“Euthanasia,” “Germanization,” and the Beginnings of Organized Mass Murder, 1939–1941

doi:10.1017/9781108990158.013

10 - “Euthanasia,” “Germanization,” and the Beginnings of Organized Mass Murder, 1939–1941

from Part I - Structures, Players, and Processes

Published online by Cambridge University Press: 21 May 2025

Isabel Heinemann

Edited by

Mary Fulbrook and

Jürgen Matthäus

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Mary Fulbrook: Affiliation:
University College London
Jürgen Matthäus: Affiliation:
United States Holocaust Memorial Museum

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Summary

Against the background of prewar measures and plans, this chapter discusses the basics of and links between different strands of Nazi ethnopolicy based on “othering” (of Jews, “Zigeuner,” …), biosocial engineering (eugenics), and territorial expansionism (Lebensraum); identifies driving forces (the impact of war and expansion; central planning and local initiatives) for child “euthanasia,” “Aktion T4,” and other forms of organized mass murder; and reflects on historiography re the influence of “biologization of the social” for Nazi policy and the Holocaust.

Keywords

Nazi ethnopolicy eugenics mass murder territorial expansion

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Type: Chapter
Information: The Cambridge History of the Holocaust , pp. 238 - 261

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781108990158.013 [Opens in a new window]

Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Print publication year: 2025

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