Editing Citizenship (section)

====Nazi Germany====

[[Nazism]], the German variant of twentieth-century fascism, classified inhabitants of the country into three main hierarchical categories, each of which would have different rights in relation to the state: citizens, subjects, and aliens. The first category, citizens, were to possess full civic rights and responsibilities. Citizenship was conferred only on males of [[Germans|German]] (or so-called "[[Aryan]]") heritage who had completed military service, and could be revoked at any time by the state. The [[Reich Citizenship Law]] of 1935 established [[Racial policy of Nazi Germany|racial criteria for citizenship in the German Reich]], and because of this law Jews and others who could not "prove German racial heritage" were stripped of their citizenship.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/Holocaust/nurmlaw3.html|title=The Nuremberg Laws: The Reich Citizenship Law (September 15, 1935)|website=Jewish Virtual Library}}</ref>

The second category, subjects, referred to all others who were born within the nation's boundaries who did not fit the racial criteria for citizenship. Subjects would have no voting rights, could not hold any position within the state, and possessed none of the other rights and civic responsibilities conferred on citizens. All women were to be conferred "subject" status upon birth, and could only obtain "citizen" status if they worked independently or if they married a German citizen (see [[women in Nazi Germany]]).

The final category, aliens, referred to those who were citizens of another state, who also had no rights.

In 2021, the German government passed a law that entitled victims of Nazi persecution and their descendants to become naturalised German citizens.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Amt |first=Auswärtiges |title=Restoration of German citizenship (Article 116 II Basic Law) |url=https://uk.diplo.de/uk-en/02/citizenship/restoration-of-german-citizenship/2463592 |access-date=2022-05-31 |website=uk.diplo.de |language=en}}</ref>{{better source needed|reason=Title of cited sourse is confusing|date=September 2024}}