people. He intended to annex other nations to create a Third Reich, or Third Empire, for Germany. On the very first page of Mein Kampf, Hitler speaks of “the moral right to acquire foreign soil”.[11] The idea of Empire building on the European continent was part of an ideology of pan-German Imperialism, based upon an intention that the German nation would become the cultural and administrative center of the Germanic nations or provinces in Europe - a new Germanic empire. Whilst Hitler sought such an empire stretching across Europe, specifically reaching into the Eastern lands of Russia, he claimed disinterest in obtaining colonies overseas. It could be claimed that this German Imperialism was similar to the British Imperialism of past centuries, whereby the English subjugated the peoples of Scotland, Wales, and Ireland, as well as establishing many colonies outside of Europe. A notable difference was that Hitler claimed disinterest in obtaining colonies overseas, and instead desired to concentrate upon the lands held by Russia. It could appear to be understandable that the Nazis wanted to regain the lands taken from them under the conditions of the Versailles Treaty following the end of World War One (these areas included the French-occupied Ruhr Valley, as well as lands incorporated into Belgium, Czechoslovakia, Denmark, France, Lithuania, and Poland), and to unite with Germanic areas such as Austria. It should be borne in mind that, given the historical movement of boundaries in Europe, all such land claims and counter-claims could be considered contentious.[12] However, Hitler also sought “lebensraum” (living space) beyond the historical German geographical boundaries. In Mein Kampf he spells out his plans for the imperialistic expansion of Germany.
“[Germany] must find the courage to gather our people and their strength for an advance along the road that will lead this people from its present restricted living space to new land and soil, and hence also free it from the danger of vanishing from the earth or of serving others as a slave nation.”[14] “For it is not in colonial acquisitions that we must see the solution of this problem, but exclusively in the acquisition of a territory for settlement, which will enhance the area of the mother country, and hence not only keep the new settlers in the most intimate community with the land of their origin, but secure for the total area those advantages which lie in its unified magnitude.”[15] “But we National Socialists must go further. The right to possess soil can become a duty if without extension of its soil a great nation seems doomed to destruction. … We stop the endless German movement to the south and west, and turn our gaze towards the land in the east. At long last we break off the colonial and commercial policy of the pre-War period and shift to the soil policy of the future. If we speak of soil in Europe today, we can primarily have in mind only Russia and her vassal border states.”[16]
The Nazi ideology The Nazis, like all major political parties, were not a homogeneous monolith, but rather contained competing schools of thought, ideals, and factions. To understand what the Nazis were, we need to understand their ideology. This can be drawn from several sources, such as: 1) Adolf Hitler's autobiography and political testament - Mein Kampf http://www.hitler.org/writings/Mein_Kampf/index.html http://www.stormfront.org/crusader/texts/mk/index.html 2) The 25 point programme of the NSDAP http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/mod/25points.html http://www.hitler.org/writings/programme/index.html 3) Hitler's speeches http://www.adolfhitler.ws/lib/speeches/text/speeches.htm http://www.hitler.org/speeches/index.html 4) Other official Nazi speeches and documents We can extract several salient points from these documents, being the essence of Nazism: 1) Genocidal racism 2) Authoritarianism and elimination of opposition 3) Imperialism, or domination of many countries A closer examination of the NSDAP reveal the other main points of Nazism: 1) socialism (welfare state) 2) anti-Communism (anti-Bolshevist) 3) imperialism (expansion into Easter Europe and Russia) 4) the führerprinzip, or leadership principle 5) militarism (influences of World War One; Prussian militarism) 6) Pan-Germanism 7) Nordicism (minority of Nazis) - Master Race theory 8) anti-Slav 9) anti-Jewish 10) opposition to the Versailles Treaty (an historical issue) The führerprinzip philosophy viewed organisations as a hierarchy of leaders, where every leader, or führer, had absolute responsibility over his own area, demanded absolute obedience from those below him, and answered only to his superiors. Adolf Hitler, as the "supreme leader", answered to no-one. The führerprinzip paralleled the functionality of military organisations, which used a similar structure. The justification for the civilian use of the Führerprinzip was that unquestioning obedience to superiors supposedly produced order and prosperity. Given the chaotic state of the Weimar Republic (Germany, 1919 to 1933), many Germans regarded this philosophy as a welcome change to what they had endured earlier - as it was perceived to cut through "red tape" and thus avoid bureaucratic inertia.[19]
Some differences within the Nazi Party have already been noted. Especially, there were conflicting economic ideas within the NSDAP. The Nazi Party was meant to be a socialist party, but alongside the socialists were those well-disposed towards capitalism, or at least willing to compromise with it in the pursuit and retention of power. The Strasser brothers were leading socialists within the NSDAP. During Adolf Hitler's imprisonment, Gregor Strasser briefly led the Nazi Party. Otto Strasser was the author of The Structure of German Socialism. They became vocal opponents of Hitler's increasingly close links to big business and capitalism - and eventually suffered accordingly. As part of Hitler's consolidation of power, Gregor Strasser was killed in the Night of the Long Knives, and - with his life under threat - Otto was forced to flee Germany. Hitler refused to condemn German capitalists and the right-wing Establishment, and allowed the NSDAP to receive funding from American financiers.[20] Gregor Strasser wrote of Capitalism thus:
Nonetheless, despite these differences, the major thrust of Nazism, as detailed above, stands intact. Neo-Nazis, Hollywood Nazis, and Nutzis Many of those people today who describe themselves as Nazis or Neo-Nazis are actually what are often disparagingly referred to as “Hollywood Nazis” (or “Nutzis”). These cranks have based their “ideology” upon the Hollywood version of Nazism, and wish to re-enact some form of Nazi fantasy whereby they can use Nazi symbolism in their propaganda, mouth slogans such as “Hitler was right” and “Seig Heil”, and even strut around in black uniforms adorned with Swastika armbands.
This is a pseudo-ideology, based upon television images of the German Nazis as the “bad guys”, whereby these “pretenders” copy the style of TV Nazis so as to make themselves “bad guys” too - a construction of an anti-social persona. Just as many bikers and punks have often adorned themselves with swastikas, it is not a matter of ideology but rather a matter of “shock value” - their imitation of the Nazis and usage of their symbolism being instrumental in shocking the public - thus creating the “tough” anti-social persona. Such a brand of Neo-Nazism is more a cult rather than a political ideology. In one movie documentary, “Blood in the Face”, a young American Neo-Nazi proclaims “We're more Nazi than the Nazis”. So, what is he really saying? He certainly isn't fighting the ideological battles and problems of Germany in the 1920s to 1940s; he is, in effect, drawing upon the TV/pop culture image of the “Nazi bad guys”, and proclaiming that he and his group are very bad, very extreme.[23] The foundations of the modern self-proclaimed Neo-Nazis are built upon TV images, not ideology, and thus the label “Hollywood Nazis” is aptly applied to them. The Nutzi mentality includes several aspects: - desire for a strong benevolent leader (at least, benevolent towards the loyal followers) - fascination with uniforms and militarism - uniforms, uniformity, and regulation in everyday life (security, safety, and stability) - being inspired by massed ranks of uniformed members (producing an inherent feeling of shared power) - fight against communism - abhorrence of crass and vulgar lifestyles - racial and Jewish matters - although these can be minor aspects; for example, see the Japanese Nazis and Mexican Nazis[24] - authoritarian conformist mentality (“toe the line and you'll be fine”) - using anti-social symbolism for its shock value and rebelliousness (“bucking the System”)
Hollywood Nazis, or “Nutzis” are not actual Nazis. They are just a motley collection of misfits who are attracted to the symbolism and paraphernalia of the early 20th century Nazis, with a penchant for the spectacle of political militarism, and influenced by the film works of Hollywood. The Hollywood Nazis have a fantasy centered on themselves as holding “power”, with visions of themselves as “Fuhrer” or at least near to that pinnacle of state power. Of course, in reality, if such “Nutzis” had actually lived under actual Nazism in Germany in the 1930s it is more likely that they would not like the experience and what it would do to them; no doubt, they would chafe at the heavy limitations of their freedom of speech and at the heavy hand of the state held over their daily lives, living under the reality of the local petty Fuhrers, rather than themselves living as Fuhrers as they would have envisaged. The reality of living under Nazism would be a far cry from their fantasies of wielding power in a Nazi state. The "Nazi" label used as a general smear tactic to malign genuine nationalists The so-called “Nazis” or “Neo-Nazis” sometimes found in non-German nations are actually neither Nazi nor Neo-Nazis (“new Nazis”). As Nazism was an historical German movement, based upon specific German ideas and circumstances set within a particular time-frame, these modern-day aspirants are not of the same ilk, and therefore cannot be termed as “Nazis”. As Nazism was a specifically German movement, the only “new Nazis”, or “Neo-Nazis”, are those groups within Germany that espouse ideals that are an ideological continuance of the ideals of the original NSDAP (refer to the 25 point programme of the Nazis). Just as the non-Nazi German nationalist movements of the 1920s and 1930s were not Nazis, so the same applies today. Just because an organisation in Germany is imperialist or nationalist in outlook, it does not necessarily follow that it is Nazi or Neo-Nazi. As an example, it is quite obvious that the National Democratic Party (NDP) in Germany is neither Nazi nor Neo-Nazi. It is simply just another nationalist organisation; an organisation that, like many others, has been maligned by its opponents (including many in the media) by being labeled as Nazi. It should be realised that, in general, the journalists of the modern-day media are biased against nationalism in general, and are willing to misuse the immense power of the mass media to malign their political opponents. The media love Nazism for two reasons. Firstly, it gives them the chance to sell newspapers, or increase television ratings, by using “shock, horror” stories. Secondly, it gives them the opportunity to discredit genuine nationalists, smearing their name amongst a populace whose views are largely shaped and twisted by the mass media - as the general population's main means of knowledge is through the media itself. Australian Nationalism - enemy of Nazism In line with Australian values, traditions, and way of life, Australian Nationalists are committed to the ideal of an Australian democracy, where everyone has freedom of speech, and can openly speak their mind. Unlike the authoritarian style of Multiculturalist regimes in Australia, democracy under the governments that promoted and defended the principle of White Australia never made the promotion of multi-racialism illegal, even though multi-racialism was an anathema to White Australia, as it continuously strove to destroy the White Australian nation. White Australia was a democratic country, striving to defend the Australian Nation, to defend the Australian People - unlike the Multiculturalists. People had freedom of speech, and weren't jailed for expressing their opinions. Even Multiculturalist traitors could rant their anti-White Australia opinions in public, without fear of being fined or jailed - unlike the fearful anti-democratic atmosphere in today's Australia dominated by a Multiculturalist elite. The charge of “Nazism”, as used by the media, is simply a swear word or label used by the media to libel their opponents - and involves no small amount of chutzpah as it is the Multiculturalists in the media and in government who are the biggest supporters of, and most closely aligned to, the usage of Nazi-style authoritarianism in Australia. The mainstream mass media often maligns Australian Nationalists with the patently untrue slander of accusing them of being anti-democratic or “Nazis”, even though such a charge is false. The White Australia Policy was created many decades before the Nazis were created, and the principle of a White Australia has never had anything to do with Nazism; in actual fact, the people of White Australia fought Nazi Germany during the Second World War, not only to support the rest of the British Empire (which Australia was a part of), but also to fight Nazi authoritarianism and plans for European domination. The Australian People, and the Australian government, both overwhelmingly believers in the maintenance of a White Australia, fought the jackbooted Nazis - because we believe in democracy, not in totalitarianism or authoritarianism. Just like Nazism, Multiculturalism incorporates authoritarianism - and should be opposed by all true Australians. Australian nationalism, even from prior to Federation in 1901, has always stood squarely in favour of the ideal of an Australian democracy, in support of the Australian way of life, and for the survival of the Australian People. Australian Nationalism is therefore a staunch enemy of Nazism, and - unlike the Multiculturalists in media and government - is dedicated to Australian democracy and the Australian way of life. It is time for all fair dinkum Australians to join together, to fight the insidious evil of Multicultural Nazism. [1] Alexander Stahlberg , Bounden Duty: The Memoirs of a German Officer 1932-45, Brasseys, London, 1990, p.36-37, 49-51 [2] Gerald Fleming, Hitler and the Final Solution, Oxford University Press, Oxford, 1986, p.124-125 Hitler parle à ses généraux (Paris: Albin Michel, 1964), pp. 39-40; cited in http://www.plp.org/books/Stalin/node134.html William L. Shirer, The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich: A History of Nazi Germany, Secker and Warburg, London, 1963, ch.27, p.97 [3] William L. Shirer, The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich: A History of Nazi Germany, Secker and Warburg, London, 1963, ch.27, p.939 [4] Adolf Hitler, Mein Kampf, Hutchinson of Australia, Richmond South, Victoria, 1977, v.1 ch.3, p.113 Note: Although the title of Hitler's book is commonly translated as My Struggle, and only sometimes as My Fight, the latter translation is used here as it is considered more accurate; this is upheld in view of the contemporaneous title for German tanks - which were designated as Panzerkampfwagens (Pz.Kpfw), the correct translation of this phrase into English being "armoured fighting vehicles" rather than "armoured struggling vehicles". Chris Ellis and Hilary Doyle, Panzerkampfwagen: German Combat Tanks 1933-1945, Argus Books (Bellona), Kings Langley, Herts., England, 1976, p.12. Bart H. Vanderveen (editor), The Observer's Fighting Vehicles Directory: World War II, Frederick Warne, London, 1969, p.252-253, 306; see p.252 re. Pz.Kpfw. as AFVs (Armoured Fighting Vehicles) [5] Adolf Hitler, Mein Kampf, Hutchinson of Australia, Richmond South, Victoria, 1977, p.134 [6] Adolf Hitler, Mein Kampf, Hutchinson of Australia, Richmond South, Victoria, 1977, v.2 ch.14, p.598 [7] Adolf Hitler, Mein Kampf, Hutchinson of Australia, Richmond South, Victoria, 1977, v.1 ch.5, p.145 [8] The Political Testament of Adolf Hitler: The Hitler-Bormann Documents, February-April 1945 http://www.globusz.com/ebooks/Testament/00000001.htm, see http://www.globusz.com/ebooks/Testament/00000013.htm [9] J. Saleam, Neo Nazism, 1984, p.2 [10] It may be also of interest to note that the Waffen-SS also had a strange collection of non-German formations, including units of Muslims and Indians. Also of note was the Nazi organisation in Samoa, which included a number of Nazi Party members who were married to Samoan women. [11] Adolf Hitler, Mein Kampf, Hutchinson of Australia, Richmond South, Victoria, 1977, v.1 ch.1, p.3 - first page of text in the book [12] Post-World War One territorial losses of Germany: * Alsace-Lorraine (French from the beginning of 18th century to 1871, but with a majority German population) back to France (area 14,522 km², 1,815,000 inhabitants (1905)), * Northern Schleswig including the German-dominated town of Tønder in Schleswig-Holstein, after the Schleswig Plebiscite, to Denmark (3,228 km² or 3,938km²), * most of Greater Poland ("Provinz Posen") and Eastern Pomerania (West Prussia) that Prussia had conquered in Partitions of Poland was given back to the reborn Polish state after Great Poland Uprising (area 53,800 km² 4,224,000 inhabitants (1931) including 510 km² and 26,000 inhabitants from Upper niger), * Hulczyn area of Upper Silesia to Czechoslovakia (316 or 333 km² and 49,000 people), * East part of Upper Silesia, after plebiscite, to Poland (area 3,214 km² 965,000 people) * the area of German cities Eupen and Malmedy to Belgium * the area of Soldau in East Prussia (railway station on the Warsaw-Gdansk route) to Poland (area 492 km²), * Northern part of East Prussia as Memelland under control of France, later transferred to Lithuania, * plebiscite in Eastern part of West Prussia and in Southern part of East Prussia Warmia and Masuria, few villages to Poland, * the province Saarland under the control of the League of Nations for 15 years, after that a plebiscite between France and Germany, * the city of Danzig (now Gdan'sk, Poland) with the delta of Vistula river at the Baltic Sea was made the Freie Stadt Danzig (Free City of Danzig) under the League of Nations and partial Polish authority (area 1893 km², 408,000 inhabitants 1929). http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Treaty_of_Versailles [13] Adolf Hitler, Mein Kampf, Hutchinson of Australia, Richmond South, Victoria, 1977, v.1 ch.4, p.128-129 [14] Adolf Hitler, Mein Kampf, Hutchinson of Australia, Richmond South, Victoria, 1977, v.2 ch.14, p.590 [15] Adolf Hitler, Mein Kampf, Hutchinson of Australia, Richmond South, Victoria, 1977, v.2 ch.14, p.597 [16] Adolf Hitler, Mein Kampf, Hutchinson of Australia, Richmond South, Victoria, 1977, v.2 ch.14, p.597-598 [17] Louis L. Synder (editor), Fifty Major Documents of the Twentieth Century, D. Van Nostrand, Princeton, New Jersey, c1955, p.55. Note: Synder's book differs slightly in its translation: "We demand land and territory (colonies) for the nourishment of our people, and for settling our surplus population." "Modern History Sourcebook: The 25 Points 1920: An Early Nazi Program", http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/mod/25points.html [18] Note: The First Reich (962-1806) was the medieval Holy Roman Empire, which had come to be based in the lands of Germany; the Second Reich (1871-1918) was the Empire established by Otto Von Bismark after Prussia's defeat of France William L. Shirer, The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich: A History of Nazi Germany, Secker and Warburg, London, 1963, ch.4, p.90-91 [19] Adolf Hitler, Mein Kampf, Hutchinson of Australia, Richmond South, Victoria, 1977, v.2 ch.4, p.408-410 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fuhrerprincip [20] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gregor_Strasser http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Otto_Strasser see: Anthony Sutton, Wall Street and the Rise of Hitler, Bloomfield Books, Sudbury, Suffolk, England, 1976 [21] http://www.rosenoire.org/articles/hist13.php [22] Ingo Hasselbach and Tom Reiss, Führer-Ex: Memoirs of a Former neo-Nazi, Random House, New York, c1996, ch.11, p.131 [23] "Blood in the Face" (film), produced/directed by Anne Bohlen, Kevin Rafferty, and James Ridgeway, 1991 (interviewers: James Ridgeway, Anne Bohlen, Kevin Rafferty and Michael Moore)] see: http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9D0CE3DC1531F934A15751C0A967958260 [24] See the website of the Japanese Nazis at http://nsjap.net [25] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frank_Collin http://judicial-inc.biz/frank_collins.htm http://judicial-inc.biz/fraank_collins_supplement.htm#Marquette%20Park%20Film http://judicial-inc.biz/Klassen.htm http://www.skokie.lib.il.us/s_community/cm_history/attempted_march/ |
