ABSTRACT
The concept of racial superiority was a constituent part of fascist ideology. Because of the particular forms racial theory took during the period of Nazi ascendancy on the continent of Europe—the campaigns for the systematic elimination of the Jews and the Slavs— the myth of race is perhaps the most widely known fascist theory. The race which possessed the maximum potential for civilization was that of the Teutons. The most degenerate were the Slavs and the Celts. The preferred race of Teutons varied according to his moods, being at different times the Germans, the Scandinavians and the English. The desire for a pure Aryan race seems to have gained ground in Germany despite the defeat of 1918. The myth of race found powerful allies in the period preceding the First World War. The economic and social pressures generated in Europe by changing industrial patterns found a ready outlet in the drive towards imperialism.
