Racial Theories&Nazi State
The Nazi State of the Third Reich is clearly defined by racial theory put into practice. One reading Burleigh and Wipperman's book; The Racial State, learns of these different racial theories and how they are implemented under Adolf Hitler in the Third Reich. As one learns when reading The Racial State, Adolf Hitler's eugenic and racial-hygienic theories were not original. Theorists long before his time wrote of the same racist theories. Hitler never mentions any of these theorists in his work, but one can see when reading The Racial State, that the horrific acts that occurred during the Third Reich reflected the ideas of these theorists. Theorist Alfred Grotjahn's believed that in order to achieve social hygiene, those who did not fit the social criteria of the state, should be isolated that in order to achieve social hygiene. Those that did not fit the social criteria of the state should be isolated and sterilized to eventually destroy these races. These people included, the insane, the work shy, alcoholics, those carrying diseases and accident victims. Zoologist Ernst Haekel shares this view with his theory that the 'central races' were superior and in order to maintain their superiority, those who were sick and not p
Theories about the extermination of the ill were not the only appalling theories put into practice in the Third Reich. Those who were not considered pure blooded Aryan-Germans were also to suffer under Hitler's reign of terror. Some of those groups included Jews, gypsies, poles and half breeds (eg.Half Jew-Half German). In other words those who were accepted were only those who were pure blooded Aryan-German. Theorist Arthur D. Gobineau believed that the value of a person was determined by their color. He believed that all high cultures where the work of Aryans. He believed that if Aryans interbred with races of lesser value, this would weaken the Aryan ruling class and the Aryan culture would be lost. Hitler shared this view as well. In 1935 the law for the protection of German blood and Honor was passed. This law forbid Jews to have sexual relations or marry those of "German blood". This law did not only excluded Jews from marrying Germans, it also excluded Gypsies, Negroes and their bastards from marrying pure blooded Germans as well. As Burleigh and Wipperman explain, "gypsies, negroes, or their bastards' were normally counted alongside Jews as carriers of non-German or related blood"(pg.50). As one can see these ideas were not unique to Hitler. The few theorists I've discussed wrote of the similar theories before Hitler's time. Although these theorists as well as Hitler saw these measures as necessary ways of protecting the German state from extinction, there was nothing provided to show any of these theories of racism as valid. I am referring to the allegations by these theorists, such as that the Jews were backstabbers, prostitutes and spreaders of diseases. These racist theories can not be proven as valid. From reading this book I have drawn the conclusion the that government of the Third Reich was structured, to rid the G
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Approximate Word count = 1258
Approximate Pages = 5 (250 words per page double spaced)
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