Deconstruction of National Identity in the Third Reich: Nazisprache und Geopolitik
Under the Third Reich, concepts of Geopolitik and Lebensraum were redefined. The Nazi Party developed Nazisprache, a coded, convoluted vocabulary used to describe, delimit and eventually destroy undesirable populations (primarily Jews, Gypsies, mentally ill, disabled, etc.). By corrupting conventional German meaning, Nazi officials legally extended borders of Nazi-controlled territories while successfully suppressing knowledge of their cruelty. As Nazi communications grew more circumspect, ‘euphemism' increased; national and personal boundaries were linguistically renamed and politically re-conceptualised, potentiating the thorough dissolution of nation, person and ethnic entity. ‘A yielding to the form prepares for assent to the matter identified with it.' (Kenneth Burke)
Keywords: Forced Emigration, Murder; Holocaust; Jew(s); Nazi Policy
Document Type: Research Article
Publication date: 01 June 2006
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