Today’s interest in Nostradamus, astrology, and mystical prophecies isn’t just innocent fascination. It reflects a deep intellectual decline in bourgeois society. Trying to explain Hitler’s rise with 16th-century cryptic verses isn’t just foolish; it’s a reactionary act. “The framing of this question… is itself an expression of the irrationalism that pervades bourgeois culture in decay.” This irrationalism isn’t marginal; it acts as an ideological shield for capitalism during its final crisis.
The ruling elite, troubled by the disastrous consequences of
their system, seeks comfort through mystification. The petty-bourgeois classes,
bewildered by social upheaval, rely on supernatural explanations. Meanwhile,
the academic community, having moved away from the Enlightenment’s emphasis on
reason, now promotes the idea that history is driven by fate, myth, or “dark
forces," rather than by class struggle. Hitler's rise was not predicted by
Nostradamus nor written in the stars; it resulted from specific, identifiable,
and preventable political betrayals by the leaders of the German workers’
movement.
The Material Foundations of Fascism
The rise of Nazism can only be understood through the
Marxist lens of historical materialism. In the early 1930s, Germany was
Europe's most developed industrial economy, yet it was constrained by the
Treaty of Versailles and the global capitalist crisis. The productive forces had
surpassed the limits of the nation-state. German imperialism aimed for
expansion, but before fighting abroad, it needed to suppress the working class
domestically.
The Nazis were not a supernatural anomaly. As Trotsky
described, they were “a party of national despair,” gaining backing from the
devastated petty bourgeoisie—“the small artisans and shopkeepers of the cities,
petty officials, employees, technical staff, the intelligentsia, and
impoverished peasants.” These groups, shattered by the crisis, were whipped
into a rage of hatred toward the proletariat, whom they blamed for their social
downfall.
However, fascism in power was not merely the rule of these
devastated classes. As Trotsky aptly states, “fascism in power is least of all
the rule of the petty bourgeoisie. On the contrary, it is the most ruthless
dictatorship of monopoly capital.” German industrialists, bankers, and military
leaders saw Hitler as the tool they needed to break down workers’ organisations and gear up for imperialist conflict. The Düsseldorf meeting of January 1932,
where leading industrialists pledged their support to Hitler, was not a
mystical convergence of destiny. It was a class decision.
The Working Class Wanted No Part of Fascism
Contrary to the myth—propagated by both fascists and liberals—that Hitler rose to power on widespread popular support, the German working class largely opposed him. “The working class did not want fascism.” In the November 1932 elections, the combined votes for the Social Democrats and Communists exceeded those for the Nazis. Furthermore, in the factories, the Nazis were held in contempt.The decisive factor was not the will of the masses but the treachery of their leaders.
The Stalinist and Social Democratic Betrayals
The Stalinist leadership of the Communist Party, following
Moscow's orders, embraced the harmful theory of “social fascism,” labelling the
Social Democrats as the primary enemy. This strategy—one of the worst crimes in
workers’ movement history—blocked the creation of a united front for the
working class when such unity could have defeated the Nazis. Meanwhile, Social
Democratic leaders failed to mobilise their workers, fearing revolution. They
surrendered to the bourgeois state, disarming the working class and enabling
Hitler to become chancellor in January 1933.
Trotsky’s warnings proved to be prophetic in the true sense:
they were based on scientific analysis. He stated that a Nazi victory would
lead to "the extermination of the best of the German proletariat, the
destruction of its organisations, and the eradication of its self-belief and
hope for the future.” He also predicted that Italian fascism would seem “pale”
in comparison. Every prediction was confirmed.
Mysticism as a Weapon Against the Working Class
The shift towards Nostradamus
and astrology is not impartial. It fulfils specific ideological roles: depicting fascism as unavoidable rather than stoppable; excusing the responsibilities of the ruling class and leaderships, such as reformist and
Stalinist; replacing class analysis with fatalism; and discouraging the working
class by implying that supernatural forces shape history. The pursuit of
prophecies and astrological justifications for Hitler is not only unserious but
also politically reactionary. This type of irrationalism echoes the postwar
pessimism of the Frankfurt School, which blamed “the Enlightenment" for
fascism, thus diverting attention from capitalism and the failures of the
workers’ movement.
The Lessons for Today
The worldwide rise of fascist movements, increasing
irrationalism, and the decline of bourgeois democracy are not just predictions
but stem from capitalism's fundamental contradictions. These include economic
crises, imperialist competition, and the ruling class's failure to resolve
these issues democratically. The focus shouldn't be on deciphering old
astrological texts, but on cultivating the revolutionary leadership that
Germany lacked in 1933.
