Untermench Updated Jun 2026

After 1945, the term Untermensch became a legal and moral taboo in Germany. The use of Nazi racial terminology is a criminal offense under German law ( Volksverhetzung , incitement to hatred). However, the concept has not disappeared. Far-right groups across Europe and North America have revived Untermensch or its translations (“subhuman,” “untermensch”) to describe immigrants, refugees, and racial minorities. During the Yugoslav Wars of the 1990s, Serbian nationalists referred to Bosnian Muslims as podljud (subhumans). In the 2010s and 2020s, neo-Nazi forums and white supremacist manifestos (e.g., the Christchurch shooter’s “Great Replacement” text) explicitly invoke Untermensch as a template for dehumanization.

Both physical and mental, who were deemed "life unworthy of life." The Function of Dehumanization untermench

The Nazis identified several groups as Untermensch, including: After 1945, the term Untermensch became a legal

Including Poles, Russians, Ukrainians, and Serbs. Hitler’s Generalplan Ost envisioned the enslavement or displacement of millions of Slavs to create Lebensraum (living space) for Germans. Far-right groups across Europe and North America have