Madison Grant (1916) "The Passing of the Great Race"

"The Passing of the Great Race: The Racial Basis of European History. " by Madison Grant (1916) C. Scribner's Sons. Influential early 20th century book echoing 19th-century trends,  was perhaps the most influential tract of American scientific racism. It was published in 1916 by the American lawyer, self-proclaimed anthropologist, and eugenics supporter Madison Grant (1865-1937). Grant presents a theory of Nordic superiority, claiming that the Nordic race is inherently superior to other human races. The theory and the book were praised by Adolf Hitler and other members of the National Socialist Party.Grant used the term "Aryan" loosely to mean Indo-European peoples, particularly northern Europeans, in a racialized framework. The book became a bestseller, shaping public perceptions of "Aryan" as a catch-all for Indo-European heritage, far beyond its original Indo-Iranian scope.

Contents Index

Part I - Race, Language, and Nationality
I. Race and Democracy
II. The Physical Foundations of a Race
III. Race and Habitat
IV. Competition Between the Races
V. Race, Language, and Nationality
VI. Race and Language
VII. European Races in the Colonies

Part II - The History of the European Races
I. The Man of the Eolithic
II. The Man of the Paleolithic
III. The Neolithic and the Ages of Metals
IV. The Alpine Race
V. The Mediterranean Race
VI. The Nordic Race
VII. The Teutonic Europe
VIII. The Expansion of the Nordic Race
IX. The Nordic Homeland
X. The Nordic Race Outside Europe
XI. Racial Aptitudes
XII. Arya
XIII. The Origin of the Aryan Languages
XIV. The Aryan Language in Asia


The first section of the book addresses the foundations of ethnicity and Grant's positions on the political issues of the time, particularly eugenics. Grant views human races as biologically determined, attributing different characteristics to each race, and believes these races are in conflict with one another. His focus is on the increasing number of immigrants from non-Nordic European countries, whom he sees as a threat to the fabric of American society. He argues that members of contemporary Protestant American society who can trace their ancestry back to colonial times are being overtaken by immigrants from what he calls "inferior" racial groups. For Grant, the United States has always been a Nordic country, formed by Nordic immigrants from England, Scotland, and the Netherlands during colonial times, and later by immigrants from Ireland and Germany. He expresses particular concern about the immigration of Italians, Eastern European Jews, and the Great Migration of African Americans to the northern United States. He claims that these new immigrants are creating separate societies within the country, forming ethnic lobby groups, criminal syndicates, and political machines that undermine the socio-political structure of the United States and, by extension, its traditional culture. Grant uses population studies, economic utility factors, and labor supply analyses to support his claim that this growing immigration is having a negative impact on American society. He argues that the consequence of this "subversion" is evident in the decline of quality of life, lower birth rates, and the overall corruption of American society. Grant predicts that the Nordic races will eventually become extinct, and that the United States, as it was known, will cease to exist, replaced by a fragmented country or a corrupt caricature of itself. As a countermeasure, he proposes the sterilization of all "undesirable individuals" in order to eradicate the "inferior" races and preserve what he sees as the Nordic purity of the nation.

The second part of the book provides an overview of European prehistory as it was understood at the time of writing, while postulating the existence of three European races—Nordic, Alpine, and Mediterranean—along with their distinct physical and mental characteristics. Grant ties together threads of theory, ethnology, anthropology, and the history of Aryan migration, offering a broad survey of the historical rise, fall, expansion, and contraction of these races from their countries of origin. He speculates about hereditary connections between the Nordic peoples and the Trojans, and between the Prussians and the Spartans. Grant argues that the Alpines would be best suited as farmers, while the Mediterranean peoples would excel in the arts and intellectual pursuits. In contrast, he claims that the Nordic peoples were superior soldiers, sailors, explorers, and, above all, great leaders. Grant follows the racial classifications of Arthur de Gobineau and William Z. Ripley, categorizing the Alpines as the lowest of the three European ethnic groups, with the Nordics representing the pinnacle of civilization. Although he considers the Mediterranean race to be intellectually superior, he argues that the great civilizations of Rome and Greece were only possible through intermixing with the Nordic race. Grant asserts that desirable traits of a people—such as "family life, loyalty, and truth"—are exclusive products of the Nordic race. Whenever such traits appear in non-Nordic cultures, he claims, in a circular argument, that they are evidence of Nordic influence or intermingling, rather than questioning the supposed exclusive Nordic origin of these traits. In addition, this section connects the history of America with that of Europe, particularly focusing on its Nordic nations. 

Toward the end of the book, Grant explores the origins, language, and culture of the Aryans.

The book is credited with having a lasting influence on the modern white supremacy movement in the United States, even in the early 21st century. The book was also the earliest approach to the "Great Replacement" and "white genocide" conspiracy theories due to the mention in it of "race suicide" of Northern Europeans.

Facsimile reprints can be found on the Internet.

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