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Germany is just an example, the sentiments are common to many European countries pre-WWII. The statement that "the rest of the people wanted absolutely nothing
by DoughnutHole 3y ago
Germany is just an example, the sentiments are common to many European countries pre-WWII.
The statement that "the rest of the people wanted absolutely nothing to do with it" is true in that most European countries never had majority support for revolutionary socialism. But in many countries (Germany, France, Italy, Spain) it was a substantial block, in many places on par with support for more moderate socialists/social democrats.
Revolutionary socialism is a highly fringe political viewpoint today, but it was much more popular in the inter-war years. It took a long time for people to learn of (and start to believe!) the atrocities that occurred in the revolution in Russia.
- jacquesm 3y agoIt is true that it was much more popular then than it is today. But it still as far as I know never managed to gain more than a small percentage foothold. That doesn't mean that it was insignificant, it doesn't take a whole country to subscribe to something to change the course of history. But revolutionary socialism/communism did not come even close to being able to subvert the democratic process in those countries that already had a majority or coalition rule in place. Though there definitely were recorded attempts in almost every country they all fizzled out.
- sudosysgen 3y agoThe SPD, in the last elections before WW1, for 34.6% of the vote, with an explicitly Marxist and Revolutionary platform. Is that a small percentage?
- jacquesm 3y agoI'll say it again because apparently it didn't land: Germany != Western Europe. Germany had a lot of conditions that made it ripe for a vote like that which did not apply to any of the other nations in Western Europe at that time (or any other time, really).
- sudosysgen 3y agoYou claimed it never managed to gain a foothold. It did. Germany is in Western Europe. It's not the only example, either. What were those conditions in Germany that were so different from every other Western European country?