Anti-semitism had existed in Germany long before Hitler's
birth; and many Jewish soldiers served proudly in World War I; in fact when laws
restricting the civil rights of Jews were passed, Jewish veterans were originally
excepted. People of Aryan descent had for centuries considered themselves superior to
others for reasons dating back to their times as nomads on the Eurasian steppes. Hitler
simply codified and exemplified an attitude that was already present, so much so that
many Germans considered it a true revolution.
A common
theory at the time was Eugenics, that human beings could be perfected by selective
breeding, and that certain races and cultures were superior to others. For that reason,
Hitler's master race not only excluded those who were not Aryan, but also those who were
feeble minded, autistic, epileptic, even suffered from severe alcoholism. These latter
groups were selected for forced sterilization to prevent their
reproduction.
Conversely, Hitler encouraged persons of true
Aryan descent to have many children. He is shown in many photographs with small
children, displaying a proud, almost grandfatherly affection toward them. Of course the
children were all blue eyed blondes.
An excellent book on
the subject is R.G.L. Waite's The Psychopathic God, the Mind of Adolf Hitler.
The previous post discusses Hitler's blame of
Jews and Jewish bankers for Germany's humiliation in World War I; it does not address
the issue of his creation of a Master Race.
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