The Nazis and Communists: Ideological Confrontation and Historical Result

While often placed on opposite ends of the political spectrum, the interaction between Nazism and Communism was defined by a deadly combination of ideological hatred and tactical opportunism. The historical result was one of the most destructive conflicts in human history.

Part 1: Ideological Responses - "Natural Predators"

The description of Nazis and Communists as "natural predators" is accurate from an ideological standpoint. Both were totalitarian, revolutionary movements that sought to obliterate the existing liberal democratic order. However, they offered competing, mutually exclusive visions for the future, making their conflict inevitable.

The Communist View of Nazism (Fascism)

The "Agent of Capitalism" Theory: The official Soviet doctrine viewed fascism as the "open terrorist dictatorship of the most reactionary, most chauvinistic and most imperialist elements of finance capital." In simple terms, Communists believed the capitalist system used fascist thugs to crush the revolutionary proletariat.

Social Democracy as the Main Enemy: In a catastrophic strategic error, the German Communist Party (KPD) considered the Social Democrats (SPD) to be their primary enemy, labeling them "social fascists." This led them to refuse a coalition against the Nazis, which helped Hitler come to power.

Existential Ideological Threat: Despite their theory, Nazis were hated as violent opponents who sought to destroy international socialism and the Soviet Union.

The Nazi View of Communism (Bolshevism)

The Jewish Conspiracy: Nazi ideology merged anti-Semitism and anti-Communism into the concept of "Judeo-Bolshevism." Hitler's core belief was that international Jewry had created Bolshevism to destroy nationalist, "Aryan" civilizations.

Existential Racial and Spatial Threat: For the Nazis, Communism represented internationalism and class solidarity. The Soviet Union was seen as a vast territory of "subhumans" that must be conquered to provide "living space" (Lebensraum) for the German people. The destruction of the USSR was the ultimate goal of Nazism.

The Battle for Germany: Domestically, the Nazis used the fear of a Communist takeover as their most powerful propaganda tool to terrorize the middle and upper classes into supporting them.

Part 2: The Historical Result of Their Confrontation

The interaction between these two ideologies was not a straight line to war. It involved cynical maneuvering before culminating in a total war of annihilation.

Tactical Alliance: The Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact (1939-1941)

In a stunning move, ideological archenemies Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union signed a Non-Aggression Pact in August 1939. The secret protocols carved up Eastern Europe into spheres of influence.

Why? It was a marriage of convenience. For Hitler, it secured his eastern flank to invade Poland and fight France and Britain. For Stalin, it bought crucial time to rearm and expanded the Soviet buffer zone westward. Hitler always intended to break the pact later.

Total War: Operation Barbarossa and the Great Patriotic War (1941-1945)

On June 22, 1941, Hitler launched Operation Barbarossa, the largest military invasion in history. This was the ideological war he had always wanted.

Nature of the Conflict: This was a war of annihilation (Vernichtungskrieg) based on Nazi racial ideology. The German army was accompanied by SS death squads tasked with exterminating Jews, Communists, and other "undesirables."

Soviet Response: The invasion forced a shift in Soviet propaganda to the "Great Patriotic War," rallying the people with nationalist appeals to defend Mother Russia.

The Result: The Cold War

The war ended with the Soviet Red Army capturing Berlin in May 1945. The historical results were profound:

The Absolute Defeat of Nazism: The Nazi regime was completely destroyed, and its ideology was discredited.

The Ascendancy of the Soviet Union: Despite catastrophic losses, the USSR emerged as a superpower, controlling Eastern Europe.

The Division of Europe and the World: The ideological chasm immediately resurfaced, leading to the Cold War. The line between East and West Germany, the "Iron Curtain," was the direct geographical result of the Nazi-Communist confrontation.

Conclusion

The relationship between Nazism and Communism was a dialectic of hatred and opportunism. Ideologically, they were natural predators, each viewing the other as an existential threat. Historically, their confrontation was delayed by a cynical pact, but it ultimately resulted in the most brutal theater of World War II. The outcome enabled the vast expansion of Soviet Communist power, which set the stage for the next half-century of global conflict.