Racist thought in Germany did not begin with the rise of Adolf
Hitler. European anti-Semitism can be traced back into the past
for centuries. Although it originally had its roots in a religious
feeling, racism became secularized and, by the middle of the
nineteenth century, took on political overtones and tried to
assume a scientific foundation.
Aggressive nationalism began to bloom at the beginning of the
nineteenth century, and went on to spread across Europe. The
political unification of Germany, instead of being the glorious
culmination of this nationalistic drama, only signaled the end of
one act and the beginning of another. Even the German defeat in
the First World War did not persuade ardent nationalists to be
content with the victories they had already achieved. Instead,
they probed the heart of the nation to find an explanation for
their defeat. These nationalists contended that the defeat had
been due to pollution of racial purity by the presence of a
large, alien element--the Jews. If it had not been for this
impurity, it was argued, Germany would certainly have been
victorious, and it would have demonstrated its global
superiority.
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