▁Polish ▁people ▁was ▁the ▁ 1 4 th ▁century ▁German ▁Domin ican ▁the olog ian ▁John ▁of ▁Fal ken berg ▁who ▁on ▁beh alf ▁of ▁the ▁Te ut onic ▁Order ▁argued ▁not ▁only ▁that ▁Polish ▁pag ans ▁should ▁be ▁killed , ▁but ▁that ▁all ▁Pol es ▁should ▁be ▁subject ▁to ▁gen o cide ▁on ▁the ▁grounds ▁that ▁Pol es ▁were ▁an ▁inher ently ▁her et ical ▁race ▁and ▁that ▁even ▁the ▁King ▁of ▁Poland , ▁J og ail a ▁a ▁Christian ▁convert , ▁ought ▁to ▁be ▁murder ed . ▁ ▁The ▁assertion ▁that ▁Pol es ▁were ▁her et ical ▁was ▁largely ▁polit ically ▁motiv ated ▁as ▁the ▁Te ut onic ▁Order ▁desired ▁to ▁conquer ▁Polish ▁lands ▁despite ▁Christian ity ▁having ▁become ▁the ▁dominant ▁religion ▁in ▁Poland ▁centuries ▁prior . ▁ ▁Germany , ▁becoming ▁more ▁and ▁more ▁per me ated ▁with ▁Te ut onic ▁Pr uss ian ism , ▁has ▁never ▁since ▁abandoned ▁these ▁tact ics . ▁For ▁instance , ▁David ▁Black b ourn ▁of ▁Harvard ▁University ▁speak s ▁of ▁the ▁sc andal ised ▁writ ings ▁of ▁German ▁intellectual ▁Johann ▁Georg ▁For ster , ▁who ▁was ▁granted ▁a ▁ten ure ▁at ▁Vil nius ▁University ▁by ▁the ▁Polish ▁Commission ▁of ▁National ▁Education ▁in ▁ 1 7 8 4 . ▁For ster ▁wrote ▁of ▁Poland ' s ▁" back ward ness " ▁in ▁a ▁similar ▁ve in ▁to ▁" ign or ance ▁and ▁bar bar ism " ▁of ▁sout heast ▁Asia . ▁Such ▁views ▁were ▁later ▁repeated ▁in ▁the ▁German ▁ideas ▁of ▁Lebens raum ▁and ▁explo