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A biological threat or a social disease?

Alcoholism and drug addiction in Nazi Germany

The Hebrew University, Jerusalem, gaeseric{at}mscc.huji.ac.il

Racial hygiene — cleansing the Volk of those deemed undesirable by the regime such as anti-socials, biologically defective individuals and races — was at the heart of Nazi policy. This essay will explore whether the Nazi wrath was also directed against drug addicts; or, in other words: was drug addiction considered a biological disease to be eradicated? The answer is no. The Germans believed that drug addiction, unlike mental deficiency and alcoholism, was not hereditary. Not being hereditary, it presented no danger to the master race but could be cured, despite patients’ relapses. Those who were not considered a threat to the race were deemed worthy of life and were treated relatively well.

Key Words: addiction • alcoholism • anti-social • drugs • habitual crime • National Socialism • Third Reich

Journal of European Studies, Vol. 39, No. 3, 371-385 (2009)
DOI: 10.1177/0047244109106688


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