Mothers in the Fatherland

Examines changes in the perception of the role of women and of the family during the Weimar and Nazi periods. Discusses biological determinism in Nazi ideology, and how contempt for women was integrally linked with racism. Traces initial feminine enthusiasm for the "masculine" image of Nazism, although only a minority of women participated in Nazi programs and the Nazi women's organizations, led by Gertrud Scholz-Klink, had no political significance. However, women cooperated as auxiliaries in the eugenics and euthanasia programs. Christian women's organizations, both Catholic and Protestant, accepted without protest the exclusion of non-Aryan members. Ch. 10 (pp. 345-383), "Jewish Women between Survival and Death", discusses the persecution of Jewish women and their reactions, and rescue activities of the Jewish Women's League, non-Jewish organizations, and the Communist Party. Based on archival material, reminiscences, and interviews.