The Nazi Worldview
This section examines the foundational beliefs of the Nazi regime under Adolf Hitler, which were pivotal in shaping their policies and atrocities during the Holocaust. Nazi ideology was fundamentally rooted in a racist worldview that established a hierarchy among races, with the Aryan race—specifically, Nordic Germans—at the apex. According to Hitler, the Jews were positioned at the very bottom as 'anti-race', considered the primary enemies of the Aryans. The Nazis categorized other groups based on perceived racial superiority or inferiority.
The ideas espoused by the Nazis, particularly those relating to survival of the fittest—borrowed from Charles Darwin and Herbert Spencer—were misappropriated to justify the subjugation of perceived inferior races. This ideation not only contributed to imperial ambitions but also led to the geographical expansion of what was deemed necessary living space, or Lebensraum.
Once in power, the Nazis swiftly initiated the establishment of a Racial State, aiming to eradicate all who contradicted their vision of a pure Aryan society. Jews were the most targeted group, subject to violence, oppression, and eventual genocide. Other groups, such as Gypsies, disabled individuals, and various nationalities, were also subjected to extreme persecution.
Between 1933 and 1945, the systematic process of exclusion, ghettoisation, and annihilation unfolded, culminating in the horrific Holocaust, where millions lost their lives in concentration camps and through mass executions. The Nazi focus on a 'racial utopia' brought unprecedented destruction and suffering, underscoring the dangers of extremist ideologies and racial intolerance.