Blood and soil

Blut und Boden

Blood and Soil (Blut und Boden) refers to an ideology that focuses on ethnicity based on two factors: descent (blood) and homeland (soil). It celebrates the relationship of a people to the land they inhabit and cultivate, and it places a high value on the virtues of rural living. The phrase became prominently associated with the Nazi Party in Germany during the 20th century, where it was used to promote their racial policy and the idea of a racially defined national body (Volk). The ideology was used to justify the territorial expansion of Germany and the subjugation or elimination of those who were not considered part of the Aryan race.

Origins and Development

The concept of Blood and Soil emphasizes a mystical bond between a people and their territory, suggesting that the character and virtues of a people are shaped by the landscape they inhabit. The origins of this ideology can be traced back to 19th-century Romanticism and the Völkisch movement, which glorified rural life and the purity of the countryside. It was further influenced by the agrarian romanticism and anti-urban sentiments prevalent among the German youth movement (Wandervogel) in the early 20th century.

In the 1920s and 1930s, the Nazi Party adopted and significantly radicalized the Blood and Soil ideology as part of their broader racial theory. Heinrich Himmler, head of the SS, and Richard Walther Darré, who served as the Reich Minister of Food and Agriculture, were prominent proponents of this ideology. They argued that the German people needed to reconnect with their land and rural roots to preserve their racial purity and ensure the nation's survival.

Implementation under the Nazi Regime

Under the Nazi regime, the Blood and Soil ideology was implemented through policies aimed at promoting agricultural development and expanding the living space (Lebensraum) for the Aryan race. This included the settlement of ethnic Germans in conquered territories in Eastern Europe and the forced displacement or extermination of non-Aryan populations. The regime also promoted measures to encourage farming and rural living among the German population, idealizing the peasant farmer as a model Aryan.

Criticism and Legacy

The Blood and Soil ideology has been widely criticized for its role in facilitating the racial policies of the Nazi regime, including the justification of genocide and territorial expansionism. After World War II, the ideology was discredited due to its association with Nazi atrocities. However, elements of the Blood and Soil concept have been adopted or adapted by various nationalist and extremist groups in the post-war period, promoting xenophobia and racial purity.

See Also

• Lebensraum
• National Socialism
• Racial purity
• Völkisch movement

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