Josef Gobino French diplomat, sociologist and writer Date of Birth: 14.07.1816 Country: France

1. Joseph Arthur de Gobineau Biography
2. Racial Theory
3. Racist and Anthropological School
4. Influence on Nazism

Joseph Arthur de Gobineau Biography

Joseph Arthur de Gobineau was a French diplomat, sociologist, and writer. He was born on July 14, 1816, in Paris. Gobineau served as a diplomat from 1849 to 1877. During his diplomatic career, he published his most influential work, "An Essay on the Inequality of the Human Races," between 1853 and 1855. This work is considered one of the earliest serious justifications of racial theory.

Racial Theory

According to Gobineau, the driving force behind the development of nations is inequality, which is connected to racial differences. He believed that the Aryan race, particularly its Germanic branch, was the most capable of cultural development. Gobineau argued that the mixing of the Aryan race with non-white peoples would lead to a decline in its abilities. He was a pessimist and believed that the degeneration of the white race was an irreversible process.

Racist and Anthropological School

Gobineau is considered one of the founders of the racist and anthropological school in sociology. He tried to justify the necessity of a dominant elite and proposed a theory that the inequality associated with racial differences and the resulting struggle between races are the driving force behind the development of nations. He believed that the pursuit of expanding its influence led the Aryan race to mix with other races, resulting in a decline in its abilities and culture. This, in turn, led to the loss of dominant positions by superior races and the emergence of democracy, which Gobineau considered the worst form of government.

Influence on Nazism

Gobineau's theories were later adopted and adapted by Adolf Hitler and other Nazi ideologists to justify the "right" of Germans to dominate the world. Hitler described Aryans as the creators of human culture and claimed that the German people embodied the virtues of the Aryan race, destined to subjugate less valuable nations through any means necessary. Heinrich Himmler, one of the highest-ranking Nazi leaders, declared that the strong race has the right to determine what is just. Gobineau's theories played a significant role in shaping Nazi ideology and their belief in racial superiority and domination.

Gobineau passed away on October 13, 1882, in Turin, Italy. His ideas continue to be controversial and have had a lasting impact on the study of race and sociology.