EUGENICS RESEARCH PAPER

American Eugenics and Nazi Eugenic Policy, 1900–1945

Extended Project Qualification (EPQ) · Completed 2026 · Awarded A*

My Extended Project Qualification explored the relationship between the American eugenics movement and the development of Nazi eugenic policy between 1900 and 1945.

The project began with a central question:

To what extent did the American eugenics movement influence Nazi policy on eugenics from the years 1900–1945?

Through the project, I examined the development of eugenics in the United States, its use in sterilisation and immigration policy, the development of German and Nazi eugenics, and the connections between American and German researchers, institutions and legislation. The paper then considers how far American influence can explain Nazi policy and where the two movements diverged.

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The first examines the development of American eugenics, including compulsory sterilisation, immigration restrictions, the Eugenics Record Office, the Human Betterment Foundation and the significance of Buck v. Bell.

CONCLUSION

My research concluded that the American eugenics movement had a significant influence on the development of Nazi eugenics, particularly during its earlier stages.

American sterilisation legislation, research and eugenic institutions provided precedents that German eugenicists could study and adapt. However, the project also argues that American influence alone cannot explain the subsequent development of Nazi policy. Nazi eugenics developed within Germany's own political, ideological and racial context and ultimately became substantially more radical.

The distinction became central to my answer: American eugenics contributed to the foundations and development of Nazi eugenic policy, but did not independently determine the direction or ultimate extent of Nazi persecution and mass murder.