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Tom Au
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The "Nazi" Party STARTED OUT as the National Socialist German Workers Party, with a left-leaning, socialist bent.

That is, until it enrolled "Member Number 7," aka Adolf Hitler, who had other ideas.

A World War I veteran, Hitler figured out the the "Dolchstoss" legend, the idea that Germany had been winning World War I until it was "stabbed in the back" by Hitler's enemies, plus re-armament/revanche, was more appealing to most German people than the idea of a "worker's paradise. This was particularly true of the right wing, where Hitler drew most of his financial support.

In fact, the Nazi party at one time had two wings, a nationalist wing under Hitler and a socialist wing under Gregor Strasser, who considered himself a personal friend of Hitler's.

That is, until Hitler took over the party, and later murdered his "friend" Strasser in cold blood during the "Night of the Long Knives."

Tom Au
  • 104.4k
  • 17
  • 258
  • 537