The racial hierarchy devised by the German dictator Adolf Hitler caused widespread devastation during World War II, dragging the world into catastrophe with his twisted ideologies.
Examining Hitler's classification, he drew from Darwinism and Mendel's theories, influenced by various philosophical ideas, to pursue a policy advocating the superiority of the Aryan race. The ideology of the superior Aryan race traces back to the lost continent of Atlantis, where Aryans were believed to be the preeminent race. This superior race, descended from an untainted race inhabiting Scandinavian and German territories today.
Influenced by Darwin's theory, Hitler applied the principle of "survival of the fittest" to human races, adapting evolutionary theory to human populations. Additionally, he invoked Nietzsche's concept of the "Übermensch" (Overman) (though Nietzsche himself had no connection to fascism), employing it to establish a policy focusing on individuals possessing strong physical and psychological attributes, along with high combat skills, as the superior Aryan race.
Initially articulated in his book "Mein Kampf" written while in prison, Hitler's thoughts on races became the foundational philosophy of Germany after he assumed power. He saw himself as a sage, a profound thinker, and the savior of Germany.
In actuality, Hitler did not have a fixed racial hierarchy. Generally, in his speeches and statements, he placed Jews at the lowest rung, attributing it to their significant influence, particularly in economic aspects, around Germany. This initial animosity towards Jews garnered him a considerable following.
Alongside Jews, Gypsies, physically disabled individuals, homosexuals, prostitutes, African-origin Germans, and the least advanced races in Africa found themselves at the bottom of this hierarchy. Above them were Slavs. Hitler, however, frequently altered this racial hierarchy to align with his policies. The one consistent aspect was that Jews remained at the bottom. According to Hitler, Jews aimed to destroy the pure Aryan race through their expansionist policies. He asserted that ideologies stemming from Jewish influence gave rise to movements like capitalism and communism, and that Slavic and uncivilized Asian masses (Central Asian and Muslim populations) were manipulated by Jews for their service, ultimately leading to the destruction of Germany and the Aryan race.
Furthermore, Hitler held a highly unfavorable view of Muslims. In one of his speeches, he referred to Muslims as "painted half-apes who deserved the whip." Nevertheless, despite this, due to the active presence of the British in the Middle East and Nazi ambitions in the region, they maintained relatively good relations with Muslim populations. During the Second World War, the Nazi party successfully recruited Muslim minorities, especially in the Balkans and the Caucasus, to fight alongside them against common enemies.
Witnesses from the era attest that the Nazis treated Muslim Turkish children very well, while they mistreated Slavic children, beating them. Hitler also sought to win over the Turks, but due to the cold attitude of the leaders of that time, Turkey stayed out of the war. Hitler's motive was not a genuine affection for the Turks, but rather, he aimed to expand the front and make use of the valuable resources in Turkey. This was evident from reports that emerged later, indicating Hitler's intention to conquer Turkey. With his plan to swiftly incapacitate Russia within 5-6 months, his subsequent target was clearly Turkey.
As mentioned earlier, Hitler's racial hierarchy was not fixed. Due to changing policies, significant alterations occurred in the hierarchy, with only the pure Aryan race at the top and Jews, along with Gypsies, remaining unchanged at the bottom. In broad strokes, Hitler's racial hierarchy consisted of Aryans at the top, followed by Iranian and Indian populations. He believed these groups were of the same root and related to Aryans, assuming they maintained their purity without intermixing. When descending further down the hierarchy, one would find Slavs, Poles, Gypsies, and what he saw as subhuman Jews.
Furthermore, drawing from evolutionary theory and inspired by the Spartans, Hitler implemented the repugnant T4 operation, a form of euthanasia targeting congenitally disabled and Down syndrome children between 1939 and 1941. Although he claimed to have ended it due to increasing public pressure, atrocities continued in Nazi concentration camps outside Germany. Hitler and the Nazis adhered to a perverse belief that by cleansing society of individuals they deemed as disabled or deficient, they would give rise to stronger individuals in the next generation, subscribing to a ludicrous theory that led to the deaths of approximately 200,000 people, mostly disabled children and individuals, in gas chambers.
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