Ukončení „života nehodného žití“
The Ending of a “Life Unworthy of Life”
Author(s): Stanislava VodičkováSubject(s): Christian Theology and Religion, History of Church(es), Social history, Recent History (1900 till today), Fascism, Nazism and WW II, History of the Holocaust
Published by: Univerzita Palackého v Olomouci
Keywords: National Socialism;Medical Crimes; Racism; Eugenic; Racial Hygiene; Sterilization; Euthanasia; Propaganda; Ethics; Religions; Slippery Slope; Hartheim Euthanasia Centre; Aktion T4; 14f13 “Special Treatment”; Concentration Camp Dachau;
Summary/Abstract: This study elaborates on the history of race theory and eugenics in Germany which, during the National Socialist era, led to the involuntary sterilization and subsequent euthanasia of the terminally ill as part of Aktion T4. It analyses the propaganda promoting euthanasia and the response by the Catholic Church which was able to mobilize German society, preventing the continuing mass murder of the terminally ill. When Aktion T4 came to an end, however, the killings continued secretly up until the end of the war as Aktion 14f13 code-named “Special Treatment” (Sonderbehandlung), aimed at liquidating prisoners in concentration camps who were incapable of working. Taking the example of the clergy from the Czech Lands and elsewhere, imprisoned in Dachau and selected for transport to the euthanasia center in Hartheim, the study demonstrates how this site operated and the culprits among its staff.
Journal: Studia theologica
- Issue Year: XXVII/2025
- Issue No: 4
- Page Range: 115-134
- Page Count: 20
- Language: Czech
