Germany enacts “Aryan Certificate” law, April 7th, 1933
Top-level members of the SS had to prove their racial purity by providing records of their family lineage dating back to 1750. German law required that obtaining a certificate known as the Ariernachweis was mandatory for any individual wishing to hold public office in Germany or gain membership into the Nazi Party. This “Aryan Certificate” was attained by showing a complete record of family lineage (through birth and marriage certificates) that proved racial purity. The Aryan bloodline was thought to be purer because it had not intermingled with that of other ethnicities. The extermination of Jews, Gypsies, homosexuals, and mentally and physically handicapped people was a way of cleansing Europe of people with non-German impurities.