Seeds of German Racism Before the World Wars

National Agenda and Ethnic Pride Fosters Increased Racism in Germany. In the colonization of Africa in the late 1800s through WWI, the United Kingdom, France, and others did not impose outright slavery in the strict sense of the term. The Germans, on the other hand, did enforce slave labor in Africa. Germany had never possessed an overseas empire like its chief rival European powers, so it was particularly enthusiastic in its expansionism ambitions. It was least of all concerned about the welfare of its new subjects, even inflicting genocide upon natives in its South-West Africa colony, in order to clear land for its own settlers. Germany was trying to catch up from behind so to speak, since it was a new global power, so human rights was further down the priority list with Germany than with other European powers. This may explain why the Germans embraced racist scientific/theological theories with greater zeal than most Europeans, and why they were more brutal in their treatment of black Africans, even well before the Nazi party and its extremist-racial policies.

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Aryan Race Theory Born. By the late 1800s, a far-right organization by the name of Alldeutscher Verband was established to promote pro-German policies (unifying Germans from across the continent), and to preserve the German racial purity. This group viewed other races (including Jews) as sub-human, buying into the theory that different races came from different seeds with no common ancestry. They asserted that just as a human was different from an ape, a white European was different from a black African. This gave birth to the Aryan Race theory, claiming that white Europeans descended from a superior seed of blonde/blue-eyed ancestors originating in modern Germany (Nordics). Those that migrated south were claimed to have mixed with the inferior Semites (Jews, Arabs), developing darker features, such as Italians and Greeks. They were still superior to Semites, but not as superior as Nordics. Most Europeans believed this by the end of the 19th century, including scientists (proving they were more swayed by personal-held beliefs than scientific reasoning), while the minority of scientists were critical of the theory. The Aryan Race theory especially took root in Germany, since it was the supposed homeland to the superior Aryan race, therefore they could argue that they were the most pure of the most advanced race, causing them to be more emotionally-vested in the theory. Hitler was strongly influenced by Alldeutscher Verband, which directly inspired his book “Mien Kampf”. Such theories endorsed the idea that white Europeans should not mix with other races, to avoid dilution and regression of the superior race. Hitler would later take this a leap farther by asserting that other seeds (Jews in particular) should be exterminated, to avoid corruption of the Aryan race. These ideas found favor with the Germans (although extermination to a lesser extent) since racial supremacy had supported their national agenda and ethnic pride for decades, rooting back to the 1800s.

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Geopolitical Factors in German Racism. It can be argued that geopolitical factors created such an environment. Since the Germans were in a less vulnerable position than many other European nations, they had less impetus to consolidate, resulting in a decentralized Holy Roman Empire which lasted centuries. Since rivals such as England, France and Spain were more compelled to consolidate, they serendipitiously became better-equipped to project their power abroad, while the Germans were more inwardly-focused. However, the Germans were finally compelled to consolidate after being overrun by France during the Napoleonic Wars, resulting in a national desire and capability to expand overseas. In the aftermath of the Napoleonic Wars, nationalism escalated rapidly, as Germans saw their rival European powers conquering the world, while they struggled to maintain unity and sovereignty. When they did finally unify under Prussia in 1870, they were especially driven to gain resources in order to catch up. With all of these factors at play, German national pride was palpable, and their aura of racial superiority unmatched. As a result, they viewed the natives of their conquered African lands as nothing more than a pest problem, enslaving or destroying them as was expedient in achieving national purposes. After their defeat in WWI, German pride was wounded, but rebounded with ferocity after hitting an economic, psychological and military low point. Again, racist policies supported the German national agenda and pride in the face of great opposition and adversity, giving rise to the Nazi party which would rise to power. This time, the European/German Jews were the target of German aggression, as they no longer possessed African colonies, and their challenges were primarily directed at their homeland and their near abroad. As was the case in Africa decades earlier, Nazi Germany was predisposed to adhere to a racist ideology, perceiving the Jews to be part of their geopolitical and societal struggles. Therefore, Germans were prepared to deal with perceived Jewish issue with cold and heartless calculation.

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