Can you defend the notion that Hitler was a leftist?

Question

If so, can you explain all this horrible stuff he had to say about leftists:
http://www.huppi.com/kangaroo/L-hitler.htm

and his execution of communists all over Germany:
http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/Holocaust/knives.html
?

And as such here are two quotes from this first article:
"While Hitler's attitude towards liberalism was one of contempt, towards Marxism he showed an implacable hostility… Ignoring the profound differences between Communism and Social Democracy in practice and the bitter hostility between the rival working class parties, he saw in their common ideology the embodiment of all that he detested -- mass democracy and a leveling egalitarianism as opposed to the authoritarian state and the rule of an elite; equality and friendship among peoples as opposed to racial inequality and the domination of the strong; class solidarity versus national unity; internationalism versus nationalism."

and from Hitler himself:
"Marxism itself systematically plans to hand the world over to the Jews."

The Nazis defined "national socialism" as such: (heavy nazi propaganda warning!)
http://vnnforum.com/archive/index.php/t-128556.html

Entropy · Accepted Answer

Ugh...I hate this topic.  Look, the left-right paradigm traces it's roots to revolutionary France.  The advocates of classical liberalism sat to the left of the King, and the conservators of the aristocracy sat to the right.

The problem is that what is left and what is right is VERY context specific.  In Hitler's time and place, he was right wing.  He was a fascist.  The primary alternative in Weimar Germany were socialists.  Clearly further left.

Fascism was a blending of socialism's love of central planning with the nationalism loved by Hitler and Moussilini with a private ownership underpinning (because it was politically convenient mostly...they had no particular respect for property rights).

So because he favored central planning you could argue that he has more in common with the modern left than the right in America.  On the other hand, his nationalism was more right than left.

So you see, it's like the old story about the three blind men and the elephant.  Depending on which part of the elephant you are touching, you describe something VERY different.

This is why I HATE the left-right paradigm.  It's stupid and I wish it would be cast upon the trash heap of history.

who WAS #1? · Answer

The main problem he was fighting against is that NAZIism and Communism held very similar attractions for the masses of working folks.  The two had many things in common so he had to struggle to win the hearts and minds of the people and prevent them from flipping the coin and perhaps pick communism.

? · Answer

He was socialist, communist . . .

? · Answer

@entropy, Bravo! I love when I don't have to answer the question because somebody else already got it right.

Can you defend the notion that Hitler was a leftist?

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