The Status of German Women under Nazism Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

The Status of German Women under Nazism - Essay Example The end of World War I harkened the birth of several political groups in Germany possessing extreme views, such as those professing ultra-nationalistic and anti-democratic ideas. Adolph Hitler joined one of these groups known as the German Workers' Party. In the years following 1920, he became the leader of the party, later reorganizing and reorienting it to reflect his personality. He also renamed the party to the Nationalsozialistische Deutsche Arbeiterpartei (NSDAP) or, as translated into English, the National Socialist German Workers' Party. Nazism was the term by which the party's ideology, its doctrines, and its policies came to be known. (Columbia Encyclopaedia 2004) The ideology of Nazism was based on an amalgam of doctrines of racism, nationalism, and what was known as the "hero-cult" espoused by various writers and interpreted by Hitler and others in works such as Hitler's Mein Kampf. Instead of a set of well-described principles, Nazism was a vague ideology glorifying myth, prejudice, and nihilist views. Control was paramount and democracy was viewed as a corrupt form of government that served to protect the mediocre and weak elements of society. Under Hitler, Nazism became national law in Germany. (Columbia Encyclopaedia 2004) Nazism was a reaction to the emancipation of society, which occurred as monarchies throughout Europe fell and as Marxist ideology grew in popularity. Nazism, contrasted to the Marxist emphasis on the desire for equality in property ownership, focused on issues of social equality, primarily the issues of racial superiority and inferiority. (Harvey 1999: 77+) The anti-feminist spirit of Nazism was related in a significant manner to the movement's racist ideology, according to Stibbe (1993: 35+), who writes that "[l]ike the Jew, the modern 'emancipated' woman was seen as an agent of degeneracy and national decline, bringing in her wake the 'destructive' forces of Bolshevism, democracy, and parliamentarianism." A hint of Hitler's perspectives on the role of women became apparent shortly after his assumption of power in January of 1933. In his government's handbook for Nazi leaders and their organisations and members, entitled and translated as The ABCs of National Socialism, the following translated entry, which was directed at Jewish women, appeared: "[T]he Jewish housewife, herself, is no picture of cleanliness, but idly sits around, painted up and powdered and adorned in silk and baubles" (Rosen 1933, cited in Guenther 2004: 92). But Hitler's views of women in German society were not restricted to Jews alone. Women, in general, were cri ticised for purchasing cosmetics, perfumes, and other luxury items rather than saving the money or spending it on household items. Hitler, both through the ideology he promoted and the policies he enacted, insisted that German women must "return to their pre-emancipation roles" (Guenther 2004: 93). The ABCs of National Socialism, as translated, stated (Rosen 1933, cite