Blood or Soil? Environmentalism in the Third Reich
Abstract:
The Nazi party is infamous for its dehumanization, imperialism, and nearly successful run at fascism. While these aspects have been studied and observed constantly, there is one aspect of the Nazi party most people would laugh at the thought of — Nazi Environmentalists. Prior to 1989, the field was mostly unknown to the academic world until Anna Bramwell’s groundbreaking book entitled, “The Ecology of the 20th Century.” Since her research, historians have debated her accuracy by usually arguing completely against or for Bramwell’s main arguments. For my evidence, I will use primary source materials from the Wilhelmine, Weimar periods, and Nazi Period as well as secondary sources from authors like Michael Imort, Raymond Dominick, etc. Through the culmination of these sources, I will argue along with Bramwell by stating German ecology stemmed from anti-Semitism and “return to nature” ideologies while also arguing against Bramwell through evidence proving the Nazi party was ecological only in an anthropocentric sense — meaning they viewed human needs first and the environment’s needs second– and used the conservationists solely for their own political gain. With these arguments, I hope to add a nuanced history of a modern topic and hopefully create more depth in this developing field.