An ideological vision that praised motherhood and placed women beneath men shaped the position of women in Nazi Germany. The Nazi regime aimed to create a “racial community or people’s community” (Volksgemeinschaft) that would ensure the survival and expansion of the “Aryan race”. Women were expected to contribute to this goal by giving birth to as many children as possible and by educating them according to Nazi values. Women who deviated from this ideal were marginalized, persecuted, or even killed.
Lebensborn was a Nazi program aimed at increasing the Aryan population by encouraging births from “racially pure” women. Special maternity homes were established to support unmarried mothers.
The Nazi ideology was influenced by the biblical creation story, which portrayed women as inferior and submissive to men. The Nazi party’s leader, Adolf Hitler, claimed that men rule the world and that the term “emancipation” for women was only a creation of the Jewish mind. He argued that women had no role in politics or war but only in domestic affairs and child-rearing. He also claimed that women had no part in history, as they were merely passive followers of men.
However, the Nazi propaganda also tried to appeal to women by presenting them as valuable and respected members of the “racial community”. The Nazi regime created various organizations and institutions to mobilize and indoctrinate women, such as the National Socialist Women’s League (NS-Frauenschaft), the League of German Girls (Bund Deutscher Mädel), the Mother Service (Reichsmütterdienst) and the Mother’s Cross (Mutterkreuz). These organizations offered women training, education, social activities, and recognition but also imposed strict rules and regulations on their behavior, appearance, and lifestyle.
The Nazi regime also exploited the economic and demographic crises that Germany faced after World War I and the Great Depression. The Nazi regime encouraged women to have more children by providing financial incentives, legal privileges, and social honors. The Mother’s Cross was awarded to women who had four or more children and was considered a symbol of the “honor of the German mother”. The Nazi regime also promoted the idea of the “German woman” as a model of beauty, health, and purity and contrasted it with the “degenerate” and “inferior” women of other races, especially Jews.
However, the role of women in Nazi Germany was not static or uniform. It changed according to the political and military situation, as well as the individual circumstances and choices of women. Some women supported the Nazi regime and participated in its crimes, such as the female guards in concentration camps, the wives of Schutzstaffel (SS) officers, the nurses sent to the Eastern Front, or the filmmakers and propagandists who glorified the Nazi ideology. Some women resisted the Nazi regime and paid with their lives, such as Libertas Schulze-Boysen or Sophie Scholl.
Some women were victims of the Nazi regime and suffered from persecution, discrimination, violence, rape, forced sterilization, abortion, euthanasia, or genocide, such as Jewish women, Roma women, disabled women, lesbian women, communist women, or women from occupied territories. Some women were indifferent or ambivalent to the Nazi regime and tried to survive and cope with the hardships and horrors of war, such as working women, housewives, mothers, widows, or refugees.
The role of women in Nazi Germany was complex and contradictory. It was influenced not only by Nazi ideology but also by the historical context, the social reality, and the personal agency of women. It was a role that was both oppressive and empowering, both rewarding and punishing, both heroic and tragic. It was a role that left a lasting legacy and a painful memory for the generations of women who lived through it and for those who came after them.
How Did German Women Resist Nazi Regime?
German women resisted the Nazi regime in various ways, depending on their political views, personal circumstances, and moral convictions. Some examples of women who opposed Hitler and his policies are:
- Libertas Schulze-Boysen: She was a member of the Red Orchestra, a resistance group that collected and transmitted information about Nazi war crimes and military plans to the Soviet Union. She was arrested by the Gestapo in 1942 and executed in 1943.
- Sophie Scholl: She was a student and a leader of the White Rose, a non-violent resistance group that distributed leaflets calling for the overthrow of the Nazi regime. In 1943, the Gestapo apprehended her and executed her along with her brother Hans and other members of the group.
- Mildred Harnack: She was an American-born teacher and translator who lived in Berlin and joined the Red Orchestra with her husband Arvid. She helped to smuggle documents and money to the Soviet Union and to spread anti-Nazi propaganda. The Gestapo detained her in 1942, and they executed her in 1943.
- Elisabeth Schmitz: She was a Protestant theologian and social worker who denounced the persecution of Jews and Christians by the Nazis. She wrote a memorandum in 1935 that exposed the atrocities committed by the regime and urged the Protestant Church to take a stand against them. She also helped many Jews escape from Germany.
- Maria Terwiel: She was a lawyer and a member of the Solf Circle, a group of intellectuals and diplomats who opposed the Nazi regime. She helped to distribute leaflets and to hide Jews and other persecuted people. The Gestapo detained her in 1944, and the same year, they executed her.
These are just some of the many women who resisted the Nazi regime and paid with their lives. They showed courage, compassion, and defiance in the face of tyranny and oppression.
The Women in Hitler’s Inner Circle
Adolf Hitler had several lovers, mistresses, and admirers, but he kept them hidden from the public eye and only revealed his marriage to Eva Braun shortly before their suicide in 1945. Who were these women, and what role did they play in Hitler’s life and regime?
Eva Braun: Hitler’s Long-Time Companion and Wife
Eva Braun was Hitler’s most loyal and devoted partner, who shared his life for 14 years and his death for 40 hours. She met Hitler in 1929, when she was 17 years old and working as a photo lab assistant for Heinrich Hoffmann, Hitler’s photographer. She became his mistress in 1932, after the suicide of his niece Geli Raubal, who was also rumored to be his lover. Eva Braun was never officially introduced as Hitler’s girlfriend to the German people, and even in his inner circle, he pretended that she was just his employee. She lived with him in his mountain retreat, the Berghof, where she enjoyed skiing, swimming, and filming.
She was often lonely and bored, as Hitler was busy with his political and military affairs and rarely paid attention to her. She attempted suicide twice, in 1932 and 1935, to get his attention, but he did not change his attitude. She remained faithful and obedient to him, despite his neglect and infidelity. She followed him to his Berlin bunker in 1945, where they got married on April 29 and committed suicide together on April 30 by taking cyanide and shooting themselves. She was 33 years old.
Magda Goebbels: The “First Lady of the Reich”
Magda Goebbels was the wife of Joseph Goebbels, Hitler’s propaganda minister and one of his closest associates. She was considered the “first lady of the Reich”, as she often accompanied Hitler to official events and receptions and acted as his hostess. She was a beautiful, elegant, and intelligent woman who had a privileged and cosmopolitan upbringing. She was married twice before marrying Goebbels in 1931, and she had six children with him.
She was a fervent supporter of Nazi ideology and admired Hitler as a leader and a friend. She was also involved in some of his political decisions, such as the Kristallnacht in 1938 and the declaration of war against the United States in 1941. She was loyal to Hitler until the end and followed him to his Berlin bunker in 1945. There, she killed her six children with cyanide and then committed suicide with her husband after saying goodbye to Hitler. She was 42 years old.
Traudl Junge: Hitler’s Secretary and Confidante
Traudl Junge was one of Hitler’s personal secretaries and worked for him from 1942 to 1945. She was 22 years old when she was hired by Hitler after passing a typing test. She was impressed by his charisma and kindness and felt honored to work for him. She accompanied him to his various headquarters and typed his speeches, letters, and orders. She also witnessed some of his private moments, such as his birthday parties, his conversations with his guests, and his mood swings.
She became his confidante, and he treated her like a daughter. She followed him to his Berlin bunker in 1945, where she typed his last will and testament. She escaped from the bunker on May 1, 1945, and was captured by the Soviet troops. She was released in 1946 and later worked as a journalist and a writer. She regretted her involvement with Hitler and said that she was “blindly in love” with him. She died in 2002, at the age of 81.
Leni Riefenstahl: Hitler’s favorite filmmaker and propagandist
Leni Riefenstahl was a famous filmmaker and photographer who made some of the most influential and controversial films of the Nazi era. She was a talented and ambitious woman who started her career as a dancer and an actress. She met Hitler in 1932 and was impressed by his oratory skills and his vision. He asked her to make a film about the Nazi party congress in Nuremberg, which resulted in Triumph of the Will, a masterpiece of propaganda and cinematography. She also made a film about the 1936 Berlin Olympics called Olympia, which showcased the athletic prowess and aesthetic beauty of the Nazi ideal.
She was admired by Hitler, who gave her unlimited resources and access to his inner circle. She was also criticized by some of his associates, who envied her and accused her of being his lover. She denied any romantic or political involvement with Hitler and claimed that she was only interested in art. She was arrested by the Allies after the war and cleared of any war crimes. She continued to work as a filmmaker and a photographer and died in 2003 at the age of 101.
These are some of the women who were part of Hitler’s inner circle and who played different roles in his life and regime. They were not passive or submissive, but active and influential. They were not innocent or ignorant, but complicit and responsible. They were not victims or martyrs, but perpetrators and collaborators. They were the women in Hitler’s inner circle.