The National Socialism (also, shorter: Nazism, Hitlerism) is the official Ideology of Nazi Germany and the NSDAP. That much ist obvious. Less obvious is how Nazism is actually defined. In Practice, in the early days of the party many people with very different ideas have met there, who only agree about following the "Führer".
Judging the Nazis by their deeds will show that National Socialism has the following Aspects:
- radical Antisemitism - Jews should lose many of their Rights, evicted from Germany, expropriated, or even killed, which includes baptized and unbelieving Jews. Additionally, there's the belief in a world-wide Jewish conspiracy.
- radical Racism - All the human "Races" shall be treated differently - the "Aryans" best, the Slavs much worse, the blacks even worse, the Jews worst.
- Ultra nationalism - Germany shouldn't just try to return to the borders of 1914 (with or without colonies), but become much bigger than that - how big isn't clear yet.
- Folkish Nationalism - All the Germans of Europe should be united in one single realm (the Reich). Some demand to include the Dutch and the Flames. Other than that, no strangers should live in this realm - especially no Jews.
- Social darwinism - Humans with "better" "blood" should ruthlessly take advantage of others, in the most Extreme case up to enslavement or eradication of the so-called "Untermenschen".
- Anti-Communism - Communism, being an internationalist Ideology, is naturally opposed to Nazism, hence should be fought ruthlessly. Additionally, the Nazis like to point out that Karl Marx and many other famous Communists were Jews.
- Anti-liberalism - Collectivism instead of Individualism, restrictions for the free Market and human rights (this at least, Nazism has in common with Communism, as it's practiced in the Soviet Union under Stalin).
- Anti-democracy - Instead of electing a leadership, the "Führer" decides about everything, top-down.
There have been predecessors of National Socialism since the late 19th century, which have been less pronounced and especially less successful. Since the 1920s, Fascism has to be mentioned as well. Many opponents of the Nazis, especially Communists, like to throw Fascism and Nazism into the same category - if only to avoid saying something that sounds as if the Nazis were real Socialists.