Houston Stewart Chamberlain

Houston Stewart Chamberlain (September 9, 1855 - January 9, 1927) was a British author noted for his works concerning the Aryan race.

Related Topics:
September 9 - 1855 - January 9 - 1927 - British - Aryan race

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He was born in Southsea, England. At age 14 he suffered from seriously poor health and travelled to various spas around Europe, always accompanied by his Prussian tutor who taught him German and interested him with German culture and history. He moved to Germany, becoming an important member of the "Bayreuth circle" of German nationalist intellectuals influenced by the anti-Semitic ideas of Richard Wagner. He married Eva Wagner, the daughter of the composer.

Related Topics:
Southsea - England - Spa - Europe - Prussia - German - German culture - History - Anti-Semitic - Richard Wagner - Eva Wagner

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In 1899 he wrote his most important work, Die Grundlagen des neunzehnten Jahrhunderts (The Foundations of the Nineteenth Century). The work focuses on the controversial notion that Western civilization is deeply marked by the influence of the Germanic peoples. Chamberlain grouped all European peoples-Celts, Germans, Slavs, Greeks, and Latins-into the "Aryan" race, a race built on the ancient Indo-Aryan culture. At the helm of the Aryan race was the Nordic or Germanic breed. Chamberlain's goal was to create a movement that would revive the recognition of Germanic blood. To do this, he incorporated not just the Teutonic peoples but all tribes with northern origins into a Germanic race. This included the Celts, Germans, and Slavs, all of whom Chamberlain considered to be of Germanic stock.

Related Topics:
1899 - Western civilization

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Chamberlain's works focused on the fact that the Germanic peoples are the heirs to Greece and Rome. He claimed that when the Germanic tribes destroyed the Roman Empire, Jews and other non-Europeans already dominated it. The Germans, therefore, saved Western civilization from Semitic domination. Chamberlain's thoughts were influenced by the writings of Gobineau, who had argued for the superiority of the Aryan race, a term used to describe the white race but excluding Jews. For Chamberlain the concept of an "Aryan" race was that of a racial elite. The Aryan, or "noble" race was always in the process of creation as superior peoples supplanted inferior ones in evolutionary struggles for survival.

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He was also an early supporter of the Welteislehre, the theory that most bodies in our solar system are covered with ice.

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During his lifetime, Chamberlain's works became widely popular around Europe, especially in Germany. He was invited to stay at the court of Kaiser Wilhelm II. His works would later have a marked effect upon German nationalist movements, such as Adolf Hitler's National Socialism.

Related Topics:
Europe - Germany - Kaiser Wilhelm II - Adolf Hitler - National Socialism

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During World War I, he wrote several propaganda texts against his country of origin, and later became a citizen of Germany.

Related Topics:
World War I - Propaganda - Citizen

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Adolf Hitler was a student of his works, and praised him as "The Prophet of the Third Reich".

Related Topics:
Adolf Hitler - Third Reich

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