Saturday, June 15, 2024

Differences between Soviet (Left) and Nazi (Right) Socialism

Both Nazis and Soviets called themselves socialists. Despite that they hated each other with great passion. What is the difference between these two types of socialism. The difference is well summarized in the picture above.


Unlike modern leftists that are often anti-globalist. Soviet Socialism was international in its character. Communists believed in a global communist revolution as well as communist world government. Terms and symbols of early USSR clearly highlight that. Communist International, Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, song International as an anthem, "workers of all countries, unite" as motto and the Soviet emblem places sickle and hammer over the globe all suggest that creators of the USSR saw their state and a future global federation of the communist countries to which other countries will ascend at a later date. 

Communists believed that all working people have a lot in common and should all live together as one people. They also believed that borders, nations and countries are things to be outlived. Communist International trained communist revolutionaries from all over the world to organize communist revolution in their countries and join the Socialist world.

Even after communist revolution was contained to former Russian empire and Stalin formally dissolved the Communist International, communists have not ceased their international efforts. Clandestine Comintern continued just as before. USSR sponsored communist revolutions all over the globe, even in places like Cuba. Eventually these efforts ended up dividing the world into the communist sphere of influence vs everyone else, whom Americans later dubbed Free World.

Even at the very end of USSR existence, when nationalists wanted to secede from USSR, those who oppose separatism typically called them Interfront, implying perception of the USSR as an international federation of people rather than nation state. Soviet nationalism always called itself internationalism. 

Because of all that in modern Russian world nationalism is associated with either nazis or separatism. Because of that Russian nationalists do not call themselves such and instead use term patriot that in Russian context often mean something much more radical than nationalist in the West, much less a patriot. 


In contrast to that National Socialism was clearly limited in scope to Germany and German people with exclusion of all others. They did not wish to treat everyone equally and clearly divided the world into us vs them. To NatSoc loyalty to one's nation, people and flag was paramount. Us first principle.

Nazis saw communist and other leftists as traitors to their people, who take orders from Moscow and do not believe in loyalty to their country or people.

In that assessment they were correct. Communists indeed had no loyalty to any one country, state or nation. Communist ethos believed that all working people are same irrespectively or nation or race. Because of that communists believed that one should not prioritize one nation over others and nations and borders are artificial social constructs.

This strictly one nation vs universal globalism was the key difference between otherwise broadly similar ideologies. Both sides viewed the other as abominable and opposed them vigorously.


Both sides were heavily militarized too. However, Nazis preferred to give each ethnicity or nation its own military units and commanders, while communists instead mixed all ethnicities together as their ideology saw no difference between them. 

As an extension to that logic Nazis would end up preserving identities of various people they took into their associates. In contrast communists would aim to erase all the difference between ethnicities and create one common soviet man, an identity and culture they wished to impose on everyone.


These differences are what produced mutual hatred between Commies and Nazis. It was a cultural and identity war between economically socialist ideologies.

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