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The Practice of Genealogy in the Third Reich. Phd Thesis

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The Practice of Genealogy in the Third Reich. Phd Thesis Baruah-Young, William L (2014) From hobby to necessity: the practice of genealogy in the Third Reich. PhD thesis. http://theses.gla.ac.uk/5306/ Copyright and moral rights for this work are retained by the author A copy can be downloaded for personal non-commercial research or study, without prior permission or charge This work cannot be reproduced or quoted extensively from without first obtaining permission in writing from the author The content must not be changed in any way or sold commercially in any format or medium without the formal permission of the author When referring to this work, full bibliographic details including the author, title, awarding institution and date of the thesis must be given Enlighten:Theses http://theses.gla.ac.uk/ [email protected] From hobby to necessity: the practice of genealogy in the Third Reich William Lee Baruah-Young BA (hons) MSc Submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy Humanities Advanced Technology and Information Institute School of Humanities College of Arts University of Glasgow June 2014© 2 Abstract After achieving political power in January 1933, the Nazis began to plan and implement racial policies that would redefine the lives of ordinary men and women. Persistently promoted as health measures, many of the racial policies enacted would go on to have considerable and, in many cases, devastating consequences for the family sphere. This thesis examines one aspect of Nazi policy, the practice of genealogy. Re-envisioned and turned into a civic duty of the ‘responsible citizen,’ this one-time hobby forced Germans to reassess friendships, marriages and courtships. But why did genealogy gain such prestige under National Socialism? What objectives did the Nazis hope to achieve by weaving the practice into the fabric of central legislative measures? How did society react to obligatory family research? These questions are central to understanding how the Nazis were able to establish and maintain a system of inclusion and exclusion in the Volksgemeinschaft, or People’s Community. Dealing with these issues also offers the opportunity to define the all-consuming nature of Hitler’s regime more clearly. The requirement to perform genealogical research was the mechanism used by the regime to challenge the people’s sense of belonging to community in the family home. The gradual definition of work and social spaces along racial lines merely complemented pressures to achieve Aryan status more quickly. Many were forced to dedicate leisure time to writing to family members asking for genealogical information of relatives. Some also attended genealogical exhibitions and read books for family researchers to move their research forward. The growing importance and promotion of genealogy is equally important in understanding how the Nazis were able create a climate of fear for the Jews. For example, simple family research guides appeared in national newspapers and town halls and schools were frequently used to stage genealogical exhibitions. At the same time, the press documented the existence and progress of government institutions whose main remit was to collect and catalogue genealogical information of every inhabitant of Germany. It would have been difficult to leave the home and perform everyday tasks without being reminded of the growing radicalism in society. The highly publicised effort to accumulate and centralise genealogical information – as part of a programme to identify and control the nation’s Jewish population – was intended to dampen Jewish morale and feelings of security. Thus, exploring how genealogy was utilised and promoted in society, and also 3 how ordinary men and women viewed and engaged with it, also allows this study to document anti-Semitic policies, as they evolved from limiting freedoms in social and economic spheres to state-sponsored murder. Table of Contents Abstract ...................................................................................... 2 Table of Contents .......................................................................... 4 Table of figures ............................................................................. 5 Acknowledgement .......................................................................... 6 Abbreviations ............................................................................... 7 Introduction ................................................................................. 8 Chapter one: The popularisation of genealogy........................................ 21 Chapter two: Laying the racial foundations, 1933-1938 ............................. 41 Chapter three: Protecting the Volk against ‘blood-mixing,’ 1933-1938 ........... 72 Chapter four: Marketing Nazi ideology, 1933-1938 .................................. 104 Chapter five: Expanding and intensifying anti-Semitic persecution. ............. 130 Conclusion ................................................................................. 156 Bibliography ............................................................................... 165 Archive Collections .................................................................... 165 Newspapers ............................................................................. 165 Primary Sources ........................................................................ 166 Secondary Sources ..................................................................... 167 Table of figures Figure 2. 1 – Inside the Ahnenpass. ..................................................................................... 48 Figure 2. 2 – Completed entries of both parents in the Ahnenpass ...................................... 49 Figure 4. 1 – Exhibition poster: ‘Bad Genes enter a village.’ ............................................ 114 Figure 4. 2 – Family books on display at the ‘Vom Ahn zum Enkel’ exhibition .............. 120 Figure 4. 3 – Additional research sources on display at ‘Vom Ahn zum Enkel’ .............. 121 Figure 4. 4 and 4. 5 - Soldiers and civilians researching their family trees ....................... 122 6 Acknowledgement This thesis would not have been possible without the inexhaustible support and guidance of Michael Moss and Ray Stokes. Over the past four years, both have dedicated untold hours encouraging me to ask bold questions and to explore archival records in Germany. In addition to this, they offered new insights and perspectives that allowed me to shed a new light on the daily experiences of ordinary men and women under Nazi rule. Without the generous funding provided by the Arts Humanities Research Council none of the research would have been possible. In addition, I am extremely grateful to both the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) and the Royal Historical Society for grants which enabled me to access and explore German archives. I am indebted to the Department of Humanities Advanced Technology and Information Institute for the kindness and assistance they have given me from the moment I came into the building as a Masters student. My gratitude also goes to the Centre for Business History for always making me feel welcome. My sincere thanks must also be extended to those individuals who helped me translate documents at some point over the years. Julia Wenzel, Caroline Krahnert and Ariane Haeger, Knut Radmer and the Wagner Family, all of whom brought clarity to my research. I am also grateful to David Macknet for his constructive feedback. Lastly, I would like to thank my wife, Julie. Throughout the course of my studies she has been indefatigable in both her support and kindness. She has spent countless hours proof reading my work and bringing to attention overlooked errors. I cannot recount the gratitude I owe you. Abbreviations BArch Bundesarchiv, Koblenz Gesamtarchiv Gesamtarchiv der Deutschen Juden GStA Geheimes Staatarchiv Presussicher Kulturbesitz NSV NS – Volkswohlfahrt SA Sturmabteilung SD Sicherheitdienst SS Schutzstaffel 8 Introduction The aim of this study is to re-examine the isolation, persecution and control of Germans and Jews in the Third Reich by focusing on a central, but much neglected, aspect of governmental policy: the practice of genealogy. An analysis of the implementation, evolution and enforcement of genealogy is crucial to our understanding of Nazi rule because it was an essential tool for achieving the party’s core ideological concept of a racially pure Volksgemeinschaft, or People’s Community, and separating German society along racial lines. Moreover, examining society through the lens of family research allows us to re-evaluate how ordinary men and women engaged with the regime on a daily basis and to help determine whether or not compliance with racial policies stemmed from outward pressures, general feelings of apathy or a genuine identification with the party’s racial ends. This thesis will seek to address a number of outstanding issues related to both compliance and anti-Semitism: How did the introduction of compulsory family research affect social and economic relations between Germans and Jews? How did state-sponsored genealogy impact day-to-day life? What ideological aims and hopes did the Nazis hold for genealogy? To what extent were they realised? How did the regime seek to promote the practice and make it appealing to the general population? When Adolf Hitler achieved political office on 30 January 1933, he began implementing his vision to improve the racial health of the nation. Like many citizens at this time, Hitler and other
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