Why Did Hitler HATE The Social Democrats?

It’s ironic given that German National Socialism found its genesis in Marxism. Yet, groups with near-identical ideologies often find themselves in conflict over small differences. Shiites and Sunnis, Protestants and Catholics are examples.

Both communism and Nazism were vicious collectivist ideologies, both targeting the individual for metaphorical extinction, albeit through different collective frameworks: race vs. class. Both are homicidal anti-human and EVIL.

The Introduction of Class Struggle

The Marxian emphasis on class struggle was anathema to Hitler, who strove to unify the country and all its competing classes and interest groups. The slogan Ein Reich, Ein Volk, Ein Führer was the core message of National Socialism. From the Soviet Ambassador to Lithuania reporting in September 1939, “Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union were like 2 rabid dogs searching for the same bone in the same backyard,” we see the intense antagonism among the Socialist and Nazi parties.

The Perceived Threat of Marxism

Hitler was a staunch anti-communist. In Mein Kampf, he stated his belief that the two great evils of the world were judaeism and communism. He believed that social democrats, particularly the Marxists/Bolsheviks, were serving Jewish interests and that both were working in tandem to exercise power over the world.

Political Dynamics and Ideology

Churchill and the United States also harbored strong anti-communist sentiments. Yet, it seems there is a lack of knowledge of what actually happened during that period. They didn't 'hate' each other during Hitler’s campaigning; the Marxists and Fascists were simply competing political parties. Rommel commented, “they were cut from the same cloth,” meaning they shared similar ideological backgrounds.

When it comes to Hitler’s strategic shift, he was afraid that when/if he attacked the rest of Europe, he would have to deal with Russia at some point. Hence, it was in his interest to deal with the Soviet Union early on, as evidenced by his attempt to negotiate a Nazi-Soviet Non-Aggression Pact.

The Nazi-Soviet Non-Aggression Pact

From the very beginning of his political rise, Hitler described judaeism and communism as his principal enemies. Stalin, by that time, was less of an ideologue and more focused on nationalism. He lacked interest in international communism.

In May 1939, Hitler recognized that in a German war with the West, Russia could be neutral. However, this neutrality required Russia to receive something in return. A British-French delegation seeking a military alliance with Russia found no success with Stalin.

In Moscow, Stalin perhaps made overtures by dismissing his foreign minister, the Jewish Maxim Litvinov, and replacing him with Vyacheslav Molotov, who would remain his foreign minister during the war and beyond. Recognizing these developments, Hitler understood their implications. Ribbentrop flew to Moscow to sign a Nazi-Soviet Non-Aggression Pact. A photograph shows Stalin visibly content in the background, alongside Molotov, who would later represent Stalin in Washington and stay in the White House for three days, “making nice” with Roosevelt.

Understanding the political and ideological dynamics at play during this period is crucial to comprehending the complex relationships and motivations of the key figures involved in these historical events.