Social Darwinism: A Branch of Anti-Semitism

Scientific and philosophical theories during the nineteenth century led many to seek the origin of man. Charles Darwin was able to put forth the theory that evolution occurred through natural selection and that man most likely had evolved through history from common ancestors. Darwin’s theory had been twisted to fit into the social aspect of human society. Social Darwinists, who misinterpreted Darwin’s work, theorized that the “Nordic Race”, or White Anglo-Saxion people, were superior to every other race. At the time many European nations had followed imperialism and had justified the crimes committed seeing as they considered their race to be “the fittest”. White racial superiority continued well into the twentieth century and during World War Two, the ideas of Nazi Germany and decades of white superiority allowed for a surge in Anti-Semitic language that has birthed even more prejudice and stereotypes towards people of Jewish descent. Throughout history, Jewish people have constantly had to deal with Anti-Semitism. “There has been no hatred in Western Christian civilization more persistent and enduring than that directed against the Jews.” (Wistrich 1). In western Europe, the hatred and bigotry against the Jewish people cannot compare to the hatred of other groups of people in the region. The language of Social Darwinism led to a rise in Anti-Semitism because decades of white superiority have fueled the flames of bigotry. 

In 1859, Charles Darwin, a naturalistic philosopher, published a book known as “The Origin Of Species”. In this book, Darwin was able to promote the theory of evolution. Through decades of research, he concluded that living breeding organisms, in order to survive and thrive in an environment, must develop traits that are best suited for survival by competing for resources amongst other organisms. Through this discovery, Darwin used the term “Survival of The Fit”. As stated by Darwin, “One general law, leading to the advancement of all organic beings, namely, multiply, vary, let the strongest live and the weakest die.”(Darwin 244) Darwin believed that humans were also subject to the laws of Natural Selection. He used this theory to explain his view on human origin, the view being that man evolved from primates through the passing of ideal traits and genes. Darwin’s theory of evolution was misinterpreted by some theorists of the time. Sociologists soon began to form the theory of Social Darwinism to justify bigotry and social inequalities.

Following Darwin’s Theory of Evolution, came the theory of Social Darwinism. Social Darwinism, in its original form, was the theory that White Anglo-Saxon people were the most evolved humans, “Social Darwinists argued on the basis of Darwin’s theory of natural selection that the best-adapted humans naturally rose to the top of social, political, and economic strata.” (Largent 136) Every other race of people that was not the “best-adapted” was considered to be less evolved. Social Darwinists were using the theory of evolution to explain the world around them in a social way. Sociologist Herbert Spencer believed in “Survival of the fittest”, or the idea that the strong rule over the weak. An example where “Survival of the fittest” was used was to justify colonialism during the Gilded Age(1870s-1900). This was a moment in history when the idea that one specific race was better than another seemed to really kick-off. Many Western European nations justified slavery, the exploitation of natural resources, and the spreading of religion. To them, the indigenous people they looked down upon deserved everything brought forth to them because they were simply “not evolved” as they were. Social Darwinism allowed for the justification for all the wrongdoings committed. This overall idea that one race is better than another allowed for bigotry to flourish during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries which is why it’s no surprise that bigotry would eventually reach a new height during the twentieth century.

Following World War One, Germany and the Allied Nations agreed to a peace treaty. Seeing as the Allied Nations won the war, the Treaty of Versailles punished Germany. Germany was forced to pay massive war reparations, reduce the size of its military, return any territory acquired, and accept full responsibility for the war. Germany had little to no say in what went in the treaty and was instead dictated by the Allied nations to agree to the terms given or risk continuing the war. The German people at the time believed that they were “stabbed in the back” and a conspiracy that Jews, socialists, and communists were behind the defeat was being adopted by the public. At the time Adolf Hitler had returned from serving in the army and was distraught with the defeat. He had joined the German Workers Party, later known as the Nazi Party, and was able to rise through the ranks due to his skills in public speaking. He used the anger and disillusionment of the German people to convince them that all the punishments they were being subjected to were because of the Jewish people. When the Great Depression hit Germany in 1929, Hitler loudly criticized the government and promised to return Germany to its former glory to gain power during all the hardships of the time. This ultimately worked and once he became Fuhrer of Germany he went against the Treaty of Versailles and started his attack against the Jewish people.

Hitler’s hatred for Jewish people was so strong that he enacted harsh Anti-Semitic laws against them. The Anti-Semitic laws prohibited Jews from working, voting, and occupying public spaces. Propaganda portrayed Jewish people as being evil, sneaky, and a plague to society. Many German people bought into the propaganda and began sharing Hitler’s beliefs. The propaganda had reached a point where just the mention of someone being Jewish set off a negative emotional response.  “…the simple word ‘Jew’ immediately triggered a set of associations, of hostility and revulsion…”(MacMaster 103) Jewish people were being discriminated against and segregated against in almost every aspect of their lives. Many Jewish establishments were constantly being vandalized with Anti-Semitic remarks and sometimes even forced to shut down. The language of Social-Darwinism and the belief that Jewish people were inferior to the white race had a detrimental effect on the daily lives of Jewish people in Nazi Germany. It dehumanized them. Anti-Semitic propaganda and the attitudes of the German people had stripped them of their identity and caused many Jewish people to see themselves as being inferior.

Once World War Two broke, Germany had begun rounding up the Jewish people to prepare for their “final solution” which involved the genocide of millions of Jews. The Nazi’s either killed a multitude of Jews in mass graves or sent them to concentration camps in eastern territories where they would be forced to work. The concentration camps tended to be packed with families who were forced to live in small, unclean, and sickly conditions. Many died from starvation and disease while others died from being put in gas chambers. Little to no empathy was given by the Nazis since they were blinded by hatred. Near the end of the war, the camps were liberated, and the world was shocked to witness the true barbarism and madness of Nazi Germany. The holocaust is used as an example to show how far bigotry will lead people to go. The treatment of Jews shows how far “survival of the fittest” will take us. They were treated as if their lives meant nothing and as if they deserved to die for being born the wrong race.

During the Nazi Regime, the Nazi’s had planned on creating a “master” race. The Nazi’s believed that being tall, having blond hair and blue eyes, and a muscular build was the ideal image of the future of Germany. In hopes of achieving this dream, the Nazi’s practiced eugenics or the practice of selective mating to acquire desirable traits in an individual. In order to achieve this, it was essential for Hitler to rid the world of Jewish people or any other undesirables. By killing as many Jewish people as he could, it meant that the chances of a Jewish person and a German person having a child were slim. Hitler was essentially against the mixing of races. “Any crossing of two beings not at the same level produces a medium between the level of the two parents” (Weikart 541) He believed that the mixing of races would result in the child being somewhat smarter than the “undesirable parent” and less smart than the German parent. Based on the ideas of Hitler’s “master” race, it can be related back to the origins of Social Darwinism in the fact that one race is perceived to be more fit and superior to another, therefore justifying Anti-Semitism genetically.

Time has passed since anti-Semitism was at its peak. Many people around the world have come to see everyone as being equal. However, that is not to say that it has been eradicated. There are still people who exhibit anti-Semitic behavior both in the real world and online. Many people deny that the holocaust happened and claim it was a hoax despite all the evidence and eyewitness testimonies centered around the time. The stereotypes of the past are still being made against Jewish people. A ton of the stereotypes still used originated from Nazi Germany which shows how impactful and lasting bigotry can be for human history. On the internet, anti-Semitism is on another level. The internet isn’t very regulated so many people can get away with saying whatever they want without receiving any forms of substantial backlash or punishment. People are constantly spewing Nazi rhetoric and bigoted remarks while simultaneously sharing stereotypical propaganda that paints Jewish people as being the enemy of the world. Despite how “inclusive” and “loving” the world is portrayed to be, Jewish people still are subject to the Anti-Semitism and bigotry of the past.

In conclusion, the language of Social Darwinism has allowed whites supremacists to classify their race as being the most superior. By viewing one’s race as being superior to another, it allows for the justification of committing crimes and the belief that the surrounding races are below you. Social Darwinism during World War 2, and the belief that the “master” race was superior to others, has led Hitler and the Nazi party to enforce anti-semitic beliefs on unprecedented levels. Despite all the Anti-Semitism of the past, in today’s times, people tend to be more respectful and care more about your character. Hopefully by teaching tolerance and respect to the younger generations, not only will Anti-Semitism slowly start to go away but maybe even the idea of social Darwinism will cease being a belief that puts individuals over others.

Works Cited Page

Demonizing the Other: Anti-Semitism, Racism, and Xenophobia, edited by Robert S. Wistrich, Taylor & Francis Group, 1999. ProQuest Ebook Central, https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/ccny-ebooks/detail.action?docID=1144541.

“Chapter VII: Instinct.” The Origin of Species, by Charles Darwin and William Robert Thompson, Dent, 1967, p. 244.

Dennis, Rutledge M. “Social Darwinism, Scientific Racism, and the Metaphysics of Race.” Journal of Negro Education, vol. 64, Summer 1995, pp. 243–252. EBSCOhost, doi:10.2307/2967206.

Largent, Mark A. “Social Darwinism Emerges and Is Used to Justify Imperialism, Racism, and Conservative Economic and Social Policies.” Science and Its Times, edited by Neil Schlager and Josh Lauer, vol. 5: 1800 to 1899, Gale, 2000, pp. 134-136. Gale eBooks, https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/CX3408502382/GVRL?u=cuny_ccny&sid=GVRL&xid=367e87a2. Accessed 5 Oct. 2020.

Macmaster, Neil, and Neil Macmaster. Racism in Europe, 1870-2000. Basingstoke: Macmillan Education UK, 2001. Web.

Weikart, Richard. “The Role of Darwinism in Nazi Racial Thought.” German Studies Review, vol. 36, no. 3, 2013, pp. 537–556. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/43555141.