Anti-Slavism

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German concentration camp badge, which Polish inmates were required to wear.

Anti-Slavism, also known as Slavophobia, a form of racism and xenophobia, refers to various negative attitudes towards Slavic peoples, most common manifestation being claims of inferiority of Slavic nations with respect to Western civilization.

1 History
2 Nazi Germany
3 Anti-Slavism today
4 See also

[edit] History

Manifestations of anti-Slavism traced back at least to Middle Ages. Tensions between Roman Catholic Church and Eastern Orthodoxy, the dominant religion of the vast majority of Slavic population, propagated the Slavic barbarianism stereotype.

[edit] Nazi Germany

Anti-Slavism was notable in Nazi Germany throughout World War II, parallel with the Anti-Semitism. It was directed against the people of Slavic origin.

In his book, Mein Kampf, Hitler refers to the Slavic peoples of Russia as "inferior Soviet masses", using the word 'Slav' as 'slave'. He thought that the peoples of this origin should 'remain' the slaves that they were throughout the centuries. This was likely a reference to the Ottoman Empire, Austro-Hungary, where the Slavs were not empowered and rather exploited instead.