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Nazism talk page discussion on religion

Richard Steigmann-Gall. The Holy Reich: Nazi Conceptions of Christianity, 1919-1945. Cambridge, England, UK: Cambridge University Press, 2003.

Nazism (ideology outline)

Social
The Nazis promoted Völkisch equality that ascribed collective racial equality of opportunity, equality before the law, and full legal rights to those able people of German blood or related Aryan blood but deliberately excluded people outside of this definition who were regarded as inferior and rejected the conception of universal equality of individuals. Those who qualified the definition were allowed full legal rights, including equality before the law. This type of equality was not an equality of people as individuals but as a community, and thus individuals' interests were subordinate to the collective interest of the Völksgemeinschaft. The Nazis were opposed to the conventional universal conception of equality that they opposed and claimed that while they supported Völkisch equality, Nazism was committed to intensifying human inequality as a whole to allow the German people to become the "new master class" of the world. People outside of German blood were automatically considered unequal and inferior and thus denied the rights of those of German blood.

The Nazis sought to dismantle what they deemed to be an unnatural hierarchy of the middle class and nobility who had allegedly jealously kept their wealth and titles while failing to justify their hierarchical position in World War I where even middle-class and aristocratic nationalists among them were deemed by the Nazis to have not upheld an appropriate share of contribution to the war effort. Thus the Nazis claimed that only the primordial brutality and willpower of the lower orders could save Germany, and thus justified equality of opportunity as a means to create new capable leaders for German society.

The Nazis advocated a welfare state in Germany for German citizens (able Germans of Aryan racial descent) as a means to provide social justice and eliminate social barriers between the German people. The Nazis continued social welfare policies initiated by the governments of the Weimar Republic and mobilized volunteers to assist those impoverished, "racially-worthy" Germans through the National Socialist People's Welfare organization. This organization oversaw charitable activities, and became the largest civic organization in Nazi Germany. Successful efforts were made to get middle-class women involved in social work assisting large families. The Winter Relief campaigns acted as a ritual to generate public feeling.

Economic
The Nazis promoted the creation of a community of common interest between managers and employees in industry where a factory leader would be selected to act in coordination with a council of factory members, though these members would have to obey the Führerprinzip of the factory leader. The economy was to be subordinate to the goals of the political leadership of the state.

The Nazis sought to gain support of workers by declaring May Day, a day celebrated by organized labour, to be a paid holiday and held celebrations on 1 May 1933 to honour German workers. The Nazis stressed that Germany must honour its workers. The regime believed that the only way to avoid a repeat of the disaster of 1918 was to secure workers' support for the German government. The regime also insisted through propaganda that all Germans take part in the May Day celebrations in the hope that this would help break down class hostility between workers and the Burghers (bourgeoisie). Songs in praise of labour and workers were played by state radio throughout May Day as well as an airshow in Berlin and fireworks. Hitler spoke of workers as patriots who had built Germany's industrial strength and had honourably served in the war and claimed that they had been oppressed under economic liberalism. Berliner Morgenpost that had been strongly associated with the political left in the past praised the regime's May Day celebrations.