QuoteProject
It is a matter of record that in the German Election of 1933, the Communist Party was ordered by its leaders to vote for the Nazis - with the explanation that they could later fight the Nazis for power, but first they had to help destroy their common enemy : capitalism and its parliamentary form of government.
Ayn Rand
ShareWTF𝕏

Interpretation

What this quote means

The quote highlights a controversial political strategy where the Communist Party allied with the Nazis to combat capitalism.

Ayn Rand's quote reflects the complex political dynamics of the German Election of 1933, where the Communist Party made a decision to support the Nazi party under the belief that once capitalism was dismantled, they could subsequently challenge the Nazis for control. This strategic alliance underscores the unforeseen consequences of prioritizing short-term goals over long-term political ideologies, emphasizing the precarious nature of political alliances and the potential for ideological betrayal.

Themes

PoliticsCommunismNazismCapitalismStrategy

In practice

Example use cases

In a political discussion about unlikely alliances in history, this quote can illustrate the fragility of political ideologies.

More from Ayn Rand

To say 'I love you' one must first be able to say the 'I.'
Ayn RandRead
The difference between animals and humans is that animals change themselves for the environment, but humans change the environment for themselves.
Ayn RandRead
It is my eyes which see, and the sight of my eyes grants beauty to the earth. It is my ears which hear, and the hearing of my ears gives its song to the world. It is my mind which thinks, and the judgement of my mind is the only searchlight that can find the truth. It is my will which chooses, and the choice of my will is the only edict I must respect.
Ayn RandRead
What is the basic, the essential, the crucial principle that differentiates freedom from slavery? It is the principle of voluntary action versus physical coercion or compulsion.
Ayn RandRead
One method of destroying a concept is by diluting its meaning. Observe that by ascribing rights to the unborn, i.e., the nonliving, the anti-abortionists obliterate the rights of the living.
Ayn RandRead
I think that when in doubt about the truth of an issue, it's safer and in better taste to select the least numerous of the adversaries.
Ayn RandRead

Similar quotes

The signers of the Declaration of Independence did not pledge their fortunes and sacred honor so the federal government could play 'helicopter parent' to a free people. They saw government as our shared project to secure liberty, doing a few big things and doing them well.
Ben SasseRead
Face the truth squarely. In politics that is always the best and the only correct attitude.
Vladimir LeninRead
The Senate has been debased to the level of a forum of hate and character assassination sheltered by the shield of congressional immunity.
Margaret Chase SmithRead
Economic libertarians and Christian evangelicals, united by their common enemy, are strange bedfellows in today's Republican party, just as the two Georges - the archconservative Wallace and the uberliberal McGovern - found themselves in the same Democratic Party in 1972.
Steven PinkerRead
Where free unions and collective bargaining are forbidden, freedom is lost.
Ronald ReaganRead
Only 4 sets of people can vote for the PDP: (1) those who are intellectually blind; (2) those who are blinded by ethnicity; (3) those who are blinded by corruption and therefore afraid of the unknown, should power change hands; and finally (4) those who are suffering from a combination of the above terminal sicknesses.
Wole SoyinkaRead

A little wisdom, now and then

Subscribe for the occasional hand-picked quote. No noise.