--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Ironically, then, by the 1930s large…" description: "\"“Ironically, then, by the 1930s large segments of the radical Left had come to agree with what national socialists and fascists had long argued: that s..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c48/stephen-r-c-hicks-12692_quote_ironically-then-by-the-1930s-large-segme_1726881.jpg" --- # Ironically, then, by the 1930s large segments of the… ![“Ironically, then, by the 1930s large segments of the radical Left had come to agree with what national socialists and fascists had long argued: that socialism needs an aristocracy. Granted—the far Right and much of the far Left now agreed—socialism must be for the people. But it cannot be by the…” quote by Stephen R.C. Hicks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c48/stephen-r-c-hicks-12692_quote_ironically-then-by-the-1930s-large-segme_1726881.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c48/stephen-r-c-hicks-12692_quote_ironically-then-by-the-1930s-large-segme_1726881.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c48/stephen-r-c-hicks-12692_quote_ironically-then-by-the-1930s-large-segme_1726881.jpg) > ““Ironically, then, by the 1930s large segments of the radical Left had come to agree with what national socialists and fascists had long argued: that socialism needs an aristocracy. Granted—the far Right and much of the far Left now agreed—socialism must be for the people. But it cannot be by the people. The people must be told what they need and how to get it; and for both the direction and impetus must come from an elite.”” [Stephen R.C. Hicks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-r-c-hicks/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The author argues that both far‑right and far‑left see socialism as needing elite direction, rejecting pure popular rule. **In simple terms:** Both extremes favor elite control over socialism. Key Takeaway Question the role of elites in governance. Themes politics ideology elitism Mood critical analytical Type political philosophical When to use this quote - policy design - grassroots movements - academic debates Key Concepts social theory political philosophy Questions to Reflect On - Is elite guidance ever justified? - How to balance expertise with popular will? A Different Perspective Elite control can suppress democratic input. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Capitalism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/capitalism/) [Socialists](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/socialists/) ## Related quotes > [ Socialism needs to pull down wealth; liberalism seeks to raise up poverty. 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Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-n-wilson/) > [“Whatever their other differences, French Gaullists, Christian Democrats and Socialists shared a common faith in the activist state, economic planning and large-scale public investment.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-judt/whatever-their-other-differences-french-gaullists-christian-democrats/) [Tony Judt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-judt/) > [The claim of the State Socialists, however, that this right would not be exercised in matters pertaining to the individual in the more intimate…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-tucker/the-claim-of-the-state-socialists-however-that-this-right-would-not/) [Benjamin Tucker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-tucker/) ## More by Stephen R.C. Hicks > [“Nasty political correctness as a tactic then makes perfect sense. Having rejected reason, we will not expect ourselves or others to behave reasonably. Having…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-r-c-hicks/nasty-political-correctness-as-a-tactic-then-makes-perfect-sense/) [Stephen R.C. Hicks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-r-c-hicks/) > [“Marxism was and is a class analysis, pitting economic classes against each other in a zero-sum competition. In that competition, the stronger parties would…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-r-c-hicks/marxism-was-and-is-a-class-analysis-pitting-economic-classes-against/) [Stephen R.C. Hicks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-r-c-hicks/) > [“Deconstruction as an educational strategy   Here is an example. Kate Ellis is a radical gender feminist. Ellis, as she writes in Socialist Review,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-r-c-hicks/deconstruction-as-an-educational-strategy-here-is-an-example-kate/) [Stephen R.C. Hicks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-r-c-hicks/) > [“Yet mere membership as a matter of duty is not enough for Hegel, given the grandeur of the state’s divine historical purpose: “One must…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-r-c-hicks/yet-mere-membership-as-a-matter-of-duty-is-not-enough-for-hegel-given/) [Stephen R.C. Hicks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-r-c-hicks/) > [“In a “secret speech” to the twentieth Congress of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, Nikita Khrushchev made a sensational revelation of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-r-c-hicks/in-a-secret-speech-to-the-twentieth-congress-of-the-communist-party/) [Stephen R.C. Hicks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-r-c-hicks/) > [“That is my second hypothesis: Postmodernism is a response to the crisis of faith of the academic far Left. 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Economically, in practice the capitalist nations are increasingly productive and prosperous, with no end in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-r-c-hicks/the-empirical-evidence-has-been-much-harder-on-socialism-economically/) [Stephen R.C. Hicks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-r-c-hicks/) > [“Yet it is also true, Hegel granted, that in many cases the individual’s freedoms and interests will genuinely be set aside, overridden, and even…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-r-c-hicks/yet-it-is-also-true-hegel-granted-that-in-many-cases-the-individual-s/) [Stephen R.C. Hicks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-r-c-hicks/) > [“Morally and politically, in practice every liberal capitalist country has a solid record for being humane, for by and large respecting rights and freedoms,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-r-c-hicks/morally-and-politically-in-practice-every-liberal-capitalist-country/) [Stephen R.C. Hicks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-r-c-hicks/) > [“In our time, the world created by the Enlightenment is strong, active, and exuberant. For a while in the past century, socialists could believe…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-r-c-hicks/in-our-time-the-world-created-by-the-enlightenment-is-strong-active/) [Stephen R.C. Hicks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-r-c-hicks/) > [“Kunst ist Scheisse (Art is shit) was, fittingly, the motto of the Dada movement. Duchamp’s urinal was the fitting symbol. Everything is waste to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-r-c-hicks/kunst-ist-scheisse-art-is-shit-was-fittingly-the-motto-of-the-dada/) [Stephen R.C. Hicks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-r-c-hicks/) [Explore all 53 Stephen R.C. Hicks quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-r-c-hicks/) ## More Capitalism quotes > [Don't let's lose sight of what creates wealth. 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