Johann Chapoutot theorizes that Nazism comes from a coherent and deeply-thought
worldview where
humanistic and
universalistic values are rejected. Nazi ideology sees the
Germanic man as deeply corrupted by modern society and pulled away from his natural state. The German people must enact a "cultural revolution" in order to come back to their natural state, way of living and relationships with others. Nazism follows an
organicistic interpretation of society (''''): the individual only exists as a member of an ethnic group. That "cultural revolution" is rooted in a
racialist interpretation of history where "race wars" shape cultures and politics; as such there is a need for "racial preservation" for the Aryan people, who are threatened biologically, morally and intellectually by other races. The Germanic race, lest it should disappear, must therefore distance itself from
Christianity, the
Enlightenment, and
materialism. That revolution has to take place on both a collective and an individual spectrum. In 2014, Chapoutot published
The Law of Blood: Thinking and Acting as a Nazi, which was translated into English by Miranda Richmond Mouillot in 2018. According to this book, Nazi Germany was deeply rooted in European culture and history. Nazism is therefore not merely an historical accident and must be taken seriously for what it is. He argues that Nazi ideology directly follows
romanticism, particularly its appeal to a return to "the origin" and its disgust for the
French Revolution.. == Political engagement ==