User:Girlunderthesea/sandbox

Geza von Hoffmann (1885-1921) was a prominent Austrian-Hungarian eugenicist and writer. He lived for a time in California as the Austrian vice-consulate, where he observed and wrote on eugenics practices in United States. His most known book Die Rassenhygiene in den Vereinigten Staaten von Nordamerika (Racial Hygiene in the United States of America) described what he observed in America. His reports on American eugenicist activity, influenced German and especially Berlin eugenicists up to the first World War. He served as a key connection between American eugenics activities and German eugenics activities.

Hoffmann's Views On Eugenics
He shared his views with German and Hungarian policies “that eugenic policies should improve the racial qualities of the nation” He was predominantly concerned with improving the biological quality of the population

Published in 1913, Racial Hygiene in the United Sates in America discussed the similarities of eugenic theories such as negative and positive eugenics and so-called practical social policies like sterilization and immigration. He endorsed “negative” eugenic policies on the practical level, while simultaneously emphasizing their theoretical value, Negative eugenic programs include any activities that discorage or stop the reproduction or continuation of certain peoples deemed inferior. It could also include programs that simply limit certain people to the state. These programs would include sterilization, immigration bans, separate instituions for different groups, marriage restrictions and more. The people typically picked for negative eugenics were placed in racialized groups or somehow physically or mentally deemed "unfit." Positive eugenics are any programs that encourage reproduction, success or entrance into the state of certain groups considered superior. These programs could include restricting abortions, providing financial aide for additional children and more. According to his book he saw marriage limits, immigration laws, and forced sterilization as the best way to practice eugenics as he observed in the United States. They were all negative, which was the main criticism about both his work and United States' practice of eugenics. His book Krieg und Rassenhygiene (War and Racial Hygiene) published in 1916 demonstrated his view of war as ultimately destructive to the "hereditary strength among European nations." Young men, the best of them, representing the strength of the European nations in war either died or were injured in other lands, hurting the genetic strength of the population according to Hoffman. This observation came after the outbreak of World War I, which experienced catastrophic loss of life.

Austro-Hungarian Influence
Geza von Hoffmann dominated the external group of eugenics in Eastern Europe. He and other members of the external group looked outside of Eastern Europe for influence on eugenics instead of only relying on their own states. His work along with the work of other notable eugenics in the Eugenic Society in Hungary made Hungary in between 1910 and 1918 the “vanguard of eugenic thinking in Europe." He compared and combined eugenic ideas in both Germany and United States.  He theorized applying the combined concepts to Hungary society. In his article titled "Eugenics in the Central Empires since 1914” he compared various eugenics societies and their different activities. He compared the German Society for Racial Hygiene, the German Society for Racial Hygiene in Munich, the International Society for Racial Hygiene, the Austrian Society for the Study of the Science of Population, the Czech Society for Eugenics, the Hungarian Society for racial Hygiene and Population Policy. Hoffmann further developed the concept of eugenics in Austria-Hungary and later internationally. He believed other eugenicists like István Apáthy and Madzsar were too focused on the "social and political" aspets of eugenics. He believed eugenics study needed to look at and understand the biological aspect of the practice. He argued that the "biological perspective" was the most important aspect of understanding eugenics and racial hygiene.

German Connections
Hoffman was among a group of Central and Southeast European eugenicist educated in Germany and Austria. Despite being a Austro-Hungarian diplomat he "had strong connections with German racial hygiene." Before the 1920's Hofmann was the strongest connection between German and American eugenicist. WWI made it more difficult to keep up contact. However, despite the loss in contact he influenced German eugenic practices significantly with his observations on American eugenic practices.

American Observations
Geza von Hoffmann was a rare European observer in the early 1900s, he offered a comprehensive research of eugenic legislation in United States. He lived for several years in California as the Austrian vive-consulate. He kept his German colleagues, especially his Berlin colleagues, and even the German public informed about the development of racial eugenics in United States. In 1913, his publicized book Die Rassenhygiene in den Vereinigten Staaten von Nordamerika (Racial Hygiene in the United States of America) was used as a standard work of the early American eugenics movement. In it he outlined the scientific basis of eugenics. He explained the widespread acceptance of eugenic principles in United States. He explained that the ideas of Galton, Mendel and Darwin, “theories of evolution and decay, importance of heredity, and the possibility of race improvement” were becoming a part of American science and social life. He described how even the American Presidents supported some forms of eugenics. He quoted Woodrow Wilson's presidential address when President Wilson acknowledges “that the whole nation has awakened to and recognizes the extraordinary importance of the science of human heredity, as well as its application to the ennoblement of the human family." He quoted another President, President Theodore Roosevelt who used Edward A. Ross's phrase “race suicide" as his own. Perhaps most importantly to German eugenicists, he described how American Federal and State agencies were lending structure and financial support to eugenic research. He outlined America marriage restrictions of “feebleminded” persons and he included information on the thirty-two states that forbid marriage and sexual relations between blacks and whites. . He discussed the first eugenic sterilization performed in United States in Indiana in 1899. According to Hoffmann it was performed with no legal basis. In 1907 the doctor in charge of the procedure moved the Indiana legislators to create laws permitting sterilization of mentally handicapped person. He documented the many States that followed suit in passing sterilization laws.
 * 1909 California and Connecticut
 * 1911 Nevada, Iowa, and New Jersey
 * 1912 New York
 * 1913 Kansas, Michigan, North Dakota, Oregon

In his final chapter of book Hoffman addressed the fact that American eugenics is based on the concept of Charles Woodruff (American Eugenicist) that northwest Europeans are “our best citizens." In 1910 he reported in the Journal of the International Society for Racial Hygiene (Archiv für Rassen- und Gesellschaft) on a proposal by the American Genetic Association led by Harry H. Laughlin which stated that the “lowest 10 percent of American population be sterilized” However, he became less in favor of United States eugenic goals overtime. He claimed that “rash actions, the lack of a powerful bureaucratic system, and he peculiarity of the American Constitution were partially responsible for getting sterilization laws passed, but also contributed to their poor enforcement”

Influence In Germany
Hoffmann's work helped shape German's view of the United State. It revealed the importance of eugenics in United States to German eugenicists. German eugenicists often referred to his work in addition to the work of Hans W. Maier, and Laughlin. In part because of Hoffmann's work, United States was considered by German eugenicists to be the "first country to enforce comprehensive eugenics legislation." They also believed that racial conflicts in the United States were what pushed such a systemized eugenics movement. In addition, because of Hoffmann's work United States was also looked down upon by German eugenicists for "lack of enforcement."

Hoffmann's situation in history is pivotal to the eugenics movement in Germany. His connection reveals the importance of American eugenics to Germans before World War 1 and shows how America and German histories are connected.

General Recognition
Hoffmann was acknowledged as an expertise in Germany and America on eugenics. He “contributed to European and American debates on racial hygiene, eugenics and sterilization.” His books and articles were published in both Hungary and abroad. He first integrated his eugenics views in Hungary and then into the broader audience and practice in the rest of Europe and North America.

German Recognition
Hoffmann was praised for allowing insight into eugenicist activities both structure and attitudes in United States. He was however criticized by Fritz Lenz. Lenz allowed that Americans had a better negative eugenics operation but not enough positive eugenic. Lenz believed American leaders were not pushing American ladies to breed. Lenz said it was a problem of “extreme dominance of the ladies." Essentially, according to Lenz, American was doing enough to stop inferior reproduction but needed to encourage superior reproduction.

American Recognition
Hoffmann work was respected in United States in some circles as evidenced by note of him in the Bulletin of the American Academy of Medicine. His book Die Rassenhygiene in den Vereinigten Staaten von Nordamerika (Racial Hygiene in United States) first published in 1913 was referenced in their 14th Volume in 1913. The bulletin reported that while in United States as Vice-Counsel of Austria-Hungary he gathered significant material for his book. The book according to the bulletin is a good examination of the United Sates eugenics activities from chapter one's foundation of eugenics, chapter two's spread of eugenics in the America, chapter three's "marriage regulations with eugenics purpose", chapter four's sterilization of the degenerate and chapter five's selection of the immigrant. The bulletin especially gave credit to the appendix that included marriage laws, sterilization laws, immigration laws, an "admirable bibliography comprising 927 numbers" and index of authors. According to the bulletin they "know of no other work which gives a more complete or concise statement of the progress of eugenics in the United States and every student of the subject should have access to the volume."

Works

 * Die Rassenhygiene in den Vereinigten Staaten von Nordamerika (Racial Hygiene in the United States of America) 1913
 * “Eugenics in the Central Empires since 1914”
 * “Eugenic and Works of a General Character” with other authors
 * “Genealogy”
 * “Immigration and Emigration as Related to Racial Changes”
 * Krieg und Rassenhygiene (War and Racial Hygiene) 1916
 * “Negative Eugenics, Sterilization, Segregation, etc.”