Nazi Eugenics: Third Reich Policies Explained

Cover image website, https://encyclopedia.ushmm.org/content/en/article/euthanasia-program

In The Racial State: Germany, 1933-1945 by Michael Burleigh and Wolfgang Wippermann, the authors provide a comprehensive analysis of the Nazi regime’s implementation of policies created to target groups that Hitler deemed “asocials.” Burleigh and Wippermann explore the impact that these policies had on German society during the Third Reich. The book investigates the ideological foundations of the Nazi state: how racial theories and eugenics influenced Nazi policies on issues such as sterilization, euthanasia, and the persecution of minority groups. The authors report on the mechanisms of racial supremacy and exclusion, including the Nuremberg Laws, the establishment of concentration camps, and the implementation of the “Final Solution.” In the sixth chapter titled “The Persecution of the ‘Hereditarily Ill,’ The ‘Asocial,’ and Homosexuals,” Burleigh and Wippermann reveal the eugenicist views held by the Nazis, who believed in the purification and improvement of the German population through selective breeding and the removal of groups that where antithetical to the ideal Aryan Nation.

More importantly, this chapter focuses on how the Third Reich chose to weed out the elements of the population that they saw as undesirable or unproductive: Hitler referred to these groups as “asocials.” “The following are examples of the asocial: ( a) Persons who through minor, but repeated, infractions of the law demonstrate that they will not adapt themselves to the natural discipline of a National Socialist state, e.g. beggars, tramps, (Gypsies), whores, alcoholics with contagious diseases, particularly sexually transmitted diseases, who evade the measures taken by the public health authorities” (Burleigh, 173). The authors illustrate the process of how the Nazis implemented forced sterilization programs aimed at preventing individuals deemed “hereditarily ill” from procreating and the mistreatment of said asocials. Examples of the targeted “hereditarily ill” include individuals with the following: Congenital feeble-mindedness, Schizophrenia, manic depression, hereditary epilepsy, Huntington’s chorea, hereditary blindness, hereditary deafness, and serious physical deformities (Burleigh, 137). Furthermore, persecution of those labeled as ‘asocial,’ included people living in poverty, the homeless, and individuals involved in criminal activities. The authors examine how the Nazi regime targeted these groups through various measures, including incarceration in concentration camps and forced labor. The chapter also addresses the persecution of homosexuals, who were considered a threat to the regime’s ideal of a heterosexual, procreative society. The authors analyze the criminalization of homosexuality, the surveillance of individuals suspected of engaging in same-sex relationships, and the brutal treatment they endured within the Nazi concentration camp system. Overall, Chapter 6 highlights the brutal and discriminatory practices employed by the Nazi regime against the ‘hereditarily ill,’ the ‘asocial,’ and homosexuals. It provides insights into the ideologies that drove these policies, the consequences faced by those targeted, and the broader context of the Nazi state’s efforts to mold German society according to its racial and social norms.

The Nazi regime placed significant emphasis on the nation’s birthrate, aiming to cultivate a population of healthy individuals who conformed to their idealized vision of the Aryan race. Since the Nazis believed that behavior was hereditary and they saw homosexuals as immoral, they saw homosexuals as a contagion that needed to be stopped. If such behavior were to spread; birthrates would suffer. The Nazis constantly made appeals to traditionalism, which might explain their bigoted views and treatment of male homosexuals, but women faced a vastly different standard; not a double standard, a separate standard. Alex Shashkevich a writer from the “Stanford News,” states, “The regime’s laws explicitly criminalized homosexual acts between men. About 50,000 men were convicted for being homosexuals and between 5,000 and 15,000 were imprisoned in concentration camps, where up to 60 percent of them died, according to scholars. But how lesbians fared is less clear. Females were excluded from the law that made homosexual acts illegal … This lack of evidence has led historians to debate whether lesbians had it easier than gay men during the Nazi period.” (Shashkevich, 1). The Nazis more than likely treated female homosexuals (lesbians) with restraint because their views on women held them in a protected status. After all, lesbians could raise children. The act of debating which group had it worse is a futile endeavor that only divides people. The “Oppression Olympics,” is a dominant driver in the hyper-polarization that can be seen in Western nations today. Still, any suggestion or rationalization of why there is such a disparity can be invalidated because the topic is under-researched. In an article published in 2018, Anna Hájková, sounds the alarm that Western Civilization is still ignoring the experiences of lesbians during the Third Reich. Hájková writes, “Another factor that undermines the legitimacy of the topic is the fact that publications on it can be difficult to access, including when one is building a syllabus. As a result in practice that the ‘persecution of homosexuals’ is narrowly defined as ‘persecution of gay men’. The students in the otherwise popular seminars on Nazi Germany and the Holocaust are thus not even aware of the topic. This silence influences generations of future scholars” (Hájková, 1).

As part of their efforts to determine an individual’s worthiness to live in the Third Reich, intelligence tests were introduced. These tests included both straightforward questions, such as identifying historical figures like Bismarck, and more subjective ones, like understanding the current form of government in Germany (Burleigh, 138). Given the new wave of fascism and the reverence for the Reich, it is unlikely that the test administrators would tolerate any negative remarks about their beloved regime. Failure to provide correct answers, even to the subjective questions, would result in categorizing the test taker as “feeble-minded,” aligning them with the asocial groups deemed unworthy of life by the Nazis (Burleigh, 158). Misidentifying people as asocial was more common than just failing to answer correctly on a test or one’s immutable characteristics.

Moreover, the Nazi patriarchy was rooted in appeals to traditionalism and the preservation of the family unit, leading to yet another separate standard between the sexes. Men were disposable, they were expected to fight and die for the Reich, and women were expected to stay home and raise children. As stated before, the Nazis obsessed over the nation’s birthrate, which might lead one to think that more children were always a net good. That was not the case. Promiscuous women were labeled as “morally feeble-minded,” but this vastly different standard did not apply to men (Burleigh, 138). The Nazis held antiquated beliefs about women and sex, believing that women engaging in multiple sexual partnerships without financial exchange as mentally flawed and vulnerable to exploitation. In various aspects, the Nazis systematically deprived women of agency. Being “morally feeble-minded,” was one of many criteria for being labeled as “asocial.” The extensive criterion resulted in the sterilization of an estimated 320,000-350,000 individuals to prevent the perceived propagation of degeneracy in future generations (Burleigh, 138). This widespread sterilization campaign sought to eliminate those who did not conform to the Nazis’ standards of physical and mental fitness. “In September 1934, Hitler advised Reich Physicians’ Leader Dr. Wagner that ‘pregnancies could be terminated in the case of hereditarily ill women, or women who had become pregnant by a hereditarily ill partner'” (Burleigh, 140). The Nazis also implemented sterilization measures for sex offenders by removing their testicles. This procedure required the man’s consent and the recommendation of a medical officer. The Nazis believed that degenerate behavior was hereditarily transmissible, and their aim was to prevent the birth of morally unfit Germans (Burleigh, 141).

The utilitarian view of society was explicitly embraced in the Third Reich, mirroring the ideologies of other totalitarian regimes. Like the Communists, the National Socialists believed that sacrificing a few for the greater good of the empire was justified. During a Nuremberg rally in 1929, Hitler even boasted, “If Germany was to get a million children a year and was to remove 700,000 – 800,000 of the weakest people, then the final result might even be an increase in strength.” Hitler’s perspective on population management held that the government had a responsibility to create and safeguard the nation’s genes. By removing those deemed undesirable, the nation would be purified, which drove the obsessive need for segregating and exterminating Jews to maintain Aryan bloodlines. Hitler’s usage of the term “euthanasia” quickly became synonymous with murder, yet a huge portion of the German population agreed with his decision to rid society of those individuals (Burleigh, 142). According to the testimony of Dr. Wagner, leader of the Reich Physicians, Hitler informed him in 1935 that hospital resources would be needed in the event of war, and thus, there would be a strong push to escalate eugenics programs throughout Germany (Burleigh, 142). The argument that more hospital beds would be required for an impending war seemingly led university-based scientists to overlook the fact that the program lacked a legal basis (Burleigh, 144). To expedite the process of clearing space in hospitals, the Reich Ministry of the Interior distributed forms to asylums and clinics to identify potential undesirables who could be sterilized or executed (Burleigh, 144). While it is evident that the Third Reich targeted unproductive and unwelcome members of society, the Nazis intentionally withheld sterilization and execution from war veterans (Burleigh, 147). In fact, veterans and the elderly were the only groups allowed to be somewhat less productive, often overlapping in membership.

Following the invasion of Poland from September 1^st – October 6^th, 1939, the Nazis expanded their euthanasia program (Burleigh, 147). During December 1939 and January 1940, the SS Special Commando Lange employed uniquely adapted vans to gas 1,558 patients from Polish asylums, making room for military and SS barracks. This marked the initiation of the euthanasia initiative known as “Aktion T-4,” deriving its name from the operational address of the chancellery, specifically the villa located at Tiergartenstrasse 4 (Burleigh, 148). Targets of Aktion T-4, supposedly mentally defective individuals, exhibited enough mental awareness to understand they were being targeted. Long-term residents of asylums resisted compliance when confronted by the Nazis with gas vans, injections, and electro-shock therapy, leading to trauma (Burleigh, 149).

Despite their efforts, the Nazis failed to conceal their murder program. Burleigh and Wippermann present compelling evidence, such as grieving parents discovering metal hairpins within the urns containing the remains of their male children. Inconsistent explanations, including falsely attributing the cause of death to appendicitis despite prior appendectomies, further revealed the truth behind the premature deaths of these children (Burleigh, 150). Additionally, Christian religious leaders were outraged by the Nazis’ implementation of euthanasia. The Bishop, Clemens August Count von Galen of Munster voiced his protest against the Nazis’ disregard for human life, famously declaring, “Never under any circumstances may a human being kill an innocent person apart from war and legitimate self-defense.” (Burleigh, 152). The Bishop continued:

If you establish and apply the principle that you can kill ‘unproductive’ fellow human beings then woe betide us all when we become old and frail! If one of us is allowed to kill the unproductive people then woe betide the invalids who have used up, sacrificed and lost their health and strength in the productive process. If one is allowed forcibly to remove one’s unproductive fellow human beings then woe betide loyal soldiers who return to the homeland seriously disabled, as cripples, as invalids … Then, it is only necessary for some secret edict · to order that the method developed for the mentally ill should be extended to other ‘unproductive’ people, that it should be applied to those suffering from incurable lung disease, to the elderly who are frail or invalids, to the severely disabled soldiers. Then none of our lives will be safe anymore … Woe to mankind, woe to our German nation if God’s holy commandment ‘Thou shalt not kill’, which God proclaimed on Mount Sinai amidst thunder and lightning, which God our Creator inscribed in the conscience of mankind from the very beginning, is not only broken, but if this transgression is actually tolerated and permitted to go unpunished (Burleigh, 152- 3).

Like most citizens today, the Germans mostly ignored the warnings from the Church. They were more enthralled with the messaging that came from propaganda films. The film I Accuse, raised two key issues: the problem of death on demand in cases of incurable illnesses and the question of ending a life that is no longer deemed worth living. Reports indicated that the majority of the German population, with some reservations, accepted the film’s proposition that individuals suffering from incurable diseases should be allowed a quick death sanctioned by law (Burleigh, 158). Despite the film’s human-interest drama, the Church discouraged Germans from seeing it, recognizing that the executions of the mentally and physically handicapped were, in reality, acts of murder (Burleigh, 158).

In contrast to the Hippocratic Oath typically taken by doctors, young and less religious physicians favored the elimination of the mentally and physically disabled. The acceptance of utilitarianism is common in totalitarian regimes, and the Nazis were no exception. However, these doctors remained silent about their support, suggesting a possible understanding that their actions were ethically wrong (Burleigh, 160). The efforts of the T-4 Aktion program took a different course after August 24th, 1941, following an escalation in the war and the Allied Powers’ gaining intelligence about the “secret” program. Consequently, the focus of the T-4 Aktion program shifted to the “Final Solution” (Burleigh, 161). Even though Hitler officially ended the T-4 Aktion program, the Germans continued to kill the mentally disabled. The Nazis resorted to starvation as a means to eliminate their victims, believing it aligned with Hitler’s intentions. The Germans recognized the political pressures beset on Hitler and they recognized the precedent set by the murder program that he endorsed. Logically, the Nazis followed what they felt were their Führer’s wishes, even though he said otherwise. Additionally, killing the sick freed up resources for the soldiers and the German people, serving their ultimate goal of purifying the nation (Burleigh, 164). As the war grew worse for the Germans, the demand for additional hospital beds increased. However, the idea of utilizing those beds for the mentally disabled was deemed absurd by the murderous regime. Burleigh and Wippermann’s account reveal that the killings persisted in pediatric units for similar reasons. Although it was evident that the soldiers did not require children’s beds, the funds allocated to the sick children could be redirected to support the war effort. Additionally, the German population remained committed to the mission of purifying the nation’s bloodlines (Burleigh, 165).

The concept of killing off the weak and the expensive should be intolerable, but the actions of the Third Reich are mirrored today in Canada and several European countries. While it is true that the Canadians are not spouting proclamations of a pure race, they are using the government to kill their citizens in alarming numbers. The Canadian government refers to its euthanasia program as MAiD (Medical assistance in dying). The origin of the program was to give terminally ill patients relief from their suffering, but the program has expanded to a more inclusive criterion. As of March 2021, the criteria for eligibility for the Canadian government to help kill its citizens are as follows:

• be 18 years of age or older and have decision-making capacity
• be eligible for publicly funded health care services
• make a voluntary request that is not the result of external pressure
• give informed consent to receive MAID, meaning that the person has consented to receiving MAID after they have received all information needed to make this decision
• have a serious and incurable illness, disease or disability (excluding a mental illness until March 17, 2024)
• be in an advanced state of irreversible decline in capability
• have enduring and intolerable physical or psychological suffering that cannot be alleviated under conditions the person considers acceptable (www.justice.gc.ca)

The language used in the criterion is vague and has generated concern. For example, being homeless may inflict physical or psychological suffering. There are countless allegations of the program being misused for issues like the homeless, the indigenous, the depressed, and the mentally disabled. However, the Canadian government does not report that those are conditions for the government-assisted euthanasia program. When addressing these concerns, the Canadian government provided an extensive digital resource to ease the public. Unfortunately, there is no definitive language that debunks the claims made by concerned citizens, Catholics, and conspiracy theorists. Like The Bishop, Clemens August Count von Galen of Munster, with the Third Reich, modern Catholics are concerned with the Canadian MAiD program. “The National Catholic Register” claims to have been given information from Alex Schadenberg, the executive director of the Euthanasia Prevention Coalition. Schadenberg states, “Based on the definitions in the Canadian law, nearly anyone with a chronic medical condition, such as people with disabilities, can be approved for euthanasia” … “Therefore people with disabilities are requesting euthanasia based on poverty, homelessness, or an inability to receive needed medical treatment, but they are approved for euthanasia based on their disability” (ncregister.com).

The Canadian government responded to the rising concerns with a document that explains the rationale behind the program, titled “Final Report of the Expert Panel on MAiD and Mental Illness.” The report recognizes how issues of depression, attempted suicide, and poverty are interrelated. When addressing the Indigenous’ desire for death, the resource states, “As a result of the creation of laws that provide access to MAiD, concerns have been raised by Indigenous leaders and communities that it is easier for people in their communities to access a way to die than to access the resources they need to live well” (https://www.canada.ca/en/health-canada). In other words, MAiD is putting the idea of suicide in people’s heads. Rather than accepting their position in life and working to overcome whatever issues they have, people are drawn to the prospect of a quick solution. The financial element is what draws conspiracy theorists to believe that the Socialist government is promoting MAiD to kill off their citizens to save money by not providing government benefits and medications. This implies that some life is worth more than others. Unlike Aktion T-4, MAiD is presented as a volunteer program, in which people make the choice to die. That stated the numbers of MAiD recipients are on the incline. Statcan.gc.ca is the website for the national statistical office of Canada, it reports:

The number of medically assisted deaths in Canada has continued to grow since MAID was introduced in 2016. There were 12,689 written requests for MAID in 2021, 31.3% more than the 9,664 written requests in 2020. This resulted in 10,029 medically assisted deaths in Canada in 2021, an increase of 34.7% from the 7,446 deaths in 2020. MAID accounted for 3.3% of all deaths in Canada in 2021, up from 2.4% of all reported deaths in the previous year. In 2021, slightly more than half (52.4%) of those receiving MAID were men, and the small percentage difference between men and women has not changed significantly since 2020. The rise in medically assisted deaths may partly be explained by a greater awareness of MAID as an end-of-life option in Canada. This increase has led to more demand for medical practitioners (physicians or nurse practitioners) who provide MAID. There was an increase of 17.2% in the number of MAID practitioners in 2021 (1,577) compared with 2020 (1,345). (statcan.gc.ca).

Whatever one thinks of the Canadians and their implementation of MAiD, other countries are following their lead. While it is true that the Nazis lost the war, some of their ideas may still be with us. Surely anyone who is observant of their surroundings can identify that identity-based politics has swept the political system, the specter of patriarchy still looms with us, that there has been very little in regard to solving homelessness and mental illness, and other perennial crises that we prefer to ignore. The pendulum has swung far in the opposite direction from the days of the Third Reich, but pendulums have a habit of swinging back the other way. For that reason, we must be vigilant and aware of the potential for authoritarian overreach. A great strongman or strongwoman may and probably will, one day reveal themselves. This authoritarian leader or government will claim to have the answers to our problems. The allure of fascism which lies dormant may expose itself once again. When that happens, we need to recognize that we have been making progress at breakneck speeds, unseen in world history; yet there are those who argue, “not fast enough.” In the Third Reich, the Germans found Hitler appealing because he delivered rapid results, he and his government were impervious to red tape. We cannot sacrifice our elderly, our sick, our disabled, or any minority group, for the promise of prosperity or revenge. An educated society with moral convictions will reject the temptations of fascism; of “canceling” their political rivals. Rather, they will maintain their Enlightenment values, that everyone should be treated as equals under the law, our right to free speech is not up for debate, and our three branches of government serve as a deliberate “gridlock” to shield us from the bad ideas that Europeans fell for repeatedly. Many would-be fascists and revolutionaries need to be reminded that the word “eutopia” comes from the Greek, “ou-topos,” which means nowhere.

Bibliography

Burleigh, Michael, and Wolfgang Wippermann. “Chapter Six.” Essay. In The Racial State: Germany, 1933-1945, 136–97. Cambridge England: Cambridge University Press, 1991.

Government of Canada, Department of Justice. “Canada’s Medical Assistance in Dying (Maid) Law.” Government of Canada, Department of Justice, Electronic Communications, June 19, 2023. https://www.justice.gc.ca/eng/cj-jp/ad-am/bk-di.html#s1.

Government of Canada, Statistics Canada. “Medical Assistance in Dying, 2021.” The Daily - , February 13, 2023. https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/daily-quotidien/230213/dq230213c-eng.htm.

Hájková, Anna. “Ann: Bibliography on Lesbian and Trans Women in Nazi Germany.” H-Net Network on German History, September 19, 2018. https://networks.h-net.org/node/35008/discussions/2453658/bibliography-lesbian-and-trans-women-nazi-germany.

Health Ministers of Canada. “Final Report of the Expert Panel on MAiD and Mental Illness.” Canada.ca, May 13, 2022. https://www.canada.ca/en/health-canada/corporate/about-health-canada/public-engagement/external-advisory-bodies/expert-panel-maid-mental-illness/final-report-expert-panel-maid-mental-illness.html.

Jones, Kevin J. “Hungry, Poor, and Disabled Canadians Now Seeking Assisted Suicide.” National Catholic Register, December 13, 2022. https://www.ncregister.com/cna/hungry-poor-and-disabled-canadians-now-seeking-assisted-suicide.

Shashkevich, Alex. “Stanford Researcher Sheds Light on Life of Lesbians in Nazi Germany.” Stanford News Service, June 13, 2017. https://news.stanford.edu/press-releases/2017/06/13/lesbians-enjoyedion-nazi-germany/.