TEN
Extinctionof the SocialDarwinismCanard
Didthe NazisVindicatethe ControlledEconomy?
Somecriticsmaywarnthatwe shouldnot be too hastyin writingoff RobertProctor’s
thesisthatsomeof the Nazis’ welfare-statepoliciescouldbe worthyof imitationin the
USA.Someprogressiveacademicianscontendthat,despitethe evilsof the Nazis’ racism
andgenocide,Hitler’s totalitarianshackleson the economynonethelessdrasticallyim-
provedlivingstandardsfor everyAryanin Deutschland.^1
Suchan apologiafor the Nazis’ commandeconomyescapesthe mouthof W. E. B. Du
Bois.In spiteof his censureof the Nazipersecutionagainstthe Jews,he neverthelesspaid
thesecomplimentsto the regimeon December5, 1936.“Germanyhas foodand housing,
andis, on the whole,contentedandprosperous.Unemploymentin fouryearshas been
reducedfromsevento two millionor less.The wholenationis dottedwithnewhomesfor
the commonpeople,... and newpublicworksof all kinds.Foodis good,pureand cheap.
Publicorderis perfect,and thereis almostno visiblecrime.”^2
GeorgeOrwelllikewiseboughtinto suchnonsense.AlthoughOrwellloveddemocrat-
ic socialismandhatedfascism,he foundin fascismthe benefitthatit “borrowsfrom
Socialismjust suchfeaturesas will makeit efficient.” To hima fasciststate“can solvethe
problemsof productionand consumption.... The Statesimplycalculateswhatgoodswill
be neededanddoesits bestto producethem.Themereefficiencyof sucha system,the
eliminationof wasteandobstruction,is obvious.” By contrast,“privatecapitalism—that
is, an economicsystemin whichland,factories,minesand transportare ownedprivately
andoperatedsolelyfor profit—doesnot work.It cannotdeliverthe goods.” Thereason
whyfascismis moreefficientthat laissezfaireis that a “plannedeconomyis strongerthan
a planlessone.” In the end,“Howeverhorrible” Naziism“mayseemto us, it works....
Britishcapitalismdoesnot work...”^3 MichaelParenti,too, proclaimedthat the Naziecon-
omywas one of “low businesstaxes” and “highprofits.”^4
In whatappearsto be a misguidedeffortto rescuethe reputationof centralplanningof
the nationaleconomyby the government,a numberof progressivescholarscontinue
deliveringsuchappeals.As the vastmajorityof governistprofessorspresentlyconcede
that the Sovieteconomywasa failure,theysay that this wasnot due to the impracticabil-
ity of centralplanningper se. Rather,theypontificate,the mismanagementof the economy
underthe Sovietsandthe NorthKoreangovernmentare isolatedcases,andthe Nazi
exampleconfirmsthata Statecan still achieveprosperitythroughgovernism.A triumph
in suchsocialengineering,theypronounce,involvesfollowingthe correctproceduresthat
the Sovietsdid not abide.But somepeopleknowbetter.Pauldu Gayof the Copenhagen
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