The by Drumont - an Attempt to Differentiate between the Semite and the Aryan - Article Example

The articled, in summary, is an attempt by the to differentiate between the Semite and the Aryan. He first accomplishes this by defining both terms. The Aryan is defined as being noble while the Semite is defined as being the antithesis of nobility. The virtues of the Aryan are first illustrated. These include the ability to understand and comprehend Beauty in all of its forms, the ability to lead without guile, the ability to create, discover and earn an honest living through hard work and discovery.

On the other hand, the Semite is described as a type of leach upon all that is good which the Aryan establishes. If an Aryan explores new lands, develops industry and establishes an organized peace, the Semite will soon follow seeking to get gain through some nefarious scheme or plan. A theme that is visited several times in the article is the subtle nature of the Semite. The author describes them as incapable of establishing anything in an honest manner, so they live by subtle infiltration of established societies and governments.

The author describes an invasion of the Semites as not one of military might, but of one cloaked in the secrecy of financial transactions and governmental intrigue. The Semite is described as one who employs “wily tricks” to accomplish his ultimate goal, namely the overthrow of the noble Aryan so that the Semite can rule over the lovers of virtue. The final point of this reading is to show that the Semite is especially adept at mercantile trade and finance, so these areas are to be regarded with caution and mistrust by the Aryan.

Drumont reiterates that the Semite is incapable of invention, so his source of power will come by controlling the worlds of trade and finance. These crafty people must not be trusted because their goal is to overthrow the race that rightly deserves to rule, namely, the Aryans. A historian reading this passage can learn so much about racial stereotypes that led to atrocities during the mid 20th century. The seeds of racial hatred and animosity that Hitler incorporated into the Third Reich and his own singular Fascist ideologies prior to the outbreak of World War II are all here.

Accusations that the Jews were responsible for the economic hardships of Germany, that they were secretly in league with enemies of the Fatherland and that they had no right to leadership or even life because their blood was not Aryan are all in this reading. I think this is important for a historian to know because it shows that these were not new ideas that Hitler came up with. These ideas predate him by many decades. Also of special note by historians should be the proclamation that Aryans and Semites had been at war from the beginning of time and that their conflict would continue forever, until one was vanquished by the other.

This sort of fatalistic prediction obviously has a huge influence on the Fascists in Germany during the early and mid 20th century. While deplorable in all ways, it is this sort of doctrine that helped shape world events decades later.