From Racism to Genocide Anthropology in the Third Reich

Astounding new information about the role of anthropologists in Hitler's efforts to create a "master race"

From Racism to Genocide is an explosive, richly detailed account of how Nazi anthropologists justified racism, developed practical applications of racist theory, and eventually participated in every phase of the Holocaust.

Using original sources, correspondence between anthropologists of the time, and previously unpublished documentation, Gretchen Schafft shows the total range of anti-human activity from within the confines of a single discipline. Based on seven years of archival research in this country and abroad, the work includes twenty-eight original archival photos and documents never before published. It uses primary data and original texts whenever possible, including correspondence written by perpetrators. Included are discussions of "scientism," "denial," "academic responsibility," and "race" and a discussion of Nazi slave labor and its role in realizing Hitler's "final solution."

The book also reveals the United States was not merely a bystander in this research, but was instead an active participant, contributing scientific and financial support to early racial research that continued through the first five years of Hitler's reign.