With Oppression Comes Pride and Opportunities: Why German Women Supported National Socialism
The National Socialist German Worker’s Party, or Nazi Party, established in the 1920’s, during a challenging and grim time in German history. The ideologically motivated Party’s advancement to power under the control of Chancellor Adolf Hitler in the 1930s was met with the increasing and passionate support by both ethnically German, or Aryan, men and women; however, for many years following the dismantling of the Party and regime in 1945, the male supporters of the Nazis were viewed as the perpetrators of crimes and racial hate, and the reason for the Party’s success, while women were viewed as either victims or unknowing bystanders who were manipulated, restricted, and controlled by their
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The largest opportunity was the development of the National Socialist Women’s Association (NSF) in 1931, which was an organization comprised of and controlled by Nazi women who were dedicated to spreading the word about National Socialism and recruiting new members. Being a part of the NSF allowed for these women to participate in what was considered to be unladylike responsibilities by the regime. These responsibilities include, but are not limited to, organizing fundraisers, marches, and rallies, handling money made from said fundraisers, and actively recruiting new members from the community. In time, the NSF declared leadership of the League of German Women’s Clubs, which gave the NSF control over who can and cannot join the League. This allowed the elite group to discriminate against women’s groups that did not ideologically agree with National Socialism. Although women were prohibited from participating in politics in Nazi Germany, National Socialist women were able to participate in their own politics and civil services within their separate