Meaning:
The quote you provided is from Alfred Rosenberg, a prominent figure in Nazi Germany and a key architect of Nazi ideology. The quote reflects Rosenberg's belief in the importance of racial history and the idea of a "religion of the blood" in shaping the destiny of peoples and civilizations.
In this quote, Rosenberg asserts that racial history is intertwined with natural history and the mysticism of the soul. He suggests that the concept of race is not only a product of natural forces but also has deep spiritual and metaphysical significance. This reflects the racialist ideology that was central to Nazi thought, which held that different races had distinct spiritual and moral qualities.
Furthermore, Rosenberg introduces the notion of the "religion of the blood," which he presents as a counterpoint to racial history. He argues that the history of the religion of the blood is a grand narrative encompassing the rise and fall of peoples, their heroes and thinkers, as well as their inventors and artists. This concept aligns with the Nazi belief in the primacy of race and the idea that the destiny of nations is shaped by their racial essence.
Rosenberg's ideas were influential in shaping Nazi policies on race and culture. As the head of the Nazi Party's Foreign Affairs Office and later the Reich Ministry for the Occupied Eastern Territories, Rosenberg played a key role in implementing Nazi racial policies, including the persecution and extermination of Jews, as well as the suppression of other "undesirable" racial and ethnic groups.
It is important to note that Rosenberg's views on race and history were deeply intertwined with the broader Nazi ideology of racial purity, Aryan supremacy, and the belief in a grand struggle for dominance between different racial and national groups. These ideas were used to justify the brutal policies of the Nazi regime, including the Holocaust and the pursuit of Lebensraum (living space) through the conquest and colonization of Eastern Europe.
Rosenberg's writings, including his influential work "The Myth of the Twentieth Century," articulated a vision of a racialized world order in which the destiny of nations and civilizations was determined by their racial and spiritual essence. His ideas contributed to the development of a pseudo-scientific racial theory that sought to justify the subjugation and extermination of perceived racial and cultural enemies.
In conclusion, the quote from Alfred Rosenberg reflects his belief in the significance of racial history and the "religion of the blood" in shaping the destiny of peoples and civilizations. His ideas were central to Nazi ideology and played a key role in rationalizing the brutal racial policies of the Nazi regime. Understanding Rosenberg's views is essential for comprehending the racialist and supremacist underpinnings of Nazi thought and the catastrophic consequences that flowed from them.