Nazi policies towards women and opposition Flashcards
1
Q
BEFORE NAZI REFORM
Women in politics: Weimar Republic
- What did the Social Democrats believe women should have?
- Statistics of women’s votes
- What new rights did women have? Article 109
A
- the right to vote; November 1918 they got the right to vote for their efforts in WW1.
- In Weimar elections, 90% were women. By 1932, there were 112 women in the Reichstag, 10%.
- women had equal rights with men, marriage was an equal partnership, women should enter all professions.
2
Q
BEFORE NAZI REFORM
Women at work:
- how many women were in work by 1918?
- what happened to women’s lives after WW1?
- how weren’t women treated right?
- progress for women at work
A
- 75% were in work by 1918
- By 1925, only 36% were in work, the same as pre-war.
- they weren’t treated equally in the workplace, despite Article 109. Paid 33% less than men, expected to give up work once married, few women in professions (only 36 female judges by 1933).
- booming retail and service sectors produced part-time jobs in shops an offices. female doctors rose from 2500 in 1925 to 5000 in 1932.
3
Q
BEFORE NAZI REFORM
Women at leisure:
- What independence did women gain?
- ‘new women’ and Germany’s opinion
- Birth rates before and after
- Divorce rates before and after
A
- greater financial independence. Expressed their independence through behaviour: short hair, more makeup, more revealing clothes. Smoked, drank and went out alone. Less interested in marriage.
- images of these ‘new women’ became popular on ads and films. Many Germans (mostly men) disapproved of this because it broke traditional values like motherhood/family/housekeeping.
- birth rates fell: 128/1000 in 1913. By 1925, 80/1000. women needed to be mothers in Germany.
- divorce rates rose: 27/100,000 in 1913. By 1920s, 60/100,000. women need to be wives in Germany.
4
Q
BEFORE NAZI REFORM
Society divided:
- Women’s opinion on their new rights
- Men’s opinion on women’s new rights
- Conservatives and traditionalist’s opinion of women’s new rights
- Blame on hyperinflation
A
- Women felt liberated by new opportunities/freedoms. Others thought the change was daunting.
- Some accepted whilst others disagreed; they thought ‘new women’ threatened the role of men in society.
- Women should concentrate on being mothers/wives, not challenge the male-dominated society.
- Economic instability in 1920s was blamed on women upsetting the labour market.
5
Q
AFTER NAZI REFORM
Women in employment:
- job of a woman
A
- women should stay at home to raise a family
- any woman could be taking a man’s job
- disapproved of women in professions like medicine/law.
6
Q
AFTER NAZI REFORM
Appearance of a woman
- physical appearance
A
- ‘natural’ look
- hair tied back
- long skirts
7
Q
AFTER NAZI REFORM
Women in marriage and family:
- Birth rates
- domestic values of a woman
A
- birth rates should increase to make Germany bigger and stronger. Have as many children as possible. Devote their lives to feeding and rearing their family.
- They stressed importance of house craft; needlework/cookery.
8
Q
Women, marriage and the family:
The Law for the Encouragement of Marriage, 1933
- rewards for married couples
- requirements of the law
- how much of the loan was written off?
A
- loans given to married couples (8 months worth of wages)
- loan only available if the wife stopped work, encouraged childbirth.
- each child born, 1/4 of the loan was written off. 4 children meant loan was completely paid off.
9
Q
Women, marriage and the family:
Divorce laws
- changes to divorce laws
A
- 1938, wives who couldn’t provide a child gave the husband a valid reason to divorce her.
10
Q
Women, marriage and the family:
The Mother’s Cross
- Purpose and rewards of the Mother’s Cross
- 10th child
A
- encouraged childbirth. 4-5 children, bronze. 6-7 children, silver. 8-9 children, gold. (medals).
- 10th child to be named Adolf if a boy and to appoint Hitler as its godfather
11
Q
Women, marriage and the family:
Lebensborn
- When and who was it started by
- Purpose of the Lebensborn programme
- Who was it initially for and who was allowed after
A
- to encourage childbirth. SS leader, Heinrich Himmler, 1935.
- Only provided nurseries and financial aid for women who had children with SS men. Then it encouraged single women to breed with SS men.
- to create ‘genetically pure’ children for German families.
12
Q
Women and employment:
Propaganda
- what did this propaganda promote?
- ‘three ks’
A
- persuade women to behave differently. Encouraged them to be wives and mothers. to leave work and become housewives.
- Kinder, Küche, Kirche: children, kitchen church.
13
Q
Kinder, Küche, Kirche
A
children, kitchen church
14
Q
Women and employment:
New policies to reduce women at work
- what professions were they banned from?
- jury laws
- what were schoolgirls taught
- change in grammar schools for girls
A
- 1933: banned from teachers/doctors/civil servants. by 1934, 360,000 women gave up work.
- 1936: no women could become a judge/lawyer
- Schoolgirls taught domestic activities: trained for motherhood, not work.
- 1937: grammar schools for girls banned. 1932: 17,000 girls in higher education. 1939: 6,000 in 1939.z
15
Q
How effective were Nazi policies towards women?
- they were effective
- they weren’t effective
A
- Some women were okay with this change: fewer women went to university, birth rates fell, unemployment amongst men fell.
- Some women thought these new ideas harmed the family and degraded women. Some women didn’t like the Reich Women’s Leader, Gertrud Scholtz-Kilink. The domestic status was demeaning.
