Germany Rises - The Wise World Traveler: Becoming a Part of All that You Meet - page 121

BLOOD AND RACE
In traditional use, the nation-state is defined in terms of geography: authority over persons
and things within a set of geographic boundaries. Nazi Germany changed the definition,
putting race at its center. Surrounding the definition of race was the idea of the Volksge-
meinschaft, a people united by race. Excluded were Gypsies and Jews. One hallmark of
the Volksgemeinschaft was “Aryan blood.” Historically, Aryan was a term used to mark
those who spoke a variant of Indo-European languages. Now it included all those within
the Volksgemeinschaft. Aryan was the genetic ideal (tall, blonde, blue eyes) of Nazi Ger-
many.
Figure 8.4. Adolph Hitler
In 1933 signs appeared on the windows of Jewish shops: “Germans defend yourselves.
Do not buy from Jews.” Jews were “dismissed from all governmental or teaching posts…
from the leading professions and important business positions. Jewish owned firms are
seized...” [119] In May of that year, mass demonstrations accompanied the burning of topics
in town squares all across Germany. Into the flames went books by Jews, left-wing authors,
and all authors deemed “unGerman.”
The 1935 Nuremberg Laws stripped Jews of citizenship and civil rights. They could
not vote. Marriage was outlawed between Jews and citizens of German blood. Jews could