When I speak to young college students, it still fascinates me to see the idealism in their faces. Their voices speak of a better world, a more just world, a peaceful one where the average citizen is content and prosperous and healthy. When I speak to these young students, it also surprises me to learn that a great majority believe in a socialist utopia, a government that takes care of its people and maintains civil order.
Some speak of eliminating the money-grabbing right-wing Nazis who are infiltrating society. “All they care about is themselves, they want to continue to enjoy their lily-white country by eliminating all people of color who threaten their privileged positions.” Playing my part as a member of the unenlightened older generation, I ask, “How should our country do that?”
Invariably, the majority of these idealists respond with the pat mantra of American academia, “We should elect more enlightened politicians who can implement a socialist system.”
“Whoa,” I object. “You’re confusing me. When you mentioned the Nazi mentality, I thought you opposed it. Now, you’re suggesting that this nation should implement socialist policies. Did I hear you wrong?”
“What do you mean,” they argue. “Don’t you know that our right-wingers are the ones that have been implementing policies that seek to ruin our society? Nazis were right-wing fanatics and sought to eliminate anyone who was not blond and blue-eyed?”
“From my understanding of history, yes,” I say, “Nazis wanted to protect the Aryan race. They were responsible for the Holocaust. They were right-wing fanatics, but let’s be clear, they were also socialists.”
At this point, most of my young friends stop, pause and with wide-eyed opposition deny that those German criminals could be labeled as socialists. The ones that do not dismiss me at this point, ask in a superior tone, “And where did you learn that?”
I patiently explain that when the Nazi party came to power in pre-war Germany, they implemented socialist policies. Immediately, these unbelieving students run to their smartphones to prove me wrong.
I keep on talking. “The Nazi Party’s official name was the National Socialist German Workers’ Party.”
“That’s gotta be wrong,” they protest. Others exclaim, “That must mean that the new socialism is more enlightened, more humane, and, certainly, less interested in the accumulation of wealth.”
I often smile, asking them to also verify important policies the Nazis implemented when they came to power in 1933. “First,” I tell them, “since you can easily ‘google’ this fact, the Nazis abolished private property… all in the name of the public’s welfare. Secondly, the Nazis created production controls in agriculture in order to fix prices of commodities, such as milk, eggs, potatoes, fuel. By 1939, meat and egg rationing were imposed to keep industry focused on producing grain production to feed a large army. In preparation for the war, the Nazis started confiscating metal from citizens, even going door to door searching for scrap metal and keys.”
“I thought the American politicians who are responsible for these recent efforts were doing it for our benefit,” they say. “Are you telling me the Nazis also implemented these policies?”
“Yep. Not only that, but they also issued quotas for farmlands and reorganized industries into corporations run by members of the Nazi Party.”
In their innocence, some students will retort, “Well, modern socialist policies are intended to eliminate powerful fat cats and industrialists who abuse their wealth and power. They are intended to return the power to the people.”
Chuckling, I nod my head in agreement and say, “Very, very true. That’s exactly what the Nazis promised; however, when the remaining corporations refused to cooperate with the Nazi government, the businesses were seized. How many of our largest corporations have refused to go along with our ‘new, more enlightened policies’?”
“Not many,” they agree.
“And they probably won’t. When socialists take control of the government, they take control of the economy, which is the primary goal of socialism.” Our economy is beginning to have greater similarities with the Nazi economy. History should teach us where these policies lead.
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