Nueva Germania, Friedrich Nietzsche, Bernhard Förster

“Germany is a great nation only because its people have so much Polish blood in their veins … I am proud of my Polish descent.”

-Friedrich Nietzsche

Bernhard Förster was a school teacher in Germany. He hated Jews. He and his wife Elizabeth decided to leave Germany, along with 14 German families to settle down in Paraguay. This new settlement called Nueva Germania was had no place for Jews and was future of hardworking, Christian and “racially pure” Germans. The 14 families had come to Paraguay with great hope. They had chance to show world that they belonged to race that was superior to others.

But once they reached Paraguay they realised that it was an impossible task. They found it difficult to work in harsh conditions. The scheme soon collapsed and Bernhard Förster committed suicide. His wife Elizabeth returned to Germany. The settlers were wise people, they decided to face situation, they gave up claim of racial superiority and mixed with the locals and started farming. In present day Nueva Germania, most of the descendants of settlers look like locals, but some have retained their German features.

“Some were able to survive…those pioneers struggled with disease, failed crops, infighting and the megalomania of the Försters, who lorded over the colony from an elegant mansion called the Försterhof.”

-Lidia Fischer, descendant of a family that was among Nueva Germania’s first settlers.

But story does not end here.

Friedrich Nietzsche (pronounced Knee-Cheh) was well known German philosopher. He came with a concept of superman “Übermenschen”- a person who is not driven by herd mentality, one who has superseded the bondage of the human condition and reached a liberated state — one of free play and creativity.

He was against German nationalism and pro Jewish. But in his later years he was losing his mental balance. After her return from Germany Elizabeth Forster decided to take care of her brother Friedrich Nietzsche and took charge of his writings. She, like her husband, Bernhard hated Jews. She used her brother’s work for Nazi propaganda. His work was twisted to suit Nazi propaganda.

His idea of superhuman was for welfare of mankind and had nothing to do with race. But Nazis used concept of “Übermenschen” to tell German that they were a superior race- true Aryans- fit to rule world , infact fit to rule “Untermensch”, the subhumans. Jews, Romas and Slavs like Poles and Russians were labelled as subhumans. This twisted logic helped Hitler to kill Jews, Romas, Poles and Russians and grab their land.

Nietzsche’s work had nothing to do with Nazi propaganda. In face Nietzsche was proud to call himself Polish and believed that Polish were superior to Germans.

“I am a pure-blooded Polish nobleman, without a single drop of bad blood, certainly not German blood.”

-Friedrich Nietzsche

Post war some of the German war criminals fled to countries of South America. They were welcomed by residents of Nueva Germania.  War criminals found Nueva Germania, a safe place to hide.

 “According to the experts, they say that Germans have the best judgment in the world, and then come the Koreans, or rather, the Japanese…and Paraguayans come in last place”

Guillermo Fischer, resident of Nueva Germania