Essay on the Inequality of Human Races

(1853–55; Essay on the Inequality of Human Races), that was by far his most influential work.

The most important promoter of racial ideology in Europe during the mid-19th century was Joseph-Arthur, comte de Gobineau, who had an almost incalculable effect on late 19th-century social theory. Published in 1853–55, his Essay on the Inequality of…

…l’inégalité des races humaines (1853–55; Essay on the Inequality of Human Races), influenced many Germans to extol the Nordic, or German, “race.”

…l’inégalité des races humaines (1853–55; Essay on the Inequality of Human Races), the French writer and diplomatist Arthur de Gobineau wrote about the superiority of the white race, maintaining that Aryans (Germanic peoples) represented the highest level of human development. According to 19th-century British writers such as Rudyard Kipling, Charles…