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Germany: 'Aryan race determination tests' c. 1940

Germany: 'Aryan race determination tests' c. 1940

Nazism developed several hypotheses concerning race. The Nazis claimed to scientifically measure a strict hierarchy of human race; the 'master race' was said to be the most pure stock of the Aryan race, which was narrowly defined by the Nazis as being identical with the Nordic race, followed by other sub-races of the Aryan race.

At the bottom of this hierarchy were 'parasitic races' (of 'non-Aryan' origin) or 'Untermenschen' ('sub-humans'), which were perceived to be dangerous to society. In Nazi literature, the term 'Untermensch' was applied to the Slavs, including Russians, Serbs, and ethnic Poles.

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