A German Blood Certificate (German: ''Deutschblütigkeitserklärung'') was a document provided by

Nazi Nazism ( ; german: Nazismus), the common name in English for National Socialism (german: Nationalsozialismus, ), is the far-right totalitarian political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party (NSDAP) in ...

leader

Adolf Hitler Adolf Hitler (; 20 April 188930 April 1945) was an Austrian-born German politician who was dictator of Germany from 1933 until his death in 1945. He rose to power as the leader of the Nazi Party, becoming the chancellor in 1933 and the ...

to '' Mischlinge'' (those with partial

Jew Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""T ...

ish heritage), declaring them ''deutschblütig'' (of German blood). This practice was begun sometime after the

Nuremberg Laws The Nuremberg Laws (german: link=no, Nürnberger Gesetze, ) were antisemitic and racist laws that were enacted in Nazi Germany on 15 September 1935, at a special meeting of the Reichstag convened during the annual Nuremberg Rally of ...

of 1935, and allowed exemption from most of Germany's racial laws. Mischling is a term used during the Third Reich era in Germany to denote persons deemed to have partial Jewish ancestry. This word literally means "mixling", a derogatory loanword describing one who is "mixed". In order to join the Nazi party and get a certificate, the candidate had to prove through baptismal records that all direct ancestors born since 1750 were not Jewish, or they could apply for a German Blood Certificate. These certificates were 300 mm (11¾ in) by 210 mm (8¼ in), with a signature on the front and the red seal of the Office of Racial Research of the

Nazi Party The Nazi Party, officially the National Socialist German Workers' Party (german: Nationalsozialistische Deutsche Arbeiterpartei or NSDAP), was a far-right political party in Germany active between 1920 and 1945 that created and supported t ...

. The back listed the ancestry of the individual concerned, back to the grandparents of the father and the mother.

Purpose of the German Blood Certificate

The

, also known as the Anti-Jewish laws, were statutes created in Germany for the purpose of maintaining blood purity of the Aryan race. The laws indicating the necessity of obtaining a German Blood Certificate were implemented at the time relationships between Aryan and Jews were outlawed. German Blood Certificates were documentations that classified who was of "German or related blood". Aryans could face a prison sentence if they were to go against the established laws. Aryan and Jewish families already married with children were labeled as Mischling, and thus were encouraged to divorce. Such relationships were deemed as "blood treason". The

did not define people as Jewish by cultural values, but rather looked at how many Jewish grandparents they had. Specifically, those who had three or four Jewish grandparents were considered Jews, despite any conversions to Christianity. Jews were seen as an inferior race by the Nazis, thus they saw the need to segregate the Jews from the German community. As a result of the

, Jewish people were denied German citizenship even though Germany was their homeland. The establishment of the

paved the path towards

the Holocaust The Holocaust, also known as the Shoah, was the genocide of European Jews during World War II. Between 1941 and 1945, Nazi Germany and its collaborators systematically murdered some six million Jews across German-occupied Europ ...

The Law of Protecting German Blood and Honour

Hitler Adolf Hitler (; 20 April 188930 April 1945) was an Austrian-born German politician who was dictator of Nazi Germany, Germany from 1933 until Death of Adolf Hitler, his death in 1945. Adolf Hitler's rise to power, He rose to power as the le ...

outlined laws meant to regulate marriage conflicts between Aryans and non-Aryans. The law consisted of various paragraphs, four of which focused on Jews. The law prohibited relationships between those of German blood or related with Jews; it stated that violations could result in imprisonment. The law also made it clear that it was unlawful for Jews to employ German females or their family members under the age of 45. It was also deemed unacceptable for Jews to be associated with the

Reich ''Reich'' (; ) is a German noun whose meaning is analogous to the meaning of the English word "realm"; this is not to be confused with the German adjective "reich" which means "rich". The terms ' (literally the "realm of an emperor") and ' (lit ...

flag. People of

Jewish Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...

descent and Germans who had Jewish spouses were persecuted by the

regime. Everyone in Germany was required to carry around an identification card; however, Jewish people had specific identification marks stamped on their cards for police to easily determine and recognize who was Jewish. Those considered '' Mischlinge'' appeared to accept the

, although some people were oppressed. The Nazis put these laws to use in attempts to expel Jews and '' Mischlinge'' from the Aryan society.

Use of Nazi propaganda

The use of

Nazi propaganda The propaganda used by the German Nazi Party in the years leading up to and during Adolf Hitler's dictatorship of Germany from 1933 to 1945 was a crucial instrument for acquiring and maintaining power, and for the implementation of Nazi polici ...

played a crucial role in spreading the message of the importance of blood purity.

established a

Ministry in 1933 to ensure that the Nazi message was communicated freely by all means; it was headed by

Joseph Goebbels Paul Joseph Goebbels (; 29 October 1897 – 1 May 1945) was a German Nazi politician who was the '' Gauleiter'' (district leader) of Berlin, chief propagandist for the Nazi Party, and then Reich Minister of Propaganda from 1933 to ...

. The media was pervasive in their methods of portraying Jews as sexual offenders in films, while stressing the consequences that would occur if any laws were broken. Nazi propaganda also led to campaigns protesting against Jews.

Education

Aside from the use of

, education played a key role in spreading the message about blood purity. Teachers were given specific instructions on what they were to teach their students. Children were taught and warned about the consequences they would face if they were to engage in personal relationships with a non-Aryan.

References

External links