Racial Theories: Nazis and Jews
Racial theories
The Meyers Blitz-Lexikon(Leipzig, 1932) depicts German war hero Karl von Müller as an example of the Nordic racial type. The Nazis considered the Nordic type to be the highest in racial hierarchy within the Aryan race.
In its racial categorization, Nazism viewed what it called the Aryan race as the master race of the world—a race that was superior to all other races. It viewed Aryans as being in racial conflict with a mixed race people, the Jews, whom Nazis identified as a dangerous enemy of the Aryans. It also viewed a number of other peoples as dangerous to the well-being of the Aryan race, particularly Slavs and Romani. To maintain the "purity and strength" of the Aryan race, the Nazis sought to exterminate Jews, Romani, and the physically and mentally disabled.[13] Other groups deemed "degenerate" and "asocial" who were not targeted for extermination, but received exclusionary treatment by the Nazi state, included homosexuals, blacks, Jehovah's Witnesses and political opponents.[13] One of Hitler's ambitions at the start of the war was to exterminate, expel, or enslave most or all Slavs from central and eastern Europe so as to make living space for German settlers.[103]
Nazi racial theorist Hans F. K. Günther identified the Aryan race in Europe as having five subtype races: Nordic, Mediterranean, Dinaric, Alpine, and East Baltic.[104] Günther applied a Nordicistconception that Nordics were the highest in the racial hierarchy amongst these five Aryan subtype races.[104] In his book Rassenkunde des deutschen Volkes (1922) ("Racial Science of the German People"), Günther recognized Germans as being composed of all five Aryan subtypes, but emphasized the strong Nordic heritage amongst Germans.[105] Hitler read Rassenkunde des deutschen Volkes that influenced his racial policy.[106]
The Nazis described Jews as being racially-mixed group of primarily Near Eastern and Oriental racial types.[107] As such racial groups were concentrated outside
The Meyers Blitz-Lexikon(Leipzig, 1932) depicts German war hero Karl von Müller as an example of the Nordic racial type. The Nazis considered the Nordic type to be the highest in racial hierarchy within the Aryan race.
In its racial categorization, Nazism viewed what it called the Aryan race as the master race of the world—a race that was superior to all other races. It viewed Aryans as being in racial conflict with a mixed race people, the Jews, whom Nazis identified as a dangerous enemy of the Aryans. It also viewed a number of other peoples as dangerous to the well-being of the Aryan race, particularly Slavs and Romani. To maintain the "purity and strength" of the Aryan race, the Nazis sought to exterminate Jews, Romani, and the physically and mentally disabled.[13] Other groups deemed "degenerate" and "asocial" who were not targeted for extermination, but received exclusionary treatment by the Nazi state, included homosexuals, blacks, Jehovah's Witnesses and political opponents.[13] One of Hitler's ambitions at the start of the war was to exterminate, expel, or enslave most or all Slavs from central and eastern Europe so as to make living space for German settlers.[103]
Nazi racial theorist Hans F. K. Günther identified the Aryan race in Europe as having five subtype races: Nordic, Mediterranean, Dinaric, Alpine, and East Baltic.[104] Günther applied a Nordicistconception that Nordics were the highest in the racial hierarchy amongst these five Aryan subtype races.[104] In his book Rassenkunde des deutschen Volkes (1922) ("Racial Science of the German People"), Günther recognized Germans as being composed of all five Aryan subtypes, but emphasized the strong Nordic heritage amongst Germans.[105] Hitler read Rassenkunde des deutschen Volkes that influenced his racial policy.[106]
The Nazis described Jews as being racially-mixed group of primarily Near Eastern and Oriental racial types.[107] As such racial groups were concentrated outside