Wilhelm Marr, is credited with popularizing the term antisemitism around 1879. For Marr, "Antisemitism" was an attack against "semitism" or Jewish influence in German culture. He backed up his claims with eugenicist theories of racial hierarchies. The parts of society most concerned about Jews were moving away from being anti-Jewish in a religious perspective toward a race-based hatred of Jews. Édouard Drumont wrote about racial antisemitism, as did Paul de Lagarde, and Eugen Dühring. Their writings were not just polemics against Jews as a race, but about their detrimental influence on European society and culture.

Jerome Chanes writes in Antisemitism: A Reference Handbook:

The new paradigm for anti-Jewishness - anti-semitism - was more neutral, objective, and "scientific." The term antisemitism has never referred to the hatred of Semites, which designates speakers of a group of languages (Hebrew, Arabic, Aramaic, and so on). Rather the term antisemitism is directed at Jews; it is the modern locution of Jew-hatred.

The word "antisemitism" has stuck around because it was a powerful political tool. The word exists because people took the time to specifically create a word to express their fears and hatred of Jews. These writers were racist, insofar as they considered Jews a race inferior to other Europeans. But antisemitism is more than just racism, it is about the negative influence of Jews as somehow powerful and cunning, but also weak and inferior.

Further reading: Lacqueur, Walter. The Changing Face of Anti-Semitism: From Ancient Times to the Present Day

Wilhelm Marr, is credited with popularizing the term antisemitism around 1879. For Marr, "Antisemitism" was an attack against "semitism" or Jewish influence in German culture. He backed up his claims with eugenicist theories of racial hierarchies. The parts of society most concerned about Jews were moving away from being anti-Jewish in a religious perspective toward a race-based hatred of Jews. Édouard Drumont wrote about racial antisemitism, as did Paul de Lagarde, and Eugen Dühring. Their writings were not just polemics against Jews as a race, but about their detrimental influence on European society and culture.

Jerome Chanes writes in Antisemitism: A Reference Handbook:

The new paradigm for anti-Jewishness - anti-semitism - was more neutral, objective, and "scientific." The term antisemitism has never referred to the hatred of Semites, which designates speakers of a group of languages (Hebrew, Arabic, Aramaic, and so on). Rather the term antisemitism is directed at Jews; it is the modern locution of Jew-hatred.

The word "antisemitism" has stuck around because it was a powerful political tool. The word exists because people took the time to specifically create a word to express their fears and hatred of Jews. These writers were racist, insofar as they considered Jews a race inferior to other Europeans. But antisemitism is more than just racism, it is about the negative influence of Jews as somehow powerful and cunning, but also weak and inferior.

Further reading: Lacqueur, Walter. The Changing Face of Anti-Semitism: From Ancient Times to the Present Day