Ernst Nolte European Civil War — Portable

Nolte claimed there was a "logical and factual" link between Bolshevism and National Socialism. He famously asked, "Did the 'Gulag Archipelago' not exist before Auschwitz?" suggesting that Bolshevik "class murder" was the precedent for Nazi "racial murder". Defensive Reaction:

Nolte introduced his theory most comprehensively in his 1987 magnum opus, Der europäische Bürgerkrieg 1917–1945: Nationalsozialismus und Bolschewismus (The European Civil War 1917–1945: National Socialism and Bolshevism). ernst nolte european civil war

Nolte coined the phrase asymmetrischer Gegenentwurf (asymmetrical counter-design). He argued that National Socialism did not emerge in a vacuum. It was, above all, a radical, panic-stricken reaction to Bolshevism. The Nazis looked east and saw a totalitarian enemy that had already murdered millions, nationalized all property, and preached world revolution. Nolte claimed there was a "logical and factual"