Women and Children 1933-39

Question 1

What did teachers have to do? What organisation did they join?

Answer 1

They had to swear allegiance to Hitler as their Fuhrer. Teachers joined the Nazi Teachers League.

Question 2

What book became a standard text?

Answer 2

Mein Kampf, children read Nazi textbooks with anti-Semitic and Weimar views.

Question 3

What was the focus for boys in school?

Answer 3

15% of time was spent on physical education. The rest was spent on military training in order to prepare men for war.

Question 4

What was the focus for girls?

Answer 4

Girls also spent 15% of time doing PE in order to become physically strong to bear children. They learned domestic tasks separately to men, such as cookery and needlework, in order to become good mothers.

Question 5

What was Race Studies?

Answer 5

In Race Studies, children learned about how to identify races and were taught how to measure the skulls of Jews. They were told not to marry inferior races.

Question 6

What was Deutches Jungvolk?

Answer 6

German Young People - this was for boys between 10 and 14. These boys did athletics and camping.

Question 7

What was Hitler Youth? What activities were there?

Answer 7

Hitler Jugund was for boys 14-18. They did military activities, as well as using maps and doing hiking, learning about how to march in the army!

Question 8

What was the Young Girls League?

Answer 8

Jungmadelbund - this was for girls between 10 and 14.

Question 9

What was the League of German Maidens?

Answer 9

This was the Bund Deutscher Madel - girls between 14 and 18 came here and had focus on domestic skills.

Question 10

By what year was joining these youth groups compulsory?

Answer 10

1936.

Question 11

All other youth groups were…

Answer 11

Banned.

Question 12

By 1939 membership hit over…

Answer 12

Seven million

Question 13

What did children who disagreed with Hitler Youth do?

Answer 13

They formed their own movements. Boys and girls would hang around together in gangs and beat up members of Hitler Youth.

Question 14

Who were the Edelweisse Pirates? What did they do? What did they wear?

Answer 14

The Edelweisse Pirates opposed the Nazi regime. They listened to forbidden Swing music and work check shirts black shorts, and white socks. They drew anti-Nazi graffiti and had the edelweisse, crossbones, as their logo.

Question 15

How many rebels were there by 1939?

Answer 15

2000

Question 16

What was the political situation for women in the 20’s?

Answer 16

They could vote at 20 and one tenth of women at the Reichstag were women.

Question 17

What was the economic situation for women in the 20s?

Answer 17

100000 women worked in teaching, 3000 as doctors, and in the civil service women had equal pay as men.

Question 18

What was the social situation for women in the 20s?

Answer 18

They would go out un-escorted and would drink and smoke. They wore their hair short, were slim, and would wear short dresses with makeup.

Question 19

What was the Nazi idea of a perfect woman?

Answer 19

A woman who had blonde hair, no makeup, and heavy-set hips. She would wear full skirts and flat shoes and focus on domestic tasks. She would know nothing of politics. No smoking.

Question 20

Why was the birth rate a problem for the Nazis?

Answer 20

By 1933 the birth rate had reached one million - it had halved.

Question 21

What was the Law for the Encouragement of Marriage? (1933)

Answer 21

If women married and left their jobs, they would receive one quarter of a loan for each child they had, up to four children.

Question 22

What was given out on Hitler’s mother’s birthday? (August 12th)

Answer 22

Medals to women with large families, gold for 8 children!

Question 23

What law was changed in 1938?

Answer 23

The divorce law. Women who could not have children could now divorce their husbands.

Question 24

What was the Life Springs programme?

Answer 24

Lebensborn - women could make children with racially pure SS men and donate these to the Fuhrer.

Question 25

What was the German Women’s Enterprise?

Answer 25

This was where women held classes and radio broadcasts to discuss domestics and skills of motherhood.

Question 26

What were the three K’s taught to women?

Answer 26

Kinder, Kuche, and Kirche.’ Children, kitchen, and church.

Question 27

How did the Nazis fulfil their promise to increase employment?

Answer 27

Giving women the boot out of jobs. Every job a woman left, a man could fulfil.

Question 28

What became an issue in 1937?

Answer 28

Rearmament, as people were preparing to join the army, women were needed in employment again. This led to the abolishing of marriage loans.

Question 29

What was done to increase women employment?

Answer 29

Duty years where women would work on farms or at family homes for bed and board, but no pay. However, this was unpopular and by 1939 fewer women worked than under Weimar.