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The writings of prominent German biologists in the early twentieth century reveal their active support for Nazi racial policies. Many of these scientists believed that the human gene pool could be enhanced through selective breeding, similar to the methods used by farmers to breed livestock. Hitler’s government relied heavily on the works of Darwinists and influential figures like Haeckel to formulate its racial policies. This scientific backing played a significant role in the development and execution of government programs aimed at creating a "superior race," which ultimately led to the genocide of approximately six million Jews and over five million others deemed "inferior" by German scientists.
The ideological foundation for these policies was established long before Hitler or the Nazi Party came to power. As early as 1917, Stanford University president and biologist Dr. Vernon Kellogg observed that Darwinism was being used to justify both war and German claims of supremacy, particularly by high-ranking German officers, many of whom were former university professors. These individuals advocated a stark interpretation of natural selection, emphasizing violent competition where the "weak" would perish. Reporting on these beliefs, Kellogg noted that figures like Professor von Flussen, along with most German biologists and philosophers, adhered to a Neo-Darwinian view. They regarded violent struggle as a necessary and natural law, essential for humanity's "salvation," which they equated with desirable evolutionary progress.
Kellogg further explained that German intellectuals believed the most evolutionarily advanced race should dominate in the struggle for survival. This competition, they argued, was essential to test and elevate the best race, enabling it to impose its societal model on others or eliminate them altogether. Kellogg described this ideology as a rigid, almost unassailable logic that tied German racial superiority to an evolutionary framework. This perspective not only justified their actions but also bolstered widespread public support for Nazism.
One reason for this support was the integration of Darwinist principles into the public education system. German historian Richard Grunberger documented how Nazi ideology relied heavily on Darwinist ideas, particularly in the educational realm. The Adolf Hitler Schools institutionalized the concept of "continuous selection," where students underwent rigorous racial and physical assessments during their youth. Those who met the criteria were admitted and evaluated on leadership potential, further cementing the Party's focus on selective breeding and racial purity.
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