Blood and soil. For the Nazis, it wasn't just a metaphor. The Nazis would go to any lengths to bend the natural world to their whims. Nazi archaeologists set to work using archaeological finds to assert an ancient Aryan race. Some of Europe's first nature preserves and biodynamic farms were created to provide Lebensraum for the Thousand Year Reich. Violent culls of flora, fauna, not to mention human life, strove to 'recreate' idyllic Germanic forests. Strange experiments in back-breeding claimed to bring creatures like aurochs back from extinction. What vision of the natural world did Nazis hold for the future? And how did they use science to try to create the world in their image?
Up Next in Secret Nazi Science - Season 1
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The Nazi Empire
The triumphal architecture of the Nazi regime hints at a deeply dystopian future. Enormous amphitheaters are built, inspired by the Greek ideal, while the oversized Nuremberg Rally Grounds and Olympic Stadium mirror the Roman Colosseum. Meanwhile, Nazi dreams of an ideal city start to take shape....