Herrenvolk
Noun: A race or people that considers itself superior to all others and believes it is inherently fitted to rule over other peoples. This term is strongly associated with the ideology of Nazism, which posited the German people (the "Aryan race") as the Herrenvolk.
The word is used in historical and political contexts to describe a supremacist ideology. It is a direct borrowing from German and is typically used in English with its original German meaning, often in discussions of 20th-century history, racism, and political theory.
- The Nazi doctrine of the Herrenvolk was used to justify conquest and genocide.
- Scholars analyze how the concept of a Herrenvolk was central to the regime's propaganda.
- The ideology posited a Herrenvolk destined to dominate inferior peoples.
- The term is often used critically or analytically. It is not used to describe a group neutrally but to label a specific, dangerous ideological construct.
- It can appear in discussions of other white supremacist or ethnonationalist ideologies that posit a similar "master race" doctrine.
- Master Race: The direct English translation and synonym for .
- Supremacism: The general belief in the superiority of a particular group.
- Aryan: In Nazi ideology, the racial category identified as the .
- Master race
- Superior race (in a doctrinal, ideological sense)
This word carries immense historical weight and is almost exclusively used in reference to Nazi ideology and its consequences. Its use outside of this specific context is rare and would be for direct comparison. It is a term of severe criticism and condemnation.
- a race that considers itself superior to all others and fitted to rule the others