The Second Wave of the Nazi Party

There were three acknowledged waves of the Ku Klux Klan; the first wave began with its inception in 1865, the second wave after the release of Birth of a Nation in 1915, and the third wave came in response to the Civil Rights movement. I submit that we’re experiencing the fourth wave of the Klan, coinciding with the second wave of the Nazi Party. Birds of a white supremacy feather stick together.

The Nazi Party, like the Klan, began with a few former soldiers at a bar, commiserating their loss of a war. They eventually found a charismatic leader in Adolf Hitler and took off. We often fail to note that the Nazi Party spread its message across the world, including America. The Nazi Party was never just about Germany; it went worldwide.

After World War II, there was a concerted effort to wipe out the Nazi Party in Germany. Much like the Enforcement Acts of 1870 and 1871 designed to crush the KKK, Germany enacted many laws making it illegal to deny the Holocaust, display Nazi symbols like the Swastika, wear an SS uniform, or make statements supporting Hitler.

Germany did all it could to eradicate the Nazi Party, but with sincere apologies to Maya Angelou, still they rose. The National Democratic Party of Germany merged with the German People’s Union in 2011. They have yet to reach the 5% required to win representation in the Bundestag, but the AfD (Alternative for Deutschland), another NeoNazi group, has. For all practical purposes, these are Nazis, and their influence is growing. In addition to the National Democratic Party, another 17 organizations operate in Germany today.

It’s wishful thinking to think the neo-Nazi movement hasn’t spread across the world. In America, where the German Bund spread Nazi influence long before World War II, now there are over three dozen neo-Nazi organizations in the United States, and that number is growing.

Neo-Nazis are growing in numbers and influence around the world. The nationalism that fuels the Nazi Party is embedded in more mainstream organizations. It’s debatable how much control they have, but their presence is undeniable. When those organizations refuse to rid themselves of the menace, they are actually embracing them in what has become a zero-sum game. I’m looking at you, MAGA, and the Republican Party.

You might imagine that this second wave of the Nazi Party only included white people, but that would be wrong. Nazis are active in Japan, Mexico, and throughout South America. Do they not understand the original Nazis would have killed them for existing? They can be found in Iran and Taiwan.

Many discount the resurgence of Nazis, and Tucker Carlson tried to tell us they have minimal influence.

“The American Nazi party and the KKK don’t really exist in a meaningful way. They may have an office or website. But they are not tens of thousands of members.” — Tucker Carlson

Carlson and others have allowed Nazis to hide in plain sight. The American Nazi Party and KKK are now minor factions within the movement. Most members are part of groups with different names but the exact cause. The combination of the multiple groups who knowingly support Nazi and Klan beliefs is high. The number of people that support the exact causes from mainstream groups is even higher. They will continue to grow until we stop pretending the enemy isn’t among us. Then there are those that don’t consider Nazis the enemy.

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This post was previously published on MEDIUM.COM.

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