60159
Description
Flashcards by izzydonnachie, updated more than 1 year ago
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Created by izzydonnachie
over 11 years ago
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| Question | Answer |
| 1920s Progress for Women: • Weimar constitution gave women the right to vote for the first time and became members of the Reichstag. • Gains in economic field- number of women in paid employment rose sharply early 1920s, filling gap for 4 million men killed/ disabled from WW1. • More social freedom- variety of dress styles, going out more often. This stylish new woman was viewed with alarm by right wingers who believed they were 'running wild.' | Nazi views on role of women: • Believe the 'new woman' was selfish and immoral; believed women's role was to devote themselves to child-bearing and child-rearing, as this domestic rule was what nature intended for women. • Nazis acknowledged the roles of men and women were different but claimed these roles complemented each other and were equally important. • 'Pronatalism'= policy of encouraging child-bearing and glorifying parenthood (Nazis believed Germany needed much bigger reserves of manpower). • Reality= under Nazism German women lived in a male dominated society and were denied opportunities. • Older women beyond child-bearing years were seen as expendable (given most dangerous jobs in munitions factories during the war.) |
| How Germans tried to prevent the fall birth rate: • Financial incentives offered; under 1933 Marriage Loan Scheme couples planning to marry could apply for up to 1,000 marks loan (if woman gave up job.) Loan reduced by 25% after each child was born. • Massive propaganda campaign glorified motherhood- rewarded women with the Mother Cross= gold for eight children, silver for six, bronze for four. | • In 1927 new law legalised abortion if the life of mother was in danger, but Nazis scrapped this law in 1933 making it impossible for 'genetically fit' women to have an abortion. Also closed birth control clinics and in 1938 relaxed divorce laws to encourage remarriage and second families. • Main women organisation headed by Gertrud Schlotz-Klink offered training courses in the skills of motherhood. |
| Impact of Nazi policies on women: • Only had LIMITED SUCCESS. Birth rate increase a little 1930s but was well below pre-1914 levels and the increase may not have been the result of Nazi policies but the improving economic climate. • Propaganda glorifying motherhood had little impact; most of couples receiving money from Marriage Loan Scheme did not go on to have large families. | • Nazi efforts to persuade women to leave paid work were also unsuccessful, as percentage in paid work actually ROSE slightly in the 1930s (myth that millions were forced out of work, but it is true that they found it harder to win promotion to supervisory or management positions. • Late 1930s introduction of compulsory military service and expansion of armed forces left women being told now that their duty was to serve the nation by working in its factories. |
| Nazis educational priorities: 1. To turn the young into committed Nazis. 2. To prepare young men for military service (lesser priority to prepare girls for duty of motherhood.) • Nazis regarded academic study developing independence of mind and critical thought as worthless. • When they first came into power Jewish and politically unreliable teachers were dismissed, however many already supported the regime. • Nazis set up elite schools ('Napolas') to prepare students for leadership roles in the civil service and the army (16 in 1939.) • Also 'Adolf Hitler Schools' to train future Nazi Party leaders and went on to study at three 'Order Castles' (universities of Nazism.) | • Nazis made big changes to school curriculum, focusing mainly on biology, history and physical education- biology and history used for indoctrination, physical education for preparing boys for military service and girls for mother hood. • HISTORY= only German history taught, exploited great German heroes, the alleged role of Jews and communists causing Germany's WW1 defeat and Hitler's 'national revival.' • BIOLOGY= ('racial science') taught students difference between 'Aryans' and 'sub-human' slavs, as well as selective breeding (racial hygiene) by preventing the 'genetically defective' from breeding. • P.E= Physical education increased to 2 hours per day. • Idea was to encourage students to be ruthless and pitiless in order to prepare them for Hitler's 'eternal struggle.' |
| Youth movements: • Hitler Youth: Nazis wanted to limit amount of time children spent with their parents, so Hitler youth fed children a diet of Nazi propaganda and were kept away from the potentially harmful influence of their parents. • Hitler Youth was the only legal youth movement in Nazi Germany and in 1936 had 4 million members. • Headed by Baldur von Schirach and in 1936 the Law of Hitler Youth was passed, which made membership of Hitler Youth more or less compulsory. | Did Nazi youth policies succeed? • YES: Evidence that Hitler Youth was popular with many young Germans due to opportunities of mixing with other teenagers. • Some evidence suggests emphasis from schools and Hitler Youth to be tough had its effects, as there were many complaints about the aggressive behaviour of young Germans. • NO: By end of 1930s enthusiasm for Hitler Youth declined due to little variation in activities and absences from meeting increased. NO: Minority of young were rebellious rather than apathetic, for example 'Swing Kids' who rejected Hitler Youth for American jazz and the Edelweiss Pirates who waged 'Eternal war on the Hitler Youth' by ambushing patrols and beating up members (some sent to concentration camps.) |
| OVERALL SUCCESS= Limited! • Policies aimed to influence the way women and young behaved but also how they thought; success here is difficult to achieve, whereas Nazifying institutions was straightforward by comparison. | • Nazi policies towards women largely failed to achieve the desired results • Nazi policies towards the young may have had more success but certainly did not turn all young Germans into enthusiastic Nazis. |
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