Hacker News Reader

I think Hitler was rather more cynical than that - when he wanted to exploit socialists to achieve his ends he supported socialism. However, after the Röhm purge (AKA "The Night of the Long Knives") most of the socialists within the party were removed (and often killed) - making the Nazis far more acceptable to the rich industrialists and military leaders that Hitler needed support from to get total power.

View on HN

While what you say is true it does not change the fact that one of the main leverages used by Hitler was the economic inequality that the German public believed had been foisted upon them by the other European powers.

Regardless of how the Reich was built, or oriented politically, economic inequality (and nationalism) were a primary tool used to gain momentum.

You are totally correct that German leaders of business and holders of wealth were courted into the Reich. Many of them from Bayer to IG Farben benefited directly from the concentration camps.

Reply on news.ycombinator.com