Herrenvolk democracy

Uncommon card · No. 191394

Herrenvolk democracy (German pronunciation: [ˈhɛʁənfɔlk]) is a partially democratic form of government in which only a specific ethnic group has voting rights and the right to run for office, while other groups are disenfranchised. Herrenvolk democracy is a subtype of ethnocracy, which refers to any form of government where one ethnic group dominates the state, with or without elections. Elections are generally free, but voting suffrage was restricted based on race, with governance that reflected the interests of the politically dominant racial group. The German term Herrenvolk, meaning "master race", was used in nineteenth century discourse that justified German colonialism with the supposed racial superiority of Europeans. The United States prior to the civil rights movement and with particular starkness during the period of the Confederate States of America (1861–1865), South Africa under apartheid (1948–1994), and Liberia (1847–1946) are described as examples of Herrenvolk democracy...

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