Untermenshi - what is this? Nazi racial theory

The racial ideology of the Nazis is known for its cruelty. After half a century, we, modern people, it is extremely difficult to imagine that not so long ago it was fixed in Germany at the legislative level. The Nazi ideology presupposed the existence of such a category of population as untermenshi. What kind of people are they? Jews, Gypsies, Slavs and most colored races were considered second class compared to true Aryans. Such a policy led to the Holocaust, one of the most sad events of modern history.

The ideology of the Nazis

Racial hygiene, preached by Hitler's henchmen, included a set of rules fixed at the state level, according to which some groups of the population were allowed to have offspring, and others - not. They were called the term "untermenshi". What did this mean for them? This population group had to gradually die out, because their genetic characteristics were recognized as "experts" undesirable. Nazi ideology was considered official in the early 20th century in Germany. A similar policy was pursued in some European, North American and South African countries. The author of the concept on which she was based was Arthur de Gobineau. He believed that the race creates a culture, so mixing different genetically people leads to chaos. Racial hygiene is historically associated with traditional notions of public health, emphasizing inheritance. Frances Galton was looking for statistical evidence of the need for such an ideology. In 1883 he introduced the concept of eugenics to designate a new field of science. After the discoveries of Mendel, the latter was used to legitimize the policy of racial hygiene.

Origin of the concept

Race was one of the main categories of Nazi ideology. The Aryans were considered ideal in their genetic properties. At the lowest step were untermenshi. What kind of people are they? The Nazis called them "outsiders", "masses from the East", that is, Jews, Roma and Slavs (mainly ethnic Poles, Serbs, and then Russians). The term was also used to refer to most peoples of all races, except for Caucasoid, with some exceptions. Jews were subject to total destruction during the Holocaust, and the Slavic population of Eastern Europe was subject to reduction through massacres. Some people also had to be deported to Asia or become slaves of the Reich. Some peoples were partly recognized as Aryan, so they had to be Germanized.

True Aryan

The Nazis were guided in their politics by eugenics. They considered the Aryans to be the highest race, which should dominate the planet. The rest of the population had to be gradually destroyed through massacres and a ban on reproduction. To date, this view is considered pseudoscientific. Aryans can only be languages. The view of Gobineau, which the fascists adapted to their needs, is completely wrong.

A distinctive feature of the Aryans, the Nazis considered blue eyes and blond hair. They considered them to be the highest race, which surpasses all the rest with physical, moral and mental properties. Hitler and his supporters advocated the preservation of the purity of blood, Germany saw him as the ruler of the whole world. All other races are only executors, practically slaves who are not capable of independent creativity, manifestation of spirit and willpower. In addition to the Scandinavians, the Aryans were regarded as Japanese. The Jews saw a sharp contrast. The latter were subject to complete destruction.

People of the second grade

When one speaks of such a category as a nontermenshi, what it is and what this classification is associated with, it is usually immediately recalled by the Nazis. However, in fact the term was first introduced by the American author. Lothrop Stoddard wrote in his book "The Revolt Against Civilization", published in 1922, that the lower race is an immediate threat to humanity. To it he reckoned the Bolsheviks. According to Stoddard, in 1917 power in Russia was captured by the most degenerate people on Earth. The problem was not only in the political doctrine itself, but also in the people living in the territory. Perhaps the creation of this concept Stoddard inspired Nietzsche with his "superman".

The Jewish Question

A true Aryan can not enter into sexual relations with the Semites. The former were considered the creators of modern civilization, the latter - destructive force and a degenerating factor. Jews were considered only as a German antipode, which parasitized on the wealth of other peoples and cultures. Therefore, their destruction was declared "the salvation of all mankind". Initially, many Jews hoped that the Nazis would respect the rights of minorities, to which they themselves counted. However, the real state of affairs soon became clear. Gradually Jews began to be excluded from the cultural, political and economic life. In 1938, their open persecution began. Passports of Jews were declared invalid, and bank accounts were frozen. By the beginning of the Great Patriotic War, the concept of mass destruction of "racially undesirable" representatives of the population was developed. His peak came in 1942, later the Jews were used as a work force, because the hands in Germany were sorely lacking.

Attitude towards the Roma

It is important to understand that the inferior race is not only Jews. In fact, it can be attributed to all, except for the Germans themselves. The problem with the Roma was that they spoke the language of the Indo-Aryan group. However, they were still declared an inferior race. It was believed that European gypsies had long mixed with other nationalities, so they could not be regarded as full-fledged Aryans. In the late 1930s, their forced sterilization began and sent to labor camps. Later mass killings of Roma, as well as Jews, begin.

Legislative consolidation of inequality

The Nazi ideology was not just preached, it was legislatively fixed at the state level. Back in 1933 all non-Aryan officials were dismissed. The new law on inheritance suggested that only Germans could possess and transfer land over 7.5 hectares to their descendants. Marriages between Aryans and Semites were outlawed. In 1935, the Nuremberg Laws were published, in which the signs of thoroughbredness were fixed. Untermenschims also declared, despite the race, alcoholics, drug addicts, mentally ill, mentally handicapped, disabled, representatives of sexual minorities. Since 1936 - also gypsies. Directly to the mass destruction of "nedolyudey" Nazis moved with the outbreak of war with the Soviet Union.