What’s the Difference Between National and Democratic Socialism?
[dropcap size=big]W[/dropcap]ith the arrival of election season, there has been a lot of talk about what the government’s role in the economy should be. The Republicans believe the United States is the world’s policeman, maintaining order in foreign countries and regulating unhealthy habits of it’s citizens. The Democrats believe that the US Government should take a more nanny-state role, caring for the basic needs of citizens and monitoring their interpersonal transactions. The reaction of the right is understandable; the left wants a more socialistic economy that has proven to be ineffective, even harmful, to the people it claims to help.
To the left, such allegations are an over-reaction. Socialism comes in many different shapes and sizes. There is Leninism, Stalinism, Maoism, National Socialism, Democratic Socialism, Anarcho-Communism, and so on. However, there is evidence all of these have been disasters each time they’ve been tried. They’re all based off the teachings of Karl Marx, so it’s reasonable to assume there are similarities to these ideologies.
Other sites have attempted to map these similarities and differences, but none have successfully identified those between two of the most discussed. After using the National Socialist websites Justice 4 Germans and White Honor, as well as the Democratic Socialist website Democratic Socialists of America, you can see there are a striking number of similarities between National and Democratic Socialism. But after comparing the two, you begin to wonder if fighting the second World War was to stop the advance of National, or Democratic Socialism.
1. Both believe National and Societal interests replace market theories of supply and demand.
The Nazis believed that the state should not completely rule the economy, but should be a watchdog for compliance and national cooperation. They wanted the government to make sure that each company was running to better the country and not to make profit or personal gain. Any company that did not advance the agenda of the Third Reich or did not contribute to the community as a whole was not allowed to exist.
To quote from Justice 4 Germans:
“It required that people of all classes work together for their common and mutual benefit and interests. The role of the government was merely to facilitate this self-sustaining environment for all members of the nation in which all could live well and prosper, with demand and supply aimed primarily focused on the domestic market, on national, regional and local needs, while producing and consuming what was necessary at home.”
In comparison, Democratic Socialists also believe that the state should not maintain a monopoly on the marketplace, but rather facilitate a prosperous economic situation that benefits all members of society. They want corporations to be more democratically controlled by society as a whole, and distrust too much centralization in the hands of the any group. An excerpt from Democratic Socialists of America reads:
“Democratic socialists do not want to create an all-powerful government bureaucracy. But we do not want big corporate bureaucracies to control our society either. Rather, we believe that social and economic decisions should be made by those whom they most affect.”
2. Both criticize Communism, but require authoritarianism to impose their system upon the economy.
Hitler had a well known disdain for communists. When he blamed the communists for burning down the capital building, his party gained power and influence from a distraught voter base. Additionally, modern National Socialists distrust Communism and find it counter-productive. From Justice 4 Germans:
“National Socialism stood in stark contrast to Marxist-Socialism or Bolshevism which is based upon ‘class warfare’ and the destruction of individualism and social classes, making all equally poor, and subject to a supreme state authority, resulting in the lowest common denominator, without natural inherent rights, and only privileges at best, with the promise of benefits that are usually not forthcoming, or which are unsustainable, and not conducive to creating incentive. “
Democratic Socialists agree that Communist regimes were totalitarian, and did not spread the message of socialism correctly. They believe socialism should not benefit the state, but members of society. From Democratic Socialists of America:
“Socialists have been among the harshest critics of authoritarian Communist states. Just because their bureaucratic elites called them ‘socialist’ did not make it so; they also called their regimes ‘democratic.’ Democratic socialists always opposed the ruling party-states of those societies, just as we oppose the ruling classes of capitalist societies. We applaud the democratic revolutions that have transformed the former Communist bloc. However, the improvement of people’s lives requires real democracy without ethnic rivalries and/or new forms of authoritarianism. Democratic socialists will continue to play a key role in that struggle throughout the world.”
If both of these systems agree that Communism did not foster a cooperative socialist environment through totalitarianism, how would one be created? Both offer criticisms of Communism but neither offer how to achieve a socialist system fairly. As the great Hayek said:
“A claim for equality of material position can be met only by a government with totalitarian powers.”
3. Both distrust Capitalism and free enterprise.
At the core of both of these philosophies is a hatred of entrepreneurship and a disdain for individualism. Despite the left portraying Hitler as a right winger, Hitler was no fan of right wing economics.
“We are socialists, we are enemies of today’s capitalistic economic system for the exploitation of the economically weak, with its unfair salaries, with its unseemly evaluation of a human being according to wealth and property instead of responsibility and performance, and we are all determined to destroy this system under all conditions.” -Adolf Hitler, Quoted in John Toland, “Adolf Hitler”, p224.
That doesn’t exactly sound like the kind of guy to read Rothbard.
Democratic Socialists also dislike capitalism. In fact, Socialist presidential candidate Bernie Sanders is one of the first candidates to openly say he isn’t a Capitalist, during a debate no less.
“Do I consider myself part of the casino capitalist process by which so few have so much and so many have so little? By which Wall Street greed and recklessness wrecked this economy? No I don’t.” -Bernie Sanders during the first Democratic Presidential Debate
Again, probably not a Rothbard fan.
4. Both believe in a robust welfare state.
People are usually surprised to learn that Hitler deeply cared for his people’s welfare. It’s easy to imagine a Social Darwinist like Hitler not at all concerned for the health or education of those less fortunate. The reality is that National Socialists believe that tax dollars should be spent on the citizens themselves, not wars in other countries. White Honor writes:
“It supports the welfare of all Aryan citizens, and generous provision for old age. It supports quality education, and direct paths for youths towards a skilled trade or higher education regardless of the family’s income…
And finally, National Socialism believes that the State exists to serve the people and not the other way around like capitalism. Your tax dollars get spent on YOU, and not endless wars for greed, not corporate interests, not bailouts for wealthy bankers etc.”
Of course, it’s not any secret that Democratic Socialists believe in the welfare of the citizenry. Once again, from Democratic Socialists of America:
“Many northern European countries enjoy tremendous prosperity and relative economic equality thanks to the policies pursued by social democratic parties. These nations used their relative wealth to insure a high standard of living for their citizens—high wages, health care and subsidized education. “
5. Both movements champion the working class.
A lot of people aren’t aware that the Nazi party literally translates from “National Socialist German Worker’s Party”. Hitler did not rise to power by only pandering to the rich and the elites; he needed populist support. Hitler’s speeches drew crowds full of poor, desperate families and he captured the voice of the common man. National Socialists believe that the working class are the life blood of any given nation. From White Honor:
“It’s almost unbelievable that people will believe whatever they are taught even when it is in direct opposition to the truth of the matter. Adolf Hitler was elected because he spoke on the needs of the common German and provided answers to the numerous problems that the Germans were facing at the time.”
Of course, Bernie can’t go 5 minutes in any of his speeches without saying “working families”. But, to speak from the horse’s mouth, Democratic Socialists of America has this to say about the working class:
“Social ownership could take many forms, such as worker-owned cooperatives or publicly owned enterprises managed by workers and consumer representatives. Democratic socialists favor as much decentralization as possible. While the large concentrations of capital in industries such as energy and steel may necessitate some form of state ownership, many consumer-goods industries might be best run as cooperatives.”
6. National Socialism may be Anti-Semitic, but Democratic Socialism is not.
Hitler was a nationalist. He saw the poor condition of Germany after World War 1 and wanted to help bring Germany back up. He didn’t have tolerance for those he viewed as a drag on the economy, mainly the Jews. Hitler has numerous quotes on why he despised the Jews, this is perhaps his most famous:
“…the personification of the devil as the symbol of all evil assumes the living shape of the Jew.” ~ Adolf Hitler, Mein Kampf
In contrast, Democratic Socialists do not hold antisemitism at the core of their ideology. In fact, Democratic Socialist presidential candidate Bernie Sanders is a descendant of Polish Jewish parents. Intolerance toward Jews was not any belief held by Democratic Socialists. Nationalism as a whole has earned mistrust in Western Nations due to it’s racial connotations. Most people view anything other than mild Patriotism to be a negative thing, and are hesitant to say, “Our country is better than yours.”
7. Democratic Socialism is more of a global movement than National Socialism.
Hitler believed in a “Germany first” approach to foreign policy. The fatherland was second to none in devotion and loyalty. National Socialists believe their primary goal is to make National Socialism successful at home first and all other countries are secondary targets. The site Justice 4 Germans writes:
“From the perspective of the National Socialists, ‘nationalism’ meant an appreciation for and a duty to, preserve the nation or Volksgemeinschaft, in all respects, visa vis the ‘folkish’ interests of other nations, as well as, from international interests… National Socialism, therefore, fought AGAINST ‘internationalism’ which destroys nations through rootless and ever changing cosmopolitanism.”
Democratic Socialists take a more international approach. They believe Socialism is a necessary institution to be spread wherever possible. They believe all people’s should adhere to the doctrines of the ideology and be subject to it’s benefits. Democratic Socialists of America says:
“Now, more than ever, socialism is an international movement. As socialists have always known, the welfare of working people in Finland or California depends largely on standards in Italy or Indonesia. As a result, we must work towards reforms that can withstand the power of multinationals and global banks, and we must fight for a world order that is not controlled by bankers and bosses”
This is not to be confused with the Soviet brand of Communism, which believed in a global conquest in the name of Communism. The Soviets did not care for the Democratic process as the Democratic Socialists did. The Soviets wanted a strong leader to emerge from the carnage of war to lead their people to Communism.
8. Democratic Socialism demands tolerance for different lifestyles.
Hitler was notorious for his disdain for gays, people of color, and even other Europeans. Aryan superiority was a core tenant of the Third Reich, and any other lifestyle was not tolerated. Hitler was a social conservative in many ways, and believed in what White Honor describes as “high morals and decency.” Here is a quote from Hitler on traditional values:
“The fight against syphilis demands a fight against prostitution, against prejudices, old habits, against previous conceptions, general views among them not least the false prudery of certain circles. The first prerequisite for even the moral right to combat these things is the facilitation of earlier marriage for the coming generation. In late marriage alone lies the compulsion to retain an institution which, twist and turn as you like, is and remains a disgrace to humanity, an institution which is damned ill-suited to a being who with his usual modesty likes to regard himself as the ‘image’ of God.” ~ Adolf Hitler, Mein Kampf, Vol. 1 Chapter 10
Democratic Socialists are far more tolerant and accepting of liberal western values. They are fine with any sexuality or identity one chooses for themselves, even to a point of intolerance against those who believe in traditional values. Democratic Socialists of America has this to say about other lifestyles:
“We are visible in the reproductive freedom movement, the fight for student aid, gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered organizations, anti-racist groups, and the labor movement. “
9. Democratic Socialists are left-wingers, while National Socialists reject this label.
The political aligning of Adolf Hitler has been one of the most heavily disputed areas among liberals and conservatives, mostly because neither wants him on their side. The left claim Hitler’s persecution of Marxists, his intolerance for homosexuals and blacks indicates a right-wing stance. However, conservatives are quick to counter with Hitlers disdain for Capitalism, his belief in the welfare state and association with atheist regimes. According to Justice 4 Germans, National Socialism is neither left nor right wing:
“The National Socialist ‘world view’ was neither ‘right’ nor ‘left’ in terms of how most people view the political spectrum, but rather, a ‘Third Way’ and saw itself as a broad-based, popular social nationalist movement, aimed at involving all classes of the national body for the greater good of the people as a whole, from which all would benefit.”
Of course, there is no debate on which end of the spectrum Democratic Socialists align with. Democratic Socialists of America explains:
“Like our friends and allies in the feminist, labor, civil rights, religious, and community organizing movements, many of us have been active in the Democratic Party. We work with those movements to strengthen the party’s left wing, represented by the Congressional Progressive Caucus.”
10. Hitler ruined the reputation of National Socialism, Democratic Socialism is very popular still.
Regardless of your political beliefs, people from all ends of the spectrum can come together and agree Adolf Hitler’s Third Reich was responsible for some of the worst human right’s violations of all time. The Holocaust has been the single most discussed genocide of all time, despite it’s victims not being the most numerous. The modern National Socialist Party is now a fringe movement, with no power or influence whatsoever, and rightly so.
The Democratic Socialist movement, on the other hand, has not earned a reputation of mass genocide and tyranny. Instead, it is a very popular ideology with followers all across the planet from all walks of life. It has believers in the international ruling class, and even a candidate for President of the United States.
Democratic Socialism has had no where near as much blood on it’s hands as National Socialism. Bernie Sanders and the Democratic Socialists have no love for Adolf Hitler, and rightly so. However, that does not mean their party beliefs do not closely resemble one another to an alarming degree. If you’re a Democratic Socialist or even an undecided voter, take note: The kind of rhetoric Hitler espoused drew huge crowds of misinformed and unaware voters. Think critically about anyone who offers you a free lunch.