What are the differences between the Nazis and Communists (e.g, class,
gender, race). Why Germany fight Russia? (300 words)

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Request for Question Clarification by justaskscott-ga on 10 Dec 2002 07:49 PST

When you say "Communists", do you mean specifcally the Communists in
the Soviet Union during the same time period as the Nazis were in
power (1933-1945)?  Or perhaps the Communists in the Soviet Union from
1939-1945?

Hi Mayli~

Members of the Nazi party were directly opposed to the socialist
ideas; they believed in equality *only* for those of German blood, and
did not believe in sexual equality. Therefore, all Nazis were of
German heritage, and the party was dominated by men. Many Nazis,
especially the early ones, were wealthy or of upper middle class. Many
Germans who were of the middle class and poor were socialists, so to
try to win over the working class people, the Nazi party aimed to
distribute wealth in the country with profit-sharing, and similar
programs.

For a little more background on the Nazi party, visit:
http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/GERnazi.htm

On the other hand, Russian communists of the era were mostly working
class people, and part of the aim of communism was to stamp out the
wealthiest class (which was supposedly exploit poorer people).
Stalin's form of communism contained aspects of socialism, which was
an ideology Hitler (and therefore Nazis) strongly disliked. In
Stalin's Russia, communists also believed in equality of the sexes.

For more information on Communism, visit:
http://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Communism


Hitler wished to invade Russia for many reasons. Certainly the fact
that a large number of Jews lived in Russia played a part, but there
was more to it than that. "German freedom is possible only at the
expense of Russia," Hitler said ("Red Army Blew Away Hitler's
Wehrmacht," http://www.plp.org/misc/ww2cd852.html )  Russia had the
land, raw materials, and labor Germany longed for. If Hitler could
conquer Russia, then the rest of Europe (it was thought) would be
forced to cooperate with the Nazis. For these reasons, over 80% of the
Nazis’ total fighting strength during WWII was used against Russia.

Still, there may have been personal reasons for Hitler's attack: Some
historians argue that Hitler personally hated Stalin. Stalin and
Hitler were similar in many ways; indeed, they both wished to make
their country the most powerful country in the world. They were both
talented in the use of propaganda to convince their people they were
honorable and right. And both countries were recovering from WWI, so
both leaders desired to restore their countries to their previous
glory--or better. As has already been noted, Hitler also despised
socialism--something Stalin used to his advantage. Stalin also had no
intention of letting Hitler overtake his country--and ultimately,
Hitler wished to conquer any nation that did not surrender to him.


Keywords Used:
why Nazis Fought Russia
://www.google.com/search?hl=en&lr=&ie=ISO-8859-1&q=why+Nazis+Fought+Russia&btnG=Google+Search

Nazi party class
://www.google.com/search?hl=en&lr=&ie=ISO-8859-1&q=Nazi+party+class&btnG=Google+Search

Stalin communist class
://www.google.com/search?hl=en&lr=&ie=ISO-8859-1&q=Stalin+communist+class

Hope this helps!
Kriswrite