1941-06-28 — Page 4

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IS

June 28, 1941.

HITLER A SOCIALIST?

By W. J. BROWN

General Secretary of the Civil Service Clerical Association

answer. Whichever is right, and whichever is wrong, theso two con ceptions are opposite poles of thought.

What Hitler wants, and what he ta imposing in Germany, is the old hierarchial order of society, less all those checks and balances, all those safeguards against injustice and oppression, which democratic poll- ical rights and labour rights of or ganisation provide in countries like our own. And, in addition to this destruction of all safeguards against base of his hierarchy to the cor- injustice, Hitler has reverted at the ception of chattel slavery con

what it means, but meantime, as regards Hitler's speeches, this is the short answer. Hitler, in

which the thought of man his speeches, will adopt any left behind centuries ago. attitude, make any promise, ox Socialism is not only an economie But we must go a bit further. involving certain speint in-

ploit any line, which ho thinks theory British socialism, at any

will serve his purpose best.

ism.

Own

this

alone the individual human spickt

the

Now, having looked at the four rate, has always possessed a strong elements with which I began, let me moral and ethical content. In the The other day I had a note factories, which menut that no go on to consider what Socialisin is,

of socialist thought from Owen and Jacob Holyoake, from a younger sister of mine, body-trade union branch com- and wint it implies, and then to

compare "It' in which she said, "Bill, why mittee, shop steward, or anyone and what he does. Please

with what Hitler pays, through Kingsley and William Morris,

understand to

to Edward Carpenter and Keir don't you broadcast on the iden else-possessed any power to at the beginning that I am not here Hardle, you will

And tremendous that Hitler is some sort of So- prevent, or mitigate injustices concerned with the merits of so- insistence lald on the fact that they clalist, which strikes me as the inflicted upon the workmen. cialism

advantages of capitalism, the wanted socialism, not for its most ridiculous iden I have Ah! but you say, "Has not over private

common ownership anke, or merely because they argued heard in a month of Sunday's?" Hialer, since he assumed power, versa, or anything of the

and vice that it was a more efficient order of of that kind, I society than capitallam, but because, I myself have heard people placed restrictions on German am concerned only to discuss what rightly or wrongly, they regarded express this view, and so I want capitalism? Has he not com- socialism is, and what it implies, and kind of social organisation as pro- to examine the foundations of pelled German capitalists to do to compare it with Hitler and Hitler-viding the conditions under which the idea, and to see how much all sorts of things they did not What la socialism? It is a form could attain to what St Paul describes truth if any, there is in it. The want to do? And, to this ex- of society in which the land, the as "the fullness of the measure of idea rests, I think, upon four tent, is he not, if not socialist, factories, the railways, the mines, and stature of men. They wanted su-

the mean of life generally, are main things. The first is Hit- at least anti-capitalist ?"

clalism, not merely to abolish slum:, publicly, instead of privately, own to secure better working conditions, ler's proletarian origin. Tho Well, I will tell you in a sen- ed, and in which the motive power of life: they wanted it in order that and to solve the economic problem second is the revolutionary tence or two what Hitler's anti- people with what they need, and not men could be

behind production is to supply the character of the Nazi Movement capitalism amounts to. Hitler to make pront

free; in order that in Germany. The third is that, came from the army. He began dividuals.

they could be true and brave and In kindly; and overa kingly. Socialist or not, Hitler is said his adult civilian life in Munich Now, how far is Hitler a Socialist to have "disciplined" German as an

in the sense of belleving in this Itind army spy. To secure of capitalism. And the fourth is

economic organisation? Does two Hitler want to the character of some of Hitler's power, he had to serve

substitute public masters-the army

You get the spirit of the thing in recent speeches, in which he has capitalists. It was

and the ownership for private enterprise? that magnificent hymn of Whittier's: a political duction for

Does he want to substitute attacked the "plutocracy" and necessity to him to make these phrase goes-in place of "production

These things shall be—a lofiler 180"B the socialist

Tuce the "capitalists" of Britain. two masters one. He did so by for profit"? Plainly not. For, if so, Now, there is no doubt that achieving a greater co-ordination he would have done this in Germany, Hitler was born, if not of the between German capitalism and where his power is complete. Has he proletariat, at least not in the army than anyone had steel magrates, the armament con- expropriated the coal owners, the wealthy circumstances. But secured before.

then, neither was Charles Peace,

who was certainly not distinc- Pact With Army

for private

tractors? Not at all Has he ex- propriated the land owners? On the contrary, he has provided them with tively Socialist either in feeling ·

a vast reservoir of underpaid labour in the shape of Polish prisoners of or in activity! The truth, of To the army, he said, in effect, war, and the labour

corps.

Has he course, is that a man's class, and "Give me power, and I will so even strengthered the position of the the circumstances in which he order and control German workman ng against the employer? was born, have no necessary re- capitalism as to give the army every institution which the

On the contrary, he has demo lation to his political faith. the guns, the tanks, the planes, workmen had built their

up for

pro- Marx, for example, was a mid- the equipment that it wants". tection the Trade Unions, the Social dle-class man, Engels was a To the capitalists he said,

"Do

Democratic Party, and the Co-opera- well-to-do manufacturer. Lenin what I tell you, and I will make troying capitalism or hindering it, he tive Movement. So far from des- came from a family of miner German capitalism stronger has landed the German working nobles. Prince Kropotkin, the than ever, for I will, with the class, body and soul, over to the famous anarchist, was of the army's aid, give it the whole of

German capitalists.. aristocracy. We may, there- Europe, and maybe the whole fore, dismiss this point.

world, to exploit". German capitalism carried out its part of

But socialism is not only an the bargain, at first secretly, reonomic theory. The theory carries then openly, by re-equipping the with it certal social implications, In the Marxian conception of things.

Against What?

Implications

Flame Of Freedom

Than c'er the world hath known

fall rise,

With flame of freedom in their

soula

And light of knowledge in their

eyes.

They shall be gentle, brave, and

strong,

To spill no drop of blood, but

dare

All that may plant man's Lo18-

ship firm, On earth and sky and sea and

atr.

Nation with nation, hand

hand, Unarmed shall five as comradçı

th

free,

In every heat and vein shall

throb

The pulse of one fraternity.

Now compare the high and noble aspirations of this hymn with the song which is instilica into German youth to-day:

We do not care if to-morrow alt

the world lies in ruins,

For to-morrow all the world will

be ours.

As regards the second point, armed forces of Germany on the character of the State Itself Life Of Responsibility there is no doubt that Nazism, scale never before scen. The would, with the Introduction of so-

and

for

In its rise to power, did present army is now carrying out its cialism, undergo a profound modi- certain features. But what we part of the bargain, by putting cation: In Murxian language--"The Whether the socialist creed . be need to ask ourselves is: Against at the disposal of German State would cease to be an instru- economically sound or not, the so- what was it revolutionary? It capitalism the resources of Ger-

ment for the Government of then and spacious freedoms, a world in clalist spirit looks to a world of vast was a revolt against the Weimar man occupied Europe.

would, Instead, become an in-

the administration of which the struggle for material Republic. It was revolutionary Now look at the fourth point

Its ultimate upshot would existence has given place to battle against the Social, Democratic the use by Hitler of an anti- be the creation of what Marx and on on entirely different plane, the Governments of various German capitalist vocabulary when he Lenin called "The Classless State".

plane of mind and spirit. It Coil- States. That is to say, so far makes speeches about Britain. State? Let me repeat the definition

Now, does Hitler want a Classless (elves as the end and object of so-

elety, the as it was revolutionary at all, it To listen to him, you would of the social order which he pro- of the spirit and the capacities of full conscious development was a revolution not of Socialism imagine that his heart bleeds there will be the sys) nter "responsibility

man. It looks forward to a life of but of Reaction.

for the unemployed and the renklasse, an historical class temper Hitler's conception is of a world in

freedom" Now let us look at the third poor. You would imagine that ed by battle, and welded from the which there is no freedom, a world point-the relation between he desires nothing more than to most varied elements. There will a which the individual is harnessed Hitler and German capitalism, confer upon us the blessings of be a great hierarchy of party mem- to the State, a world in which the In fact, Hitler was never the what he says are the "more ad- They will be the new middle-State-itself-conceives its main pur enemy of German capitalism. vanced social arrangements" in mass of the anonymous, the serving

class. And there will be, the great pose to be that of perpetual var.

1 Hitter a socialist?

A He came to power on capitalist Germany. It is true that there collecting, the eternally disfranchised gather grapes from thorns, and ge money, and with capitalist back- are other elements in his

But beneath them there till from thistles? When they do, Hiller ing. Why did the German speeches, harsh and minatory sill be the class of subject alten will be a socialist; but not till then. capitalists back Hitler? They elements. He threatens that he races. We need not hesitate to call No! Hitler is not a socialist. Ho is backed him because they needed will do all sorts of dreadful

them the modern slave class.

That's Hitler.

Chattel Slavery

Is

Do men

cot even primarily a

arly a capitalist. He s just plain, unadulterated thug, with ebout as much political morals as an ndder. And with an adder there is only one thing to do, and it is

is the same whether you are a Socialist, a Now what is there in common be- Conservative, or a Liberal. It is to tween the sort of society which Hitler put your heel on its head and crush

State, which is the ultimate objective fed from it. And that, under Pro-

》 WORKERS OF THE WORLD |

a Party which could use the things to us if we do not like vocabulary of the Left, while the benefits he apparently serving the purposes of the wishes to confer upon us. In Right. If you look at the title short, his attitude appears to be. of Hitler's Party, you will see "Love me, or I'll sock you!" the basis upon which it was Now, in a moment, I shall postulates here, and the Classless it until the last remnants of Ike have built up. It was called-"The examine what Socialism is and of socialism? There can only be one vidence, is what we will do to Nazism. National Socialist German Workers' Party". The word "National" was menrit to appeal to all those who felt first and foremost as Germans, who re sented the humiliations of de feat, and the terms of the Treaty of Versailles. The word "So- cialist" was meant to appeal to that large mass of thought in Germany to. which the word. "Socialist" was a thing to conjure with. The word "German" was meant to appeal to believers in racial purity And the word "Workers" was meant to convey to those who think only in terms of labels, and not of reality, that somehow the Party was on the workmen's side, and not on the side of the capitalists. You will seo that the net was flung very wide indeed.

Capitalist Backing

But this is the important point-it was the capitalists, the great steel combines, the great armament manufacturers, and the like, who provided the mil- lions of pounds which the Party spent on its road to power. And, when the Party secured power, it fulfilled its bargain with its financial backers. It destroyed Democracy, it burnt the Reich- stag, it broke up the Trade Unfone. It confiscated their pro- perty and funds, it imprisoned and murdered their leaders, and It restored what it called the principle of "leadership" in the

NICK

FOLLOW ME. YOU HAVE NOTHING TO GAIN BUT THESE CHAINS

NEW ECONOMIC ORDER

"NIN

ADOLF MARX