Nazi Racial Policy

Hello, I am having an argument with a friend of mine regarding Nazi racial policy, and I was wondering what your input on our disagreement would be:

My friend argues; 'Hitler believed in the supremacy of the blonde-haired, blue-eyed people, and one of his policies and goals was to eventually exterminate everyone in the world who was not blonde-haired or blue eyed'.

I argue: 'Its absurd, how many people in the Axis were not blonde-haired or blue eyed? Even the top German officials (Hitler himself, Goering, Donitz, Goebells) were dark haired. Germany's Allies (Italy, Annexed States, Japan) were not 'aryan' in appearance. A vast part of the German people, government, and military were dark haired and in power, and would never go along or agree with this plan. Even if the policy was slowly implemented (ie: as with the Jewish people)'.

I would apreciate your comments... thanks

It is a mistake to look for consistency or clarity in Nazi racial policy. It was a hodgepodge of absurd prejudices put together at different times by different people with different personal neuroses that motivated them.

Hitler himself had dark hair and did not conform to the blonde haired blue eyed 'Aryan' image. In fact, it is thought by many that Hitler had a Jewish great-grandparent.

In various pronouncements, Hitler and his cronies seemed to indicate, not that they wanted to wipe out all other 'races' (and the Nazi concept of 'race' was certainly confused and unscientific), but that they wanted to make some into junior partners (e.g., the Scandinavians, Anglo Saxons, Baltic people and possibly others), or make them servants and slaves.

As for the Japanese, as the war progressed the Germans found themselves in need of every ally they could find, regardless of race. They also attempted to make allies of various Arab and middle eastern peoples, Ukrainians, Serbians, Muslim Bosnians, Turks, Spaniards, and anyone else who they thought might be persuaded to help.

No, that was his Aryan archtype, his dream person. (somewhat similar to the 'New Soviet Man' introduced by Stalin and perpetuated by subsequent leaders) Alluding to your comment, I don't recall that Hitler or any of his inner circle were blonde-haired or blue-eyed. 'Untermenschen' (sub-humans) were to be utilized as slave labor, but were not necessarily to be exterminated outright. Even Hitler realized that such a policy was impossible, not to mention impractical. He envisioned them working in harsh climates and at the more dangerous jobs (nuclear research perhaps).

Hitler believed in the supremacy of the 'Aryan' race, which was a mythic concept. It was Himmler and other S.S. and Nazi party ideologs who popularized the link to tall blond people. But this was more for propaganda posters than anything, and in fact the Nazis conveniently ignored the fact that many 'good' Germans were far from this physical ideal.

As to your second statement, this is not true. Nazi doctrine as enunciated by Hitler, the Party and its bosses (which often differed in detail) called for an Aryan empire in Europe up to the Urals, excluding the Mediterranean. It was called 'lebensraum' (living space). Within this territory, non-Germans would be eliminated or reduced to slavery to make way for Aryans.

Jews were not strictly speaking covered by that doctrine. They were regarded as a special racial enemy whose elimination was essential for the survival of the Aryan race in Europe. They were to be combatted regardless of where they were (killing was covered over by code-words).

But to get back to your statement, Nazi doctrine never said that dark people were to be exterminated all over the world. The Nazis had no problem with blacks living in Africa, brown people in South Asia, Chinese in China. They simply were not to be allowed to stand in the way of an Aryan empire in Europe.

This is a common misconception, caused partly by the fact that photographs sometimes darken with age. In fact Hitler and the senior Nazis, while not all blond giants, were fairly typical of the German population of the time in colour and height. And you are right that some of Germany's allies (Italians, Rumanians and Japanese especially) did not match the stereotype, but Nazi propaganda got around this. They talked of the glory of the Roman Empire, and called the Japanese 'honorary Aryans'. Some of the sillier Nazis even pretended to find Aryan origins for the ancient empires, even the Aztecs and Incas.

and in power, and would never go

Well first, hair and eye colour was never more than an ideal on posters, as I said. Germans knew what they looked like and went about their business. But the 'plan' of Aryan domination of Europe was definitely something they had to go along with. Criticism of this was extremely dangerous, active opposition almost suicidal.

A famous joke spread among the Allies during the war was that the ideal Aryan was: (1) Blonde like Hitler (2) Tall like Goebbels (3) physically athletic like Goering

(recall that Goebells was called 'the poisoned dwarf' and that Adolf Galland's nickname for Goering was 'Fatty'

> circle were blonde-haired or blue-eyed.

Perhaps the only one of Hitler's 'inner circle' or his cronies that could be considered Aryan by the Nazi standards would be Reinhard Heydrich the head of the SD [if I remember right] and Governor of occuppied Czechoslovakia [or was it Bohemia??].

Cheers Bob

..> Perhaps the only one of Hitler's 'inner circle' or his cronies that could .. Ironically, he had the reputation that he was part(or all) Jewish. Some people saw lhis dedication and Nazi paranoia as a result of knowing those rumours and trying to offset them with a compulsion.

Well, if the implication of this statement is that all Jews are dark haired and obviously not 'Aryan' in appearance, let me introduce you to two of my sisters, my brother-in-law, four of my nieces, three nephews, and my son, who are all at the same time as blonde-haired and blue-eyed and as Jewish as they come.

Edward Tannen

I can well remember, although it was long ago, just a few years after ww2, reading an article about what the axis powers had planned for america, had they won the war. Ger. was to get all territory from the east coast, to the mississippi river, including St Louis. Italy, the state of florida. Japan, all territory from the mississippi, to the west coast. But the one plan all three powers had in common, was the total extermination of blacks, in America, and surrounding areas, also they planned to exterminate all others, they deemed to be untermenchen. Including everyone opposing their regimes in any way. The germans first planned to use many blacks, for medical experimentation, prior to murdering them.