Nazi Eugenics

Drawing on the ideas of Social Darwinism, Nazi racial theory dehumanized the handicapped, Jews, and many other groups as drags on German society. Most people know that the Nazis exterminated more than six million Jews. But they also enacted an extensive eugenics program, which led to the sterilization of hundreds of thousands of people and the gassing of the mentally handicapped as well. Nazi eugenics efforts received praise from leading supporters of eugenics in America.

For more information:

“Victims of the Nazi Era: Nazi Racial Policy” (Article/US Holocaust Memorial Museum)

“The Role of Darwinism in Nazi Racial Thought” (Article/German Studies Review)

“Hitler, Darwin and the Holocaust: How the Nazis Distorted the Theory of Evolution” (Article/Salon.com)

“Medical Science Under Dictatorship” (Article/New England Journal of Medicine)

“GERMANY: Praise for Nazis” (Article/Time)

“Eliminating the Inferior: American and Nazi Sterilization Programs” (Article/Institute for the Study of Academic Racism)