be seen through such a simple lens. Bob: 'The SPD were eventually mostly released whereas the Communists were mostly retained as the perceived greater threat.' Perhaps, I don't know for sure. This isn't the point, however. Pre-1933, it is a fact that the thing that vexed both the conservative German elites and the Nazis most, was that the SDP held state power in Prussia, which meant it also had control over the Prussian police. They may have hated the Communists more, but they were under no illusions that in order to destroy Weimar democracy, they had to destroy its main -- and by the early 1930s, its only meaningful -- defender. Furthermore, when they talked of the 'Judeo-Bolshevik threat', they meant the SPD as much as, if not more than, the KPD. Given the political progression of European social-democracy post-1945, it can be easy to overlook that before than social-democracy was (at least in official ideology) Marxist. By modern liberal standards, then, these Marxists are worthy of high praise in view of their principled opposition to fascism. I also happen to think the Soviet-affiliated Communist Parties are too, but I can understand if others take issue with this. Nevertheless, when you have a Marxist party -- and the biggest one at that -- standing in defence of democracy when others, including liberals and conservatives, didn't, it seems not only historically inaccurate, but rather disrespectful, to suggest there is/was equivalence between Marxism and fascism. Also, if the Nazis did treat the