The New Nobility of Blood and Soil: [Review]

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by Richard Walther Darre, Antelope Hill Publishing

A New Nobility of Blood and Soil was immensely influential on the National Socialists of Germany and their policies. The very year this book was released, in 1930, Darre was approached by Hitler and became a member of the NSDAP and would later act as its first Minister of Food and Agriculture. It is not difficult to see why the words struck a chord with the German people. Strangely enough, despite their mutual hatred of one another, the modern traditional American Conservative and the German National Socialist of the 1930’s had similar talking points, if different motivations and solutions. Each time I turned the page, even when I found myself disagreeing with what was being said, I was unable to consider the author to be anything less than a genius. The genius lies, not only in the substance, but also in the structure. Blood and Soil covers several topics ranging from history, agriculture, science, philosophy, morality, religion, government, society, education, to marriage and every time tying it back to the central theme of the “Heart of a People” with each chapter building on itself to articulate his position with great logical coherency and strength.

About the Man

I will not go into great detail, as this is a review for the book, not the man, but some background is necessary to grasp the full weight of his perspective and credibility. Being such a public figure, it is not difficult to learn about his life, but – with every source having its bias – fortunately, the translation specified above includes a forward that gives great detail and insight. Born Argentinian (his birth name was Ricardo), he studied in Germany for a time, before spending a year in an English school (which would undoubtedly influence his worldview, as he reveres and references the English nobility in “Blood and Soil”). He would develop his fascination with agriculture when his parents moved to the German countryside. Darre fought for Germany in World War One as a volunteer – with his experience, also, influencing his writing – fighting in many notable battles, eventually serving as a Lieutenant. He would resume his education following the war, specializing in animal husbandry and the breeding of plants. Post war Germany was, of course, wrought with economic, social, and moral disaster, which he sought to remedy.

On the Nature of Nobility

Darre considered “nobility” to be a two-fold concept. The book details a system of leadership by those deemed to be noble, but the nature of nobility, as seen by Darre, is not one of blood or name, exclusively, but, rather, one of respect among peers. If a man proves himself to be of high moral fiber, strong character, and distinguishes himself, then, he is considered to be Noble. In this ideal, a man, who is not born of a family that has already established itself of having good blood with leadership qualities, is still capable of achieving such a rank for himself. On the other hand, a man can be born of the highest blood, but if he does not prove himself worthy of the name, is rejected by the Nobility. Leadership is, also, critical to the core of the book. Acknowledging that each person has their own strengths, Darre admits, that even those who are qualified, may not, necessarily, be fitting for the role. In such cases, he suggests that they be given a position according to their qualifications, but also fitting their character. The general nobility that Darre promotes is not one of aristocracy, but instead, one whose purpose is to preserve the moral traditions of the country and cultivate self-government. In a sense, to lead by example – hence the requirement for strong moral foundations. This was essential.

“Today, the possibility is such that even the most incompetent can walk around with a noble name without having to show even the slightest merit.”

A New Nobility of Blood and Soil (page 50)

As Darre notes in the opening chapter, even the king, in pre-Medieval Germany, had no legislative power or special privileges, essentially only acting as a judge in cases of particular importance. This period of German history is one that Darre yearns to return and holds in high regard as a standard for what he presents in A New Nobility of Blood and Soil.

On the Nature of Blood

This section is where, most likely, the majority of readers will find an issue. For Darre, blood was everything. He held that the nature of a person was intrinsically linked to his blood. As such, the preservation of purely Germanic blood and heritage, is inseparable from the preservation of Germanic culture. The source of blood is, of course, the family.

“In this draft for the establishment of a new nobility, it has already been emphasized several times and in no uncertain terms that the sense of family, family traditions, as well as of a family based on performance – which is connected with the hegehofe – are the foundations of a nobility.”

A New Nobility of Blood and Soil

For the sake of this review, it would be easiest to understand a hegehofe as being the nobleman’s property. Darre goes into much greater detail in his description of the requirements for a hegehofe. The common phrase “he comes from a good family”, is at the core of the sentiment of this entire worldview. Heredity is not inconsequential in this regard. After all, one can only be raised right by the right parents. As important as the father is in many instances, primarily the leadership of both family and community, the mother is the source of discussion for multiple sections. He quotes another author as such.

“All morality emanates from the woman, exists in the woman and through the woman, ends with the woman.”

People Without Will (G. Melzer)

Needless to say, with the woman of the house playing such a vital role, the importance of the choice of spouse is paramount. In a chapter of 72 pages dedicated to the issue of breeding, Darre urges the importance of intentional marriage, and can be summarized here.

“Men of good blood in the German-Germanic sense have never been able to escape the influence of a virtuous woman. From our point of view, it brings a man’s character into question when a virtuous woman is unable to exert any influence on him in a moral sense; German history proves this at every turn. In short, the hegehofe can only be a moral example to the German people if it sets an example of marital morality.”

A New Nobility of Blood and Soil

In other words, if a man of Noble stock were to marry a woman of anything less than exemplary character, then the family – and as a result, the community – would collapse. And if a man was predisposed to rejecting moral living, then he has no business calling himself a noble. The man is the head of the house, but the woman is the backbone. It is for this reason that he, Darre, exhausts every effort to ensure that the purest noble blood be placed in such a position to influence the rest of the country. Acknowledging the historic Nordic bloodline, which has been considered the ideal in many European countries, he advocates for a very specific lineage to take precedence, when possible, but never at the expense of moral character.

On the Nature of Soil

Blood – being essential – is nothing without the soil.

“Whoever takes the natural landscape away from the German soul, kills it.”

The New Nobility of Blood and Soil (page 80)

Darre holds that the countryside and farms are the source of national culture and values, and when these are lost, so is the nation. In much the same way that traditional American history is rooted in the untamed west and nature, so Germanic-Germany finds its source outside of highly populated cities. These, in fact, are very un-German. Only in such a condition of living can the true German spirit be grown. Historically, Germans lived as small tribes and never in cities. Turning to folklore and mythology, Darre points out that the heroes of old all originated as peasants (another word for a “free person”). In order to return to traditional values, morality, and structure, the people must first return to the traditional way of life – before the influence of external influence and rulers – which he refers to as being Germanic-German. The geographical region in which a people live determine their way of life, and their way of life determines, to a point, their dispositions, and their dispositions determine their choice of home, geographically. In such a way, the unity of people and place is why the title and phrase “blood and soil” carries so much importance. You cannot have one without the other. The two together make a people and a culture. Only when both are present do you have a nation. If one is removed, there is no Germany.

The Discerning Christian Reader

As mentioned at the outset, there are many overlaps between what Darre writes, and conservative Christian worldviews. Notably, was the structure of nobility. While reading, I was reminded of the structure of Church government. Each hegehofe is part of a larger community of hegehofes which have a special congress (for lack of a better word) of representatives from each region to represent the nobles in the capitol and appeal to the civil State. Each noble, naturally, being required to have a certain level of education in farming and be in high moral standing, is similar to the standards to which Church elders and pastors are held. Make no mistake: as insightful as I found this book, and however often that I found myself agreeing with what he said, there were theological issues. The first obvious deviation from Christian philosophy is apparent in the very first chapter. Supposing his disdain for Medieval Christian influence, with the introduction to the feudal system and other castes, were warranted, the ancient Germany that Darre held on a pedestal was, in fact, pagan. Paganism, social and civil structures aside, brings with it, its own set of problems. The second issue is that of his position on morality. While he fully agrees with the merits of the moral standards held by Christians and notices that there are many similarities (even to the point of being virtually identical) with the historical German codes, Darre does not consider the source of morality to be divine, but rather, cultural. Accordingly, that which is “moral” is what is best for the community and people as a whole, rather than what is in accordance with God’s commands. A specific example of this is “legitimacy.” The Church considers a pregnancy outside of marriage to be illegitimate. Darre, on the other hand, only considers a pregnancy to be illegitimate if one of the parents is of questionable blood, and so, a threat to the community. On the nature of marriage, despite his very Christian perspective of being particular about who you marry, Darre viewed marriage, not as a holy sacrament and union before God. Instead, it was a social activity with the purpose of promoting and improving the community. Furthermore, it was his belief, that only those worthy, should be allowed to procreate. A staunch proponent of eugenics, Darre advocated for placing women into four main categories according to their desirability for reproduction according to their character – or blood – which has no scriptural basis. Perhaps the most unchristian point of view, however, is the evolutionistic idea of different races being superior or inferior by nature of their personage. Although he skims over this topic rather quickly and makes very little mention, it is mentioned, and so must I. This is not a Biblical concept, as discussed in this book. It is impossible for it to be by virtue of all of humanity descending from a common first man and woman.

Recommendation

Did I agree with everything in the book? No. Does the author approach each (any) subject from a Christian worldview? No. Is A New Nobility of Blood and Soil worth reading? Absolutely! I cannot recommend this book enough. Whether you agree with everything he says, or if you disagree with everything he says, or if you are anywhere in the middle, A New Nobility of Blood and Soil by Richard Walther Darre (the Antelope Hill Publishing version) is an absolute must read.


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