Comparing Stalin and Hitler: a debate that never goes away

Stalin vs Hitler: the false equivalence dividing the right

Are Stalin and Hitler interchangeable? A claim made by part of the liberal camp has triggered a visceral reaction. Those who defend the comparison point to statism, repression and the cult of personality as common traits. Critics, however, remind them that Nancy added a racial and genocidal component that Stalinism lacked, at least not with the same systematic character.

On a technical level, some argue that Hitler was a nationalist socialist and Stalin an internationalist socialist, but that in practice the life of the average citizen under the Third Reich was better than under the USSR, except for persecuted groups. Other users point out that in Spain, before 1975, fascism was not the main enemy; it was the Transition (Spain's move to democracy after Franco) that reshaped the narrative, turning Hitler into absolute evil while softening the condemnation of communism.

The Transition and the paradigm shift

A historical analysis suggests that the new democratic right needed to distance itself from Francoism in order to legitimize itself, and to do so it demonized Nancy while tolerating communism. ETA, previously seen as Marxist, came to be labelled "Nancy". This discursive shift would have paved the way for today's liberal tendency to equate the two totalitarianisms, ignoring fundamental differences such as the role of racial extermination.

A controversy with no end in sight

The lack of hard data does not stop passions from flaring. While some see a makeover of Stalinism, others accuse liberals of playing fast and loose with history. Ironies of the 21st century: the same left that demonizes Franco now tries to whitewash Stalin, or so its critics claim. The debate remains open with no prospect of consensus, because history does not allow for symmetrical sausages.