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This modern American political obsession with the term "socialist" is silly. Since around the 1880s on, a transition began that took a number of decades, but the sum result is virtually every country on earth has adopted some socialist concepts into their government. Any serious discussion of "was this party socialist" cannot be had without a more rigorous framework for use of the word socialist. In the United States we have one party that uses the word socialist as a slur to refer to all political opposition (GOP), and another party with a small wing who embraces the term and a larger wing who vehemently denies being socialist. The amusing thing is--both major American parties are strongly committed to a number of socialist policies, some of which are not even debated any longer that is how entrenched they are.
In that context, the Nazi party absolutely had socialist policies and programs. In the historical context of the 1930s and 1940s, it was not part of the "Revolutionary socialism" movement that started in 1917 nor was it part of the Marxism-Leninism movement that was ongoing at that time. Some of its chief political opponents in the Weimar Republic were part of those movements. There is nothing in fascist or Nazi ideology that is intrinsically incompatible with some forms of socialism, though--and the Nazis used the term in their political party for a couple of reasons. One is that early on, they had some genuine political leftists in their movement who wanted to marry revolutionary socialism with some of the other ideas of Nazism. This faction was largely minimal by the time the Nazis started to actually win elections and take power, but they were around in the 1920s era when the party was a smaller fringe movement. Probably the primary reason the Nazis always maintained the use of the word socialism was more as an appeal to trade unions, which viewed socialism more positively and were a target for Nazi growth in the late 1920s and early 1930s.
The biggest difficulty in discussing such matters is Americans are largely reared on the propaganda around terms like fascism, socialism, Communism, that started during WWII with all the propaganda produced, and continued during the Cold War. With that baggage it becomes very difficult to actually discuss it in a mature political science context with most American commenters.
In that context, the Nazi party absolutely had socialist policies and programs. In the historical context of the 1930s and 1940s, it was not part of the "Revolutionary socialism" movement that started in 1917 nor was it part of the Marxism-Leninism movement that was ongoing at that time. Some of its chief political opponents in the Weimar Republic were part of those movements. There is nothing in fascist or Nazi ideology that is intrinsically incompatible with some forms of socialism, though--and the Nazis used the term in their political party for a couple of reasons. One is that early on, they had some genuine political leftists in their movement who wanted to marry revolutionary socialism with some of the other ideas of Nazism. This faction was largely minimal by the time the Nazis started to actually win elections and take power, but they were around in the 1920s era when the party was a smaller fringe movement. Probably the primary reason the Nazis always maintained the use of the word socialism was more as an appeal to trade unions, which viewed socialism more positively and were a target for Nazi growth in the late 1920s and early 1930s.
The biggest difficulty in discussing such matters is Americans are largely reared on the propaganda around terms like fascism, socialism, Communism, that started during WWII with all the propaganda produced, and continued during the Cold War. With that baggage it becomes very difficult to actually discuss it in a mature political science context with most American commenters.