A2 History: Hitler’s Germany
Part 4- Life in Hitler’s Germany
* Aims of Social reform
o Propagated- To put an end to class divisions and privileges (become classless)
o In reality- To mould the attitudes of the German people towards supporting the regime
Policies towards families & women
• A Nazi slogan stated that the family was ‘the germ cell of the nation’
• The Nazis believed in traditional family values- that men and
women had distinctly different roles in society
o Since 1900, birth rates fell due to women gaining more jobs,
freedoms, rights and equal pay- The Nazi’s wanted to reverse
these changes- women should return to traditional
household roles
o Status of mothers was raised: The mother who stayed at home to bring up children
was depicted as a national hero, Hitler claimed that a prolific mother had the same
honoured place in society as a front-line soldier
• Why traditional values were important- As Germany goes to war, more men will be needed
to replace losses at battle and in war industries. More men will be needed to occupy
defeated areas
Aim Measures taken
➢ Newly married couples offered 1000-mark loan, repayable at an interest, was
gradually reduced as each child was born
➢ Advertisement of contraceptives were banned
1. Encourage ➢ All birth-control clinic were closed down
marriage & ➢ A family allowance of 10 marks per month per month was introduced
childbearing for a 3rd and 4th child and a 20-mark allowance for every subsequent child
➢ The Mother’s Cross (fertility medals) rewarded:
Gold for 8 children, Silver for 6+ and Bronze for 4+
➢ Women deprived of the vote and from sitting in the Reichstag
➢ Women forced out of professions (especially judges, political representatives),
or had wages significantly cut (to discourage from working)
➢ Role of women redefined- asked to stick to “3 K’s”- Kinder, Kirche & Kuche
2. Reverse
(Children, Church, Kitchen)
progress
➢ New women’s organisations created to indoctrinate women with Nazi ideals:
made by
▪ German Women’s Enterprise- Classes in home-craft & parenting skills
women in
were provided
the 1920’s
▪ Nationalist Socialist Womanhood- aimed to promote ‘the nation’s love
life, marriage, motherhood, the family, blood and race, youth and
nationhood’
▪ Reich Mother’s Service- promoted child care
1
Notes compiled by: Chew Wen Min
, 3. (legal) ➢ Under the Lebensborn programme, selected unmarried women were
Childbearing encouraged to get impregnated by racially pure SS men and donate the child
outside to the Fuhrer to be reared properly
marriage
Success of the policies:
1. By 1939, the birth rate had increased 39% since 1932, but family size stayed the same with
an average of 2 kids
2. By March 1939, over 1.7 million German women had attended one of the 3 courses
3. Children born between unmarried citizens effectively decreased by 33% in 1939 compared
to 1932 (due to lack of birth control)
A U-turn in policies towards women (1937 onwards)
• As labour demands increased, women were needed back in the industry
• Marriage loans were cancelled, a ‘duty year’ to perform tasks in industries made compulsory
• Female employment did not solve labour shortages- they were unattracted to the low wages
and working conditions
• 1939- the regime became increasingly confused in its attitude towards women, trying to
pursue 2 contradictory objectives:
i. Increasing birth rates (women needed at home)
ii. Help with the war economy (women needed at work)
• German women were given employment in administrative,
communications, nursing, and other non-combative work
It was because of these contradictory aims that the Nazis failed
Education
Schools
• Used as a tool to indoctrinate the young with a new set of ideas
• Minister of Science, Education and Popular Culture: Bernhard Rust
• Reforms: downgrade intellectual skills & upgrade the importance of practical skills & fitness
o No. of sport & fitness lessons increased from 2 to 5 one-hour periods, replacing
religious lessons
o New textbooks produced to fit Nazi ideology
▪ History- The rise of the Nazi party, Germany’s destiny to be the world’s
most powerful nation
▪ Biology- Nazi ideas of race and heredity
▪ Teaching of science, chemistry and maths (irrelevant to Nazi theories)
greatly deteriorated, Religious lessons scrapped
2
Notes compiled by: Chew Wen Min
Part 4- Life in Hitler’s Germany
* Aims of Social reform
o Propagated- To put an end to class divisions and privileges (become classless)
o In reality- To mould the attitudes of the German people towards supporting the regime
Policies towards families & women
• A Nazi slogan stated that the family was ‘the germ cell of the nation’
• The Nazis believed in traditional family values- that men and
women had distinctly different roles in society
o Since 1900, birth rates fell due to women gaining more jobs,
freedoms, rights and equal pay- The Nazi’s wanted to reverse
these changes- women should return to traditional
household roles
o Status of mothers was raised: The mother who stayed at home to bring up children
was depicted as a national hero, Hitler claimed that a prolific mother had the same
honoured place in society as a front-line soldier
• Why traditional values were important- As Germany goes to war, more men will be needed
to replace losses at battle and in war industries. More men will be needed to occupy
defeated areas
Aim Measures taken
➢ Newly married couples offered 1000-mark loan, repayable at an interest, was
gradually reduced as each child was born
➢ Advertisement of contraceptives were banned
1. Encourage ➢ All birth-control clinic were closed down
marriage & ➢ A family allowance of 10 marks per month per month was introduced
childbearing for a 3rd and 4th child and a 20-mark allowance for every subsequent child
➢ The Mother’s Cross (fertility medals) rewarded:
Gold for 8 children, Silver for 6+ and Bronze for 4+
➢ Women deprived of the vote and from sitting in the Reichstag
➢ Women forced out of professions (especially judges, political representatives),
or had wages significantly cut (to discourage from working)
➢ Role of women redefined- asked to stick to “3 K’s”- Kinder, Kirche & Kuche
2. Reverse
(Children, Church, Kitchen)
progress
➢ New women’s organisations created to indoctrinate women with Nazi ideals:
made by
▪ German Women’s Enterprise- Classes in home-craft & parenting skills
women in
were provided
the 1920’s
▪ Nationalist Socialist Womanhood- aimed to promote ‘the nation’s love
life, marriage, motherhood, the family, blood and race, youth and
nationhood’
▪ Reich Mother’s Service- promoted child care
1
Notes compiled by: Chew Wen Min
, 3. (legal) ➢ Under the Lebensborn programme, selected unmarried women were
Childbearing encouraged to get impregnated by racially pure SS men and donate the child
outside to the Fuhrer to be reared properly
marriage
Success of the policies:
1. By 1939, the birth rate had increased 39% since 1932, but family size stayed the same with
an average of 2 kids
2. By March 1939, over 1.7 million German women had attended one of the 3 courses
3. Children born between unmarried citizens effectively decreased by 33% in 1939 compared
to 1932 (due to lack of birth control)
A U-turn in policies towards women (1937 onwards)
• As labour demands increased, women were needed back in the industry
• Marriage loans were cancelled, a ‘duty year’ to perform tasks in industries made compulsory
• Female employment did not solve labour shortages- they were unattracted to the low wages
and working conditions
• 1939- the regime became increasingly confused in its attitude towards women, trying to
pursue 2 contradictory objectives:
i. Increasing birth rates (women needed at home)
ii. Help with the war economy (women needed at work)
• German women were given employment in administrative,
communications, nursing, and other non-combative work
It was because of these contradictory aims that the Nazis failed
Education
Schools
• Used as a tool to indoctrinate the young with a new set of ideas
• Minister of Science, Education and Popular Culture: Bernhard Rust
• Reforms: downgrade intellectual skills & upgrade the importance of practical skills & fitness
o No. of sport & fitness lessons increased from 2 to 5 one-hour periods, replacing
religious lessons
o New textbooks produced to fit Nazi ideology
▪ History- The rise of the Nazi party, Germany’s destiny to be the world’s
most powerful nation
▪ Biology- Nazi ideas of race and heredity
▪ Teaching of science, chemistry and maths (irrelevant to Nazi theories)
greatly deteriorated, Religious lessons scrapped
2
Notes compiled by: Chew Wen Min
