1/ Was Nazism a leftist movement? Is fascism more generally a leftist ideology?

Right-wing Americans often argue in the affirmative. I've already explained why I disagree.

But since this claim resurfaced in some of the replies to my recent tweets comparing US to Germany....

2/ The affirmative case in three points:

a/Nazism = National *Socialism", ergo leftist.

b/ Hitler and Stalin made a pact, ergo totalitarian.

c/ Nazism was centralized and top-down, ergo socialist.

3/ Counter-arguments.

ad a/ One word doesn't make an ideology. If it did: "National" ergo rightist.

ad b/ Hitler broke the pact and launched a savage war of destruction on USSR.

ad c/Nazi regime was a ramshackle and chaotic organization, and by design per Arendt's theory.

4/ Counterfactuals.

If Nazism WERE a leftist (i.e., socialist) movement then we would have inter alia expected it to:

Promote labor unions and the workers movement

Promote gender equality

Socialize the means of production

Promote leftist intellectuals....

5/ Counterfactuals continued.

Promote international cooperation

View politics through the lens of class (not race)

I could go on...but why bother.

NONE of these counterfactuals are correct.