European Politics and Economics 101 For Non-European Readers

By Tom
Updated on

European Politics and Economics 101 For Non-European Readers

Many Americans are pointing on a daily basis to the European crisis, as proof that socialism has failed. While there is a lot of validity to the argument, many Americans think that the name social democrats, means the party is socialist or communist. This could not be farther from the truth.

A famous example would be the Nazis (the national socialist party). The truth is that Hitler had little concern about economics, he was interested in building up the German Army again after World War II. His policies were aimed at whatever was politically convenient, as long as he could achieve those goals. The big industrialists in Germany, many of whom are around today, collaborate with Hitler, as long as he ensured adequate profit for them.

When Americans talk about European socialists – meaning social democrats, they haven’t got a clue. ‘Senator McCarthy from Wisconsin was a perfect commielover compared to a social democratic shop steward. All the CIA spying in Denmark against the communist were done by the Social Democrats.

Same thing in Germany between the wars. The Nazi parti was squeezed between the social democrats and communists – that were far better organised. After the 1929 election he had to shift tack to the impoverished farmers that had no representation in parliament as the liberals had been smashed already in 1848 in the war against Denmark. The 1864 war broke the German dream of a greater Germany including Austria – The Germans and the Austrians started fighting between each other for the spoils of our defeat.

So between the wars the German agriculture was represented solely by the Conservatives, and they were on the side of the East-Preussian landed nobility – not a freind of the smallholder. Somewhat like the fight between the big ranchowners and the small farmers in the USA – remembering John Wayne.

What happened in Denmark in 1933 was that the Social Democrats and the Liberals met in the Prime Ministers flat (Stauning – a social democrat) – negotiations broke down – the Liberals had put hat and coat on. Then Stauning said: “Well, we can at least have a beer together?” Before they had finished the beer they had come to terms. Stauning woke his “housekeeper” up and said: “This calls for open sandwiches, beer and Schnaps!” “We sold out big time, but we saved the country!”

The Social Democrats needed their back free to fight the communists, and the liberals fought the nazies (in various shapes and forms) – and the Conservatives were pissed: They weren’t even asked!

The police is traditionally social democratic and the army is conservative – in Denmark and Germany, that is one of the reasons we have a low crime rate in Denmark: The
police catch the perpetrators before they even THINK (not their long suit by any means) of opening an eyelid. The problem is the immigrants simply because they poorly integrated – and they simply don’t get the sense of humour. Mitt Romney would stand a chance in Denmark: Somebody would tap him on the shoulder and tell him his fly was open – and laugh mercilessly when he checked.

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