Hitler’s American Model: The United States and the Making of Nazi Race Law

Even though it is largely ignored and people do not like talking about it, Hitler and the Nazi party were inspired by American race law when they wrote their own race laws against the Jews in the 1930s. In this short but well-argued book, James Whitman makes the case that the Nazi party was inspired by, and at times borrowed from, American race law. Ranging from Jim Crow laws to laws against Asian races, the Nazis were thrilled that a “Nordic” country was doing what it could to stand up to the threat of “mongrels.” While it makes for uncomfortable reading, it does give us a look at how the Nazi party made laws and the debates therein.

Even though Mr. Whitman is a professor and a lawyer, he does not bog down the reader with a lot of technical legal jargon. Instead, we get a well thought-out argument, with direct quotations from various Nazi party members and lawyers. Though this makes for uncomfortable reading for those who believe in a more egalitarian America, at one point we inspired the Nazis and their laws, and not in a good way.