Rassenkunde des deutschen Volkes
Rassenkunde des deutschen Volkes (English: Racial Science of the German People), is a book written by German race researcher and Nazi Party member Hans Günther and published in 1922.[1] The book strongly influenced the racial policy of Nazi Party; Adolf Hitler was so impressed by the work, that he made it the basis of his eugenics policy.[1] The book had gone through six editions by 1926, and by 1945, more than half a million copies had been sold in Germany.[1]
In the book, Günther recognizes the Germans as being composed of five Aryan racial subtypes: Nordic, Mediterranean, Alpine, East Baltic, and Dinaric, viewing Nordics as being at the top of the racial hierarchy.[1] He defined each racial subtype according to general physical appearance and their psychological qualities including their "racial soul" - referring to their emotional traits and religious beliefs, and provided detailed information on their hair, eye, and skin colours, facial structure.[1] He provided photographs of Germans identified as Nordic in places like Bedan, Stuttgart, Salzburg, and Schwaben; and provided photographs of Germans he identified as Alpine and Mediterranean types, especially in Vorarlberg, Bavaria, and the Black Forest region of Baden.[1]
References
External links
- Rassenkunde des deutschen Volkes at Archive.org (various formats available)