The Role Of Eugenics In Nazi Germany

During the Third Reich, the Nazis continually searched for an answer to the “Jewish Question.” Under the leadership of Adolf Hitler, Germany attempted several solutions including discriminatory laws, sterilization, and segregation. In early 1942 the Nazi Party had the answer to their “Jewish question” and called it the Final Solution. What is known as “The Final Solution of the Jewish Question” was the Nazi’s attempt to purify Europe and create their master race by eliminating the Jews of Europe. The Nazi ideology of a “master race” was not solely developed by Hitler, nor were the Nazi euthanasia programs the starting point. The journey began before Hitler’s rise to power, before Germany’s Great Depression, and even before World War I. The first bricks on the road to death were laid by the United States. …show more content…
The goal of eugenics is to remove all with “undesirable” traits such as: “feebleminded”, habitual criminality, sexual offenses, epileptics, and “drunkards” to name a few. The ideology of Eugenics is commonly associated with Nazi Germany on the basis of their attempt to create a master race.
While few medical professionals in Germany were exploring eugenics, or race hygiene, in the early part of the twentieth century many states in the United States already passed legislation legalizing forced sterilization. These legal milestones would be imperative to the progress of eugenics in Germany. In addition to seeing the United States as a model for their eugenics program, Germany also benefited from American financial intervention (directly and indirectly) by groups such as the Rockefeller Foundation and the Carnegie