Nazi Body Politics

Grass's text comments on National Socialism's obsession with the body, the Nazis' worship of the desirable body and their persecution of the undesirable body. The years from 1933 to 1945 were a time in which the bodies of millions of people were sacrificed for the high ideals of a few. The Nazis, who were convinced that a healthy spirit can only be found in those who have a healthy, well-shaped body, perceived “Körperschönheit als Lebenswert,” physical beauty as an indicator of life's value and thus worthiness of life as opposed to the ugly body as life unworthy of life. This view was adopted from Nietzsche and the Stefan George circle, which glorified spiritual and physical nobility and openly despised the Durchschnittsmenschen (the average human being) (NT, 165). Modernity's cultural despair due to the increasing ugliness of the world is reflected in this aesthetic concern that makes the human body its primary target. Around 1900, journals like Die Schönheit (Beauty) and Kraft und Schönheit (Strength and Beauty) desire to heal the body from diseases of civilization through nudity and a return to nature, for example in the Wandervögel movement, a youth movement that was established in 1901 and was devoted to outdoor activities.