We did it. We hit the character limit. I guess it's a good thing I didn't have time to finish this project in its entirety, but I refuse to shorten this post in particular for the sake of brevity. Part 2 will be posted a little later.
Gottfried Feder's "Programme of the NSDAP" lays the foundation for the National Socialist worldview. It was created to outline the general party principles rather than to propose real laws or provide a blueprint of the State. Naturally, the social and economic policy of the National Socialist State is based on the "welfare of the whole" and the "common interest before the individual." For social matters the public interest is served before self interest and for economic matters filling demand comes before profitability. At this time in Germany's history, Marxism encouraged brother to fight against brother based on a division of class. This created a highly individualized low trust society where otherwise decent German people would pursue personal gain at the expense of others. This in turn led to widespread misery and depression as people were forced to either join the rat race or suffer. Feder addresses Adam Smith's idea that society is merely a sum of its individuals and likens it to a pile of stones that just happened to take a certain shape. Meanwhile the National Socialist State is like a house, where many components, such as bricks and windows, come together through an intelligent and deliberate design to form a whole. Feder says the National Socialist State is not beholden to any specific political form. Whether it be a monarchy, a federation of states, or a dictatorship was of no issue provided that the interests of the citizens of Germany are protected. Each of these forms have their strengths and weaknesses as we've discussed previously and while I believe in the Führerprinzip, I recognize the need for the dictatorial form is specific to our time, and Weimar Germany's time, and not a universal need.
The Programme is fixed, as Hitler said, and was meant to stand for all time. One who doesn't agree with the fundamental principles of the party has no place in it. Small disagreements are fine, of course, but there's no compromising with someone who refuses to accept the jewish question or other such matters. The NSDAP was not to be an ordinary political party. Once these points and National Socialism as a whole became a part of the German zeitgeist, the NSDAP would no longer have a reason to exist and would be dissolved. New points were not to be added in the future just to perpetuate the party. The original principles and leading ideas that form the foundation of the party were not to be tampered with. This was to protect the movement from "grumblers and know-alls" who provide input unprovoked. Hey, that's us! But it has been 100 years and most of us are not German, so I think it's acceptable to take a fresh and critical look at these points. Many other organizations have created their own copycat point systems, which I don't condemn altogether, but we cannot just copy and paste the original 25 points without considering the time and location. I believe this is what Goebbels meant when he said National Socialism was not an export.
My goal with this post was to examine each point individually. I wrote a brief summary of each point and attached the reasoning laid out in sections 3 and 4 to relevant points to provide Feder's reasoning for their existence. I then attempted to explain how each point was realized in the Third Reich and how it could be realized today. This is a work in progress as I don't have the historical knowledge offhand to undertake such a task. I consulted Henry Ashby Turner's "Nazism and the Third Reich" and Tedor's "Hitler's Revolution" for some information, but I'm limited on time. However, this allows others to provide input, so I think putting up a half finished post is fine. My goal is to add to this over time and compile everything into one thread some time in the future. With that said, let's get into the 25 points.
1. German unity on the basis of self determination. This was to form a homogeneous Germany for Germans and represent German interests in foreign policy. The NSDAP laid claim to Germans in the territory of the former empire, such as the Sudetenland and Austria, and believed in the right of Germans abroad to decide to belong to their fatherland. However, this was not to be imperialist in nature. The reunification campaign is well documented, so I won't get into that, but I take slight issue with the word choice of "self determination." This can open us up to the counterargument that self determination is a universal ideal and all peoples have a right to self determination. "Well what about the American natives or group X or Y?" However, I can't think of an acceptable alternative other than backing it up with other points, as the NSDAP did. In fact, the first 9 points can all be tied together in the goal of creating a new German identity.
2. Equality of rights of the German people on the international stage. The rights of German engineers, doctors, etc. disseminating German culture abroad must be protected and the right to return to Germany must be kept. These are bearers of the Nordic idea. This also involved abandoning the Treaty of Versailles and the Treaty of Saint-Germain. This is obviously irrelevant for most of us, but many nations live under similar treaties or in the shadow of international organizations. Regardless of your nation's international situation, advocating for the rights of the Volk who are away from their homeland and ensuring their right to return is vital.
3. Land for settling a growing a population akin to the colonies of England and France. The new national bank would engage in extensive construction of homes throughout the Reich. Construction of homes to house a growing nation is obvious, but the idea of settling land is outdated in most instances. The dangers of racial mixing in the colonies is well known now and we want nothing to do with it. Settling into other White lands would be equally undesirable. Many nations have plenty of space and once immigrants are removed, locals can be resettled easily. Smaller nations may struggle with expanding production and housing simultaneously and this point may be one they'd want to use, but they'd have to carefully consider the responses of surrounding nations because we all know how much the Judaized neighbors of a National Socialist State will desire their destruction.
4. Only Germans can be members of the nation and therefore citizens. No jew can be a member of the nation. Additionally, Germans who act consciously in a way injurious to the nation forgoes his right to citizenship. I believe this is common sense and speaks for itself. The only thing I would change is adding additional requirements for citizenship such as time in the military or labor service.
5. Anyone who is not a citizen lives in Germany only as a guest. Jews and non-Germans were to be expelled from responsible positions. A jew or foreigner in a responsible position exercises a disintegrating effect on society. In the way a cabbage plant cannot become a strawberry plant even if they are planted together, a jew cannot become a German and cannot understand the German or any Western spirit. Immigration was to be prevented and undesirable foreigners were to be deported. The rights of Germans would take priority over citizens of foreign nations. Again, this point speaks for itself.
6. The right to vote is for the citizen alone. The NSDAP opposed filling Parliament with corrupt officials without regard to character or capability. The NSDAP wished to liberate Germans from demoralizing election contests and the immunity of elected officials. The cancer of democracy has metastasized since then. We must be wholly hostile to democracy. It will spread from even the smallest remnant. Placing strict restrictions on who can become a citizen, binding citizenship to blood rather than ink, and making citizenship something that can be lost are necessary to overcome democratic ideals.
7. The State shall make its first duty to promote the industry and livelihood of citizens. If necessary, foreign nationals are to be expelled from the Reich. I see this as a more comprehensive version of point 5. I question the necessity of the fifth point since this covers the same subject in more detail.
8. All non-German immigration must be prevented. As with the expulsion of immigrants, preventing them from coming in the first place is also vital. Some foreign born talent can be useful, but they must have hard time limits and be restricted from rights enjoyed by citizens such as voting and owning land. Once this person's knowledge as been transferred to our people, they must return from whence they came.
9. All citizens of the State shall be equal as regards rights and duties. The inclusion of duties here allows us to maintain hierarchy. A belief in equality is naturally flawed because those who are less intelligent or talented will feel as if they've been cheated from their status in society. Hierarchy allows people to be content with their lot in life. Giving citizens equal duties alongside rights requires that the more intelligent or talented citizen use his higher status granted by nature to its fullest extent for the sake of his nation. In general we like to preach meritocracy, but it is natural that men admire traits like beauty, talent, and intelligence which are granted without regard to merit.
10. It must be the first duty of each citizen to work with his mind or body. The activities of the individual must not clash with the interests of the whole and be for the general good. Every German was free to earn and reap the rewards of his labor. This would also introduce an obligation of every German to work for the State for a period of one year. I did discuss a possible requirement of service earlier and I believe this point and point 4 could be combined without issue.
11. Abolition of unearned incomes (the "thraldom of interest"). Usurers and stock exchange speculators who focus on personal enrichment over the well being of the Volk corrupt the State, both in terms of its politics and culture. The abolition of interest was recognized as a necessity to ensure a future for Germany. The solution of the question of interest is also the solution to the jewish question, and therefore a necessity for ourselves as well. The focus on the abolition of interest rather than the jewish question would also prevent crypto jews and "regular people" who would continue the corrupt system from sitting in the positions jews once had. Feder brings up the subject of limiting wealth several times throughout the Programme and I have mixed feelings. Should the successful businessman and entrepreneur be limited in his wealth? What is he to do when he reaches the set limit? Pack up and go home? Continue his work for free out of the goodness of his heart? In a labor based economy, any man who works for free is led to believe that his labor is, in fact, worthless. However, I have no desire to have elites with essentially limitless wealth doing as they please, sticking their fingers in every pie with abandon. I believe, because most wealth in our society is generated from the stock exchange and interest, the Zuckerberg and Gates types would not be able to exist in the National Socialist State in the first place. There would likely be no need to limit wealth at all.
12. Personal enrichment due to war must be regarded as a crime against the nation. This includes confiscation of war gains and the fortunes of usurers. War gains are still very real today with the cosmopolitan military industrial complex wreaking havoc around the world for the sake of profits. The confiscation of assets and subsequent imprisonment, and more, of those behind these actions should be one of the first steps taken.
13. Nationalization of businesses that formed trusts. The majority of business in Weimar Germany was in the hands of a few powerful companies. Those in charge of production had surrendered to high finance. With labor profits going into the pockets of the bankers through interest and dividends, employers were left in crippling debt. Finance exists for the benefit of the State and its people, not to form a State within the State. This point would also include a nationalization of the banks and the introduction of a fixed standard of currency. However, the NSDAP is not supporting the socialization schemes of Marxism. Along with private property, the NSDAP supported private business and enterprise. The small business owner should be able to reap the rewards of his labor, but a small business owner trying to run a mine or build a highway is not effective or desirable. The NSDAP recognized that a society supported by both small and large enterprises should be maintained. Public services were to be funded not through loans or the mint, but by granting State bonds without interest. The NSDAP raised employment through funding public works and the issue of "Mefo" bills during rearmament. Tax levels were also reduced for farming, small businesses, and heavy industry to incentivize small scale business. While we can't be sure of the fine details of their economic policy, this remains a good model to work from. The West attempted to copy this model in the 1950s, but without the provisions of previous points regarding citizenship and the jewish question, it was quickly subverted.
14. Profits from wholesale trade shall be shared out. This is so the worker may share in the profits of his own labor, however the labor of the worker must be considered in proportion to the management of the other "moving parts" of industry such as the management, the merchant, the accountant, etc. Feder does not give a clear answer on how this would be accomplished, but suggests lowering prices while maintaining wages would be sufficient. Price controls have been attempted numerous times throughout history often with disastrous results. Additionally, as Jung discussed, the problem remains of who takes the burden when a company sees losses rather than profits. It wouldn't do to garnish the worker's wages due to a failure in management, but should the small business owner assume all risk and little to no reward? We discussed this point in our reading of Jung and determined that profit sharing took shape in the form of public amenities, such as the Strength Through Joy program.
15. Development of provision for old age. This would create Old Age Insurance through nationalizing the system of life annuities. Every German would be guaranteed enough to live on upon attaining a certain age or before if they were disabled and no longer able to work. Feder recognized that the worker's anxiety stemming from his uncertain later years is the leading cause of class tension. In an age where our elderly often meet their end at the hands of migrants in nursing homes, the importance of reforming the way we care for our elderly cannot be understated. While it's ideal that every person should spend his or her twilight years with family, we must also provide security for those citizens who either didn't reproduce due to a genetic defect, lost family through a tragic accident, or otherwise cannot care for themselves or rely on family.
16. Foster a healthy middle class through communalization of wholesale business premises, their lease at a cheap rate to small traders, and that consideration shall be shown to all small purveyors to the State, district authorities, and smaller localities. This would create a national bank of business development for granting non-interest bearing loans. The NSDAP wished to reform the tax system on social-economic principles. They wished to relieve the consumer from indirect taxation and the producer from crippling taxation. I do not think Feder's dream of a nation without taxation is realistic, but one can't really argue against the promotion of lower taxes and more responsible spending.
17. Land reform, confiscation of land for communal purposes, abolition of interest on land loans, and prevention of all speculation in land. This was poorly written and Hitler later had to specify that the NSDAP believed in the principle of private property and that this point referred to a legal right to confiscate land obtained illegally or not administered in accordance with the national welfare. The two sections preceding the 25 points were written in response to criticism surrounding the 17th point. I largely agree with the proposed agricultural policy as long as the land tax remains low and the Land Courts are administered well. I could see someone taking point 8b on page 12 to mean the courts could confiscate a farmer's land if he had a poor harvest. I think that's a bad faith reading, but I wanted to address it preemptively. Our recent reading of Linkola helps put the points about regulations faced by farmers in their time in perspective. I believe we've discussed the importance of agricultural policy and land reform sufficiently elsewhere, so I'll leave it at that.
18. Ruthless prosecution of those whose activities are injurious to the common interest. As we saw in Goebbels' "Kampf um Berlin," Weimar society was a chaotic one where criminals were numerous and rarely prosecuted. So-called Marxists would sooner stab a nationalist than the industry bosses they supposedly hated. In short, it was a society very similar to our own. Those who cannot see the wisdom in placing their own people above those of foreign or criminal interests do not deserve a place in society.
19. Roman Law serves the materialistic world order and must be replaced with German Law. This would increase protection for personal honor as opposed to one sided legal protection of the rights of property. This would also result in the form of the State most suitable to the German character, which Feder tells us is sovereign control united in a central personal power, such as a monarch or president. We discussed Roman vs German Law in our discussions of Rosenberg and Cicero, so I won't go too far into this. A National Socialist State, wherever it may be, should adopt the system of law most suitable to its people.
20. Education reform. This includes a focus on practical life and the education of gifted children from poor families at the expense of the State. There was to be liberty of instruction in German secondary schools in order to create a ruling class of high minded men. We saw this with the "Adolf Hitler schools" in the Reich which allowed brilliant students from poor families attain a quality education. The NSDAP wished to create a new Renaissance, a brilliant new era in German arts. The recovery of German art was deeply tied to eliminating the corrupt press in point 23.