Nazi Eugenics - what, why and how did it happen and will it ever happen again?

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Nazi Eugenics – what, why and how did it happen and will it ever happen again?

Eugenics is a social philosophy, advocating the improvement of human hereditary traits through intervention. The discipline first became popular amongst scientists in the late 1800s and came to a head under Hitler’s rule in the 1930-40s. It developed simultaneously throughout America and Europe – especially Scandinavia and the UK – but Germany soon took it in a different direction, resulting in the horrific Holocaust of the Second World War. Deliberate misunderstanding by scientists and physicians in Germany, using Hitler’s power as an excuse to potentially re-establish themselves as leaders in the scientific world, led to the sterilization of hundreds of thousands of ethnic minorities, namely Jews and Gypsies. A euthanasia law was passed to grant ‘mercy killings’ to those suffering from mental illness resulting in the death of 85% of all patients in mental hospitals in Germany between 1935 and 1934. Despite similar sterilization and euthanasia laws in other countries around the world, there were no other atrocities on this scale.

This essay will explore the possibilities that could explain this, by investigating the background to eugenics and the programs used throughout the world during this period, comparing events in the US and the rest of Europe to Germany. Eugenics continues today – the Human Genome project now completed, for example, there is increasing scope for identifying genetic variation and the potential for genetic engineering of the human race – though generally under a “positive” rather than a “negative” guise. I will discuss these questions through describing the science behind eugenics; the eugenics programs themselves in America and Germany and finally the relevance on scientific advances today.

Mendel’s work into genetics was elementary to the ideas of race improvement. He demonstrated that the inheritance of traits follows particular laws, using peas as his example. His studies were performed between 1856 and 1863 but it was not until the early 1900s that his work was rediscovered and the importance realised. Darwin’s publication of The Origin of Species also gave rise to the development of further theories into genetics and generated huge interest into the area. It was this text that Francis Galton – Darwin’s cousin – based his work on. He was especially interested in the area of breeding for domesticity, and the possibilities for application of this idea to the human race. He published his ideas of inheritance of intelligence and other mental characteristics in his book “Hereditary Genius” in 1869. He invented the term ‘eugenics’ (meaning “good breeding”) after performing studies of his own, ranking families on various criteria to determine hereditary factors. He published his results in “Inquiries in Human Faculty and its Development” and encouraged early marriages between families of high rank and suggested incentives for these couples to have children. (Ridley 2005 p. 12)

At first eugenics developed in Germany in very similar ways to other countries around the world, especially the United States. The first International Congress of Eugenics was held in 1912, presided over by Leonard Darwin, the Head of the British Eugenics Society - Winston Churchill was present as representative of Great Britain. As a result of the meeting the Permanent International Commission of Eugenics was created, which hugely influenced the German Racial Hygiene Movement. During the First World War America was the strongest power in the eugenics movement, and the German eugenicists thus followed American progress closely.

This idea of maintaining the ‘good’ genes in a population was a popular one, and the importance of heredity and evolution meant ideas of “decay” were a high priority for the Americans. The possibility of ‘race suicide’ was referred to by both Woodrow Wilson and Teddy Roosevelt, detailing their concerns at the possibility of ‘inferior segments of the population gaining power’ (Stern 2005, p. 102) German hygienist Geza von Hoffman wrote a book in 1913 outlining the need for marriage restrictions and also sterilization legislation in the States and Germany – the “easiest measure to prevent the reproduction of inferior people” (Kuhl 1994, p.16). He also quoted Charles Woodruff (an American eugenicist) stating that “the types of human beings from northwest Europe are our best citizens and have, therefore, to be conserved.” (Kuhl 1994, p. 17)

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Sterilization programmes in the States were well established by 1920, with some states having implemented compulsory sterilization of the mentally handicapped as early as 1907. In 1933 the ‘law for the prevention of progeny with hereditary defects’ was proclaimed in Germany, resulting in the sterilization of those with ‘congenital defects, schizophrenia, manic-depressive psychosis, inherited epilepsy… [And] severe alcoholism.’ It ultimately resulted in the sterilization of over 350,000 people. In 1937 it was decided that all German, coloured children should also be sterilized. Illegal sterilization programmes continued throughout the war, as did research into more efficient sterilization methods – most were ...

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