Public awareness of the Holocaust and remaining Nazi war criminals increased in the 1970s. Many cases made headline news. The case of
Hermine Braunsteiner-Ryan, who was the first Nazi war criminal to be extradited from the United States, received widespread media coverage. The case triggered the Immigration and Naturalization Service to further locate Nazi collaborators. By the late 1970s, INS addressed thousands of cases, and the U.S. government formed the Office of Special Investigations, which was dedicated to locating Nazi war criminals in the United States.
Neo-Nazism emerged as an ideology during this time, seeking to revive and implement Nazi ideology. Neo-Nazis seek to employ their ideology to promote hatred and
white supremacy
White supremacy or white supremacism is the belief that white people are superior to those of other races and thus should dominate them. The belief favors the maintenance and defense of any power and privilege held by white people. White su ...
, attack racial and ethnic minorities, and create a
fascist state
Fascism is a far-right, authoritarian, ultra-nationalist political ideology and movement,: "extreme militaristic nationalism, contempt for electoral democracy and political and cultural liberalism, a belief in natural social hierarchy and th ...
. Neo-Nazism is a global phenomenon, with organized representation in many countries and international networks. It borrows elements from Nazi doctrine, including
ultranationalism
Ultranationalism or extreme nationalism is an extreme form of nationalism in which a country asserts or maintains detrimental hegemony, supremacy, or other forms of control over other nations (usually through violent coercion) to pursue its sp ...
, racism,
xenophobia
Xenophobia () is the fear or dislike of anything which is perceived as being foreign or strange. It is an expression of perceived conflict between an in-group and out-group and may manifest in suspicion by the one of the other's activities, a ...
, ableism, homophobia,
anti-Romanyism
Anti-Romani sentiment (also antigypsyism, anti-Romanyism, Romaphobia, or Antiziganism) is hostility, prejudice, discrimination or racism which is specifically directed at Romani people (Roma, Sinti, Iberian Kale, Welsh Kale, Finnish Kale, Hora ...
, antisemitism, anti-communism, and creating a
Fourth Reich
The Fourth Reich (german: Viertes Reich) is a hypothetical Nazi Reich that is the successor to Adolf Hitler's Third Reich (1933–1945). The term has also been used to refer to the possible resurgence of Nazi ideas, as well as pejoratively of pol ...
.
Holocaust denial
Holocaust denial is an antisemitic conspiracy theory that falsely asserts that the Nazi genocide of Jews, known as the Holocaust, is a myth, fabrication, or exaggeration. Holocaust deniers make one or more of the following false statements:
...
is common in neo-Nazi circles.
In the United States, organizations such as the
American Nazi Party
The American Nazi Party (ANP) is an American far-right and neo-Nazi political party founded by George Lincoln Rockwell and headquartered in Arlington, Virginia. The organization was originally named the World Union of Free Enterprise National ...
, the
National Alliance and
White Aryan Resistance
White Aryan Resistance (WAR) is a White supremacy, white supremacist and Neo-Nazism, neo-Nazi organization in the United States which was founded and formerly led by former Ku Klux Klan Grand Dragon Tom Metzger. It is based in Warsaw, Indiana, ...
were formed during the second half of the 20th century.
The National Alliance founded in the 1970s by
William Luther Pierce
William Luther Pierce III (September 11, 1933 – July 23, 2002) was an American neo-Nazi, white supremacist, and far-right political activist. For more than 30 years, he was one of the highest-profile individuals of the white nationalist movem ...
, author of
The Turner Diaries
''The Turner Diaries'' is a 1978 novel by William Luther Pierce, published under the pseudonym Andrew Macdonald. It depicts a violent revolution in the United States which leads to the overthrow of the federal government, a nuclear war, and, ult ...
, was the largest and most active neo-Nazi group in the United States in the 1990s.
21st century
![Sinclair Lewis It Can't Happen Here 1936 theater poster](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/40/Sinclair_Lewis_It_Can%27t_Happen_Here_1936_theater_poster.jpg)
According to the
Southern Poverty Law Center
The Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) is an American 501(c)(3) nonprofit legal advocacy organization specializing in civil rights and public interest litigation. Based in Montgomery, Alabama, it is known for its legal cases against white su ...
, the National Alliance had lost most of its members by 2020 but is still visible in the U.S.
Other groups, such as
Atomwaffen Division
The Atomwaffen Division (''Atomwaffen'' meaning "nuclear weapons" in German), also known as the National Socialist Resistance Front, is an international far right-wing extremist and neo-Nazi terrorist network. Formed in 2013 and based in the ...
have taken its place.
American Neo-Nazi groups have moved towards more decentralized organization and online social networks with a terroristic focus.
In 2016, TV personality
Tila Tequila
Nguyễn Thị Thiên Thanh (born October 24, 1981), better known by her stage names Tila Tequila, Tila Nguyen, Miss Tila and Tornado Thien, is an American television and social media personality. She first gained recognition for her active p ...
declared herself a Nazi.
In 2017, The white-nationalist
Unite the Right rally
The Unite the Right rally was a white supremacist rally that took place in Charlottesville, Virginia, from August 11 to 12, 2017. Marchers included members of the alt-right, neo-Confederates, neo-fascists, white nationalists, neo-Nazis, ...
took place in
Charlottesville, Virginia
Charlottesville, colloquially known as C'ville, is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia. It is the county seat of Albemarle County, which surrounds the city, though the two are separate legal entities. It is named after Queen Ch ...
. It was organized by,
Richard B Spencer and
Jason Kessler
Jason Eric Kessler (born September 22, 1983) is an American neo-Nazi, white supremacist, and antisemitic conspiracy theorist. Kessler organized the Unite the Right rally held in Charlottesville, Virginia, on August 11–12, 2017, and the Unite ...
. Both of whom are followers of Neo-Nazism.
In 2022, rapper
Kanye West
Ye ( ; born Kanye Omari West ; June 8, 1977) is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, record producer, and fashion designer.
Born in Atlanta and raised in Chicago, West gained recognition as a producer for Roc-A-Fella Records in the ea ...
stated that he identified as a Nazi, praising the policies of Adolf Hitler.
South America
Inter-war period
The
National Socialist Movement of Chile
Movimiento Nacional Socialista de Chile was a political movement in Chile, during the Presidential Republic Era, which initially supported the ideas of Adolf Hitler, although it later moved towards a more local form of fascism. They were common ...
(MNSCH), or ''el nacismo'', formed in 1932. It was founded by
Carlos Keller Rueff and
Jorge Gonzalez von Marees, both of German heritage, as well as Juan de Dios Valenzuela and . The members were referred to as ''Nacistas'' and the party had a pyramid-structured hierarchy led by a ''Jefe.'' It also included shock troops called the TNA. The party lacked a militant stand on racial matters, unlike European Nazism, as the matter of racial purity was not important in Chile and was deemed counter to the national tradition. However, the MNSCH operated like many other fascist movements, with emphasis on
totalitarianism
Totalitarianism is a form of government and a political system that prohibits all opposition parties, outlaws individual and group opposition to the state and its claims, and exercises an extremely high if not complete degree of control and reg ...
, military values,
elitism
Elitism is the belief or notion that individuals who form an elite—a select group of people perceived as having an intrinsic quality, high intellect, wealth, power, notability, special skills, or experience—are more likely to be constructi ...
, hierarchy, discipline and the need for action. The MNSCH also held the view that the individual should serve the nation as a part of a higher organism needed for self-preservation, and the party advocated the need for a totalitarian, unified order akin to European Nazism. They deplored elections and declared themselves anti-democratic, anti-liberal, anti-Marxist, anti-conservative, anti-oligarchist, and anti-imperialist.
World War II
Some South American countries were opposed to the Axis powers and Nazism in Europe, especially after the bombing of Pearl Harbor in 1941. Others maintained that continuing economic relations with countries on both sides of the war would be beneficial. German, Italian, and Spanish influences were strong in Argentina due to a high number of immigrants. Fascist sentiments permeated the political and military spheres, especially after the Revolution of '43, a trend that continued during Perón's populist administration and eventually led to over 40 years of military dictatorship. There was opposition to the German community in Chile due to the 1938
Seguro Obrero massacre
The Seguro Obrero massacre ( es, Matanza del Seguro Obrero, lit=Workers Insurance's Massacre) occurred on September 5, 1938, and was the Chilean government's response to an attempted coup d'état by the National Socialist Movement of Chile (MNSCh ...
. The United States issued radio broadcasts and motion pictures during the war in order to generate and spread anti-fascist propaganda across Latin America.
After World War II
![Nazi_assembly_in_Chile](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/12/Nazi_assembly_in_Chile.jpg)
After World War II ended, many Nazis and other fascists fled to South America through the use of
ratlines
Ratlines () are lengths of thin line tied between the shrouds of a sailing ship to form a ladder. Found on all square-rigged ships, whose crews must go aloft to stow the square sails, they also appear on larger fore-and-aft rigged vessels to ...
. Many of these ratlines were supported by the
Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...
. The first movements to smuggle Nazis and fascists came in 1946 when two Argentinian bishops colluded with a French
cardinal
Cardinal or The Cardinal may refer to:
Animals
* Cardinal (bird) or Cardinalidae, a family of North and South American birds
**''Cardinalis'', genus of cardinal in the family Cardinalidae
**''Cardinalis cardinalis'', or northern cardinal, the ...
to bring French war criminals into Argentina. Under Argentine president
Juan Perón
Juan Domingo Perón (, , ; 8 October 1895 – 1 July 1974) was an Argentine Army general and politician. After serving in several government positions, including Minister of Labour and Vice President of a military dictatorship, he was elected P ...
's instructions, many European war criminals were brought into the country and given citizenship and employment.
[Goñi, Uki (2003). ''The Real Odessa: Smuggling the Nazis to Perón's Argentina'' (revised ed.). London: Granta]
See also
References
Further reading
* Black, Edwin (2001).
IBM and the Holocaust
''IBM and the Holocaust: The Strategic Alliance between Nazi Germany and America's Most Powerful Corporation'' is a book by investigative journalist and historian Edwin Black which documents the strategic technology services rendered by US-based ...
: The Strategic Alliance between Nazi Germany and America's Most Powerful Corporation.
.l. Crown Publishers.
HITLER’S SHADOW Nazi War Criminals, U.S. Intelligence, and the Cold War* From Germany to the United States: Universalizing the Fourth Reich in the Turbulent 1960s. (2019). The Fourth Reich, 158–190. doi:10.1017/9781108628587.006
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