{"id":8479,"date":"2019-11-06T10:49:49","date_gmt":"2019-11-06T10:49:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/schoolshistory.org.uk\/topics\/?page_id=8479"},"modified":"2026-06-24T07:10:57","modified_gmt":"2026-06-24T07:10:57","slug":"hans-harmsen-contemporary-questions-of-eugenics-1931","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/schoolshistory.org.uk\/topics\/source-material-for-classroom-use\/germany-1919-39-source-material\/hitlers-rise-to-power-1919-33\/hans-harmsen-contemporary-questions-of-eugenics-1931\/","title":{"rendered":"Hans Harmsen, “Contemporary Questions of Eugenics” (1931)"},"content":{"rendered":"

Eugenics was a central part of Nazi philosophy. The following is an extract from a 1931 speech on Eugenics, given at a conference of directors of Welfare related charitable organisations. That the speaker, Hans Harmsen, was invited to talk about Eugenics, shows how influential the subject was at the time: it was not only Germany in which the subject of Eugenics was considered at the time.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Source: Hans Harmsen, “Contemporary Questions of Eugenics” (1931)<\/h2>\n

1. Eugenics and Public Welfare<\/b><\/p>\n

It must be emphatically pointed out that hereditary-biological health is not identical with \u201chigh quality.\u201d Rather, universal experience has taught us that even the physically and mentally frail can be high-quality human beings in ethical and social terms. Structural changes in our population and quantitative and qualitative changes in population growth \u2013 which have resulted, above all, in the shrinking of the average family size among those groups who, in terms of hereditary biology, are industrious and socially productive \u2013 make it apparent that our approach to public and charitable welfare is in urgent need of a eugenic reorientation. Differentiated care must take the place of undiscriminating public welfare. Substantial expenditures should be made only for those groups of needy individuals who are expected to recover their full productive capacity. By contrast, for all others, welfare services should be limited to humane provisioning and preservation. To the greatest extent possible, those who carry hereditary traits that give rise to social inferiority and the need for care should be prevented from procreating.<\/p>\n

2. Destruction of Life Unworthy of Living<\/b><\/p>\n

This conference is unanimously agreed that the recently voiced demand to permit the destruction of \u201clife unworthy of living\u201d must be emphatically rejected, both from a religious and a national-pedagogical standpoint.<\/p>\n

Related Links<\/h2>\n

Source Material for Classroom Use \u2013 see all of our Source Banks here<\/a>\u00a0\u2013\u00a0Germany 1919-39 Source Material<\/a><\/p>\n

Sources: The Weimar Republic 1918\u201329<\/a>\u00a0\u2013\u00a0Sources: Hitler\u2019s rise to power, 1919\u201333<\/a>\u00a0\u2013\u00a0Sources: Nazi control and dictatorship, 1933\u201339<\/a>\u00a0\u2013\u00a0Sources: Life in Nazi Germany, 1933\u201339<\/a><\/p>\n

Weimar and Nazi Germany<\/a>\u00a0\u2013\u00a0Rise of the Nazi Party<\/a>\u00a0\u2013\u00a0Appeasement: Source Material<\/a>\u00a0\u2013\u00a0Source Analysis Lesson: Nazi Methods of Control<\/a>\u00a0\u2013\u00a0Revision Guide, Weimar and Nazi Germany<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Eugenics was a central part of Nazi philosophy. The following is an extract from a 1931 speech on Eugenics, given at a conference of directors of Welfare related charitable organisations. That the speaker, Hans Harmsen, was invited to talk about Eugenics, shows how influential the subject was at the time: it was not only Germany… <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":8143,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"neve_meta_sidebar":"","neve_meta_container":"","neve_meta_enable_content_width":"off","neve_meta_content_width":100,"neve_meta_title_alignment":"","neve_meta_author_avatar":"","neve_post_elements_order":"","neve_meta_disable_header":"","neve_meta_disable_footer":"","neve_meta_disable_title":"","footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-8479","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t