CHAPTERÂ THIRD Subjects and citizens
In general, the institution now erroneously called the “State” distinguishes only two classes of individuals: citizens and foreigners. Citizens are those who, by virtue of their birth or naturalization, possess the rights of citizenship. Foreigners are all those who enjoy those rights in another State.
The right to citizenship is acquired primarily, as previously stated, by the individual being born within the territorial boundaries of a state. Aspects of race and national origin play no role here. A black person, for example, from a German colonial protectorate, with a permanent residence in Germany, produces, according to this criterion, a “German citizen” in his or her child, and likewise any Jewish, Polish, African, or Asian child born in Germany can be declared, without further formality, a citizen of that country.
Aside from citizenship by birth, this same right can be acquired later. The entire process of such a citizenship system is not very different from the procedure prescribed for a new member to join an automobile club. A single stroke of the pen is enough to make any Mongolian “a true German.”
Not only is the racial origin of such a new citizen ignored, but even his physical health is ignored. It matters little whether the subject is more or less ravaged by syphilis; for the current “State,” he is a welcome fellow citizen, as long as he is not an economic burden or a political danger.
I know that all this is heard with distaste; but it is difficult to imagine the existence of anything more illogical and more absurd than our current right of citizenship. There is a foreign nation in which the beginnings of better judgment are already being felt, at least timidly: it is in the United States of America, where the effort to seek the advice of reason in this regard is noticeable. By prohibiting
By strictly prohibiting the entry into its territory of immigrants affected by infectious diseases and by excluding from naturalization, without any hesitation, elements of certain races, the United States partially recognizes the principle that underpins the racial conception of the National Socialist State.
The National Socialist State classifies its inhabitants into three groups: citizens, subjects, and foreigners.
In principle, being born in German territory merely constitutes the status of a German subject, a status that, as such, does not entitle one to hold public office, much less to participate in politics, either actively or passively, by participating in elections. It is essential to establish the race and nationality of each subject.
Young German citizens must complete the compulsory schooling cycle for Germans. In this way, they undergo the education that shapes the character of every German national, conscious of their race and their homeland. They must then meet the physical training requirements prescribed by the state before ultimately entering military service. The training provided during this period is of a general nature.
Upon completion of military service, the adult will be solemnly presented with his citizenship certificate, which will constitute for him the most valuable title of his earthly life. With this, he enters into the enjoyment of all the rights of citizenship and the inherent privileges, for the State must make a sharp distinction between those who, as patriots, are the supporters and defenders of its existence and its greatness, and those who settle in the territory of a State for solely “utilitarian” purposes.
It will have to be considered more dignified to be a citizen of this Reich, even as a simple street sweeper, than to become a king in a foreign state.
However, the rank of dignity imposes sacred duties. Dishonest or characterless men, criminals and traitors to the country, etc., may be deprived of the honor of citizenship and returned to the rank of simple subjects.
A young German woman has the status of a subject and acquires the right of citizenship by virtue of marriage. The State may also grant this right to German women who earn a living from the authorized exercise of a profession or trade.
