Yes Hitler absolutely identified as a 'socialist', but he was also vehemently opposed to Marxism. This is what neither the right or left seem to understand. Today, people equate socialism to Marxism, but back then "socialism" was just a form of communitarianism. It was definitely collectivist in nature, but it didn't necessarily mean abolition of private property, class struggle etc.
So the left denies that Hitler was socialist because he was anti-Marxist, and the right calls Hitler a socialist because he himself identified as one, but the term as it was known then is essentially non-existent now. So there's a bait and switch being done by both sides on this topic for obvious reasons.
"And this idealistic strength was at the time only to be found in two camps; in the Socialist and in the Nationalist camps. But these were the camps between which there was the most mortal feud and strife. These two camps had to be fused into a new unit." - Hitler 1/30/1941
Yes Hitler absolutely identified as a 'socialist', but he was also vehemently opposed to Marxism. This is what neither the right or left seem to understand. Today, people equate socialism to Marxism, but back then "socialism" was just a form of communitarianism. It was definitely collectivist in nature, but it didn't necessarily mean abolition of private property, class struggle etc.
So the left denies that Hitler was socialist because he was anti-Marxist, and the right calls Hitler a socialist because he himself identified as one, but the term as it was known then is essentially non-existent now. So there's a bait and switch being done by both sides on this topic for obvious reasons.
"And this idealistic strength was at the time only to be found in two camps; in the Socialist and in the Nationalist camps. But these were the camps between which there was the most mortal feud and strife. These two camps had to be fused into a new unit." - Hitler 1/30/1941