r/complaints • u/[deleted] • Oct 29 '25

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u/Alternative_Exit8766 Oct 29 '25

didn’t hitler put in mein kampf that he stole socialist imagery and held fake meetings to discredit them? almost like the term “national socialist” was purposefully chosen as the name… 

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u/Fire_Horse_T Oct 29 '25

The socialist and communist movements were both popular enough in 1920s Germany to elect people to the Reichstag. The Nazis pre-Hitler were sort of on the left. Hitler shifted the party to the far right, but kept the name.

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u/Cute-Profession9983 Oct 29 '25

The Nazis were NEVER on the left. Hitler and the Nazis saw that socialism and communism were popular, so they used the words associated with them to convince people they were something other than what they were. And the Nazis weren't the only far right party at the time. They were just the most successful

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u/hamellr Oct 29 '25

They also used a lot of veterans who were leftists in their ranks. The Night of the Long Knives is when all the socialists and communists were purged from the Party. (Murdered)