Comments on: Labour always hated the Nazis

By: Maggie

Maggie — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 00:02:49 +0000

Some people here need a history lesson.

The Nazi Party arose by taking over a tiny left-wing group, the German Workers Party in the early 1920s. The GWP was formed by a locksmith named Anton Drexler. Hitler suggested bringing the word “socialist” into the party’s title because he believed it would attract the support of the working class. The Encyclopedia Brittanica describes the move as “a demagogic gambit”.

Hitler soon came to recognise that to obtain power he would need the support of the Army and the business elite and rapidly abandoned any socialist policies. Upon taking power he banned independent trade unions and replaced them with patsy state-run organisations.

When Hitler forced the Enabling Act through the Reichstag after the Parliamentary building was destroyed by fire (blamed on the Communists but almost certainly done by the Nazis) the only Party in Parliament to oppose giving him total power was the Socialist Party. Many of the socialist deputies paid for this action with their lives.

Hitler initially gained the Chancellorship as head of a coalition government (the Nazis were the most popular party in the Reichstag, but never gained enough seats to govern on their own). His coalition partners were right-wing parties who saw him as a bulwark against Communism and believed they could control him.

By: Zetetic

Zetetic — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 11:00:07 +0000

I may play it tough but hopefully I can admit when I get it wrong

By: Lew

Lew — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 10:41:43 +0000

Cheers Z. He’s an equal-opportunity hater. You should see ‘im over at the bog. Like robinsod on P, but without the turn of phrase … or the coherent ideology.

By: Zetetic

Zetetic — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 10:35:29 +0000

burt. who fought the Nazis in the streets in the 1920s? the unions. first thing hitler banned – unions

Don’t assume just because they took the word that they took the ideology.

captcha: assumptions

By: Zetetic

Zetetic — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 10:33:02 +0000

Take back my snide remark to you from the morning Lew. This MNIJ is a dick. Just saw the stuff he wrote we had to delete.

By: Lew

Lew — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 10:28:45 +0000

See now, MNIJ, it would have been much classier if you’d taken faux umbrage at my suggestion that you be chained back up (over at the bog, where you couldn’t crap all over the internets) as proof-positive that I was a jack-booted Nazi … but, oh well. Can’t have everything.

By: MynameisJack

MynameisJack — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 10:24:44 +0000

Take a chill pill Lew.You poor frightened wee pet!

By: Lew

Lew — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 10:17:47 +0000

I find it more frightening that some people are so lacking in perspective that they can conflate the two.

By: Pascal's bookie

Pascal's bookie — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 08:29:30 +0000

"Self evident to those who choose to do the work "

By: Brian Barry

Brian Barry — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 07:56:30 +0000

Garden Gnome, it is a self evident link. Self evident to those who choose to do the work.

By: burt

burt — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 07:11:54 +0000

Yes of course roger, the National Socialist party was completely against the unions from the start.

By: roger nome

roger nome — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 03:25:28 +0000

BB – your post is senseless. You haven’t even bothered to make an argument.

By: Brian Barry

Brian Barry — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 03:07:05 +0000

It is deeply chilling that some people Do NOT see the potential link between NZ Labour (and more so Greens) and Nazism.

By: From the archives at The Standard

From the archives at The Standard — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 00:17:19 +0000

[...] a cartoon from The Standard (v1.0) sent in by Anita in reference to the post on Labour and Nazis below. [...]

By: roger nome

roger nome — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 00:04:28 +0000

DPF knows better – he has read Chris Trotter’s “No left Turn”, and knows that the National government was lead by a proto-fascist in the 30s, who was militantly anti-union (just as the Nazis were.

The Labour Party at the time, was basically the “union party”. The Nazis were notorious for their smashing of the Labour movement in Germany. How a sane person could try to twist history to argue that Labour was pro-Nazi beggars belief.