If you have had the misfortune of engaging me in conversation concerning the English History GCSE/A level syllabus you will know that my most frequent gripe is that we have Hitler and the rise of Nazi power in post-war Germany rammed down our throats for nearly 4-5 years.
"Not more Hitler!" I would exclaim as the books were distributed at the beginning of each term, thoroughly unenthusiastic about the prospect of learning the same lesson again.
However I take it all back. That's right all of it. All my griping and moaning as the Beer Hall Putsch and the night of the Long Knives were told to me again and again throughout my student life.
Why the change of heart? Well very simply because I've learned what the future might have been if I hadn't sat through those lessons. In a forum debate on some issue (where I conceded a point concerning a quote I didn't think President Bush would have the audacity to issue but in fact did) I took issue with my distaste for the over-use (particularly where employment of the phrase is hardly qualified) of the term 'Nazi'. Here is the effective conversation with the posts concerning other topics blanked.
Myself:
whilst I retain a definite distaste for the suppression of freedom in any form and find the whole matter discussed here utterly abhorrent I balk at the suggestion that the US Government is "no better than Al Qaeda".For whilst it remains a trait of the left leaning populous, to who's ideals I subscribe that we often project a far greater evil upon our own organs of authority than might be necessary the thought of comparing what remains a legitimate governing body with a terrorist organization is intellectually unpalatable.
It is no different from the practice of ascribing the term "Nazi" to any arbitrary exercise of power.
Them:
Interesting Trivia! The term Nazi, comes from a shortening on National Sozialist... Meaning one who seeks after Socialism and a profound loyalty to the Nation. So once could argue that you could label most americans as Napis... National Capitalists... Or perhaps Napus... National Republicans, meaning those who support the ideals of a republic, not referring to the political party... Interesting that being a Nazi is in no way evil, or at least it wasn't before SOMEONE gave it a bad name...
Myself:
Whilst your entomological analysis of Nazism is accurate it fails to take into account that National Socialism was a farcical name for a political organization which represented no socialist ideals. To state that the Nazi party was anything more than Fascism at its most elemental, is fallacious. Anyone who believes that the party had any Socialist ties is duped in much the same way a large number of Germans were.The reason I object to people referring to organizations or bodies as 'Nazis' is because they clearly aren't stating that they pursue Nationalistic aims with Socialist underpinnings (indeed it is firmly established that to do so would be inaccurate for the reasons above). In order for such an interpretation to be made the person would have to say "they are national socialists". They use the abbreviated term 'Nazi' as a standalone synonym for oppression, absolute rule and prejudice.
Being a 'National Socialist' certainly isn't indicative of anything other than political ineptitude. Being a Nazi is something quite different for it is impossible to extract from Nazi ideals, a political foundation built upon anything more or less than hatred for the Jews, the November Criminals and the Communists who's forms congealed into an ideological whole, galvanized by fear and became a monolithic representation of the suffering of Post-War Germany.
Them:
All quite true, but I did actually address that... In the statement "Interesting that being a Nazi is in no way evil, or at least it wasn't before SOMEONE gave it a bad name..." Not nearly as thoroughly as you stated it, but still roughly the same thing... The someone I referred to was Hitler, or more generally the Nazi party of Germany.
Myself:
Actually the party which Hitler joined was called the "german Worker's Party" the term 'nazi' never even existed until Hitler sought to change the name with the consent of the rest of the GWP's 'ruling council' to the NSDAP, abbreviated to 'Nazi'.There never was, at any point in time, a 'Nazi' before Hitler effected control of the GWP. The term simply didn't exist in common vernacular.
Being a 'national socialist' is in no way evil (just a bit contradictory given nationalism's synonimity with extreme right politics) , being a 'Nazi' is.
To re-iterate, No one gave 'nazi' a bad name because it did not [i]exist[/i] prior to the establishment of the fully fledged Nazi Party, circa April 1920. There was never a time at which the term was not inextricable from Hitler himself because in the short period of time before Hitler's command of the party was not absolute the party was not known as the Nazi Party.Concerning the Bush quote. I am appalled that he offered that view as a Catholic myself and as such my initial reaction of disbelief is suspended. That was the most indescribable display of bigotry it has ever been my misfortune to witness (short of the elevator ride when I was told that my fellow rider would find it unconscionable to send his children to a school where children of Indian ethnicity were taught).
This shouldn't be mistaken as an assault upon the mental capacity of my opponent, for she is to my knowledge an extremely intelligent and capable thinker. This is an assault upon the disgraceful priority of tuition that Hitler's Rise to Power evidently received in her education. Her own good will and decency lead her to give Nazism the benefit of the doubt as a defensible political stance, I suppose it is as much an indication of the trust put in America's future that it will never descend to such a level of political manipulation and menace that the full history of Germany's descent into hatred and malice is not recounted to students.
Later
John
Posted by John Swaine at November 24, 2003 12:18 AM | TrackBack