Nine Commandments Of The Workers Struggle: Feminism In Germany

Feminism in Germany was a movement that began during the years 1888 to 1918, in which women started to have a role in the government. During this period, known as the Wilhelminian period, middle class women took part in the ‘Bund Deutscher Frauenvereine’, which was the union of German feminist organizations (BDF). This organization was founded in the year 1894, and it incorporated 136 separate women’s rights groups. It lasted until the Nazi regime disbanded the organization. The BDF worked toward equal opportunity with men in areas such as education and politics . Furthermore during this time period, organizations that supported women’s rights grew due to the fact that German feminists began to communicate with feminists in other countries

She did not work, but was responsible for the education and upbringing of her children and for the household. Furthermore, Hitler insisted on the idea that German women had to have children, in fact they were rewarded for childbirth, and the mothers who had four children received the “Cross of Honor of the German Mother.” Women under Hitler’s regime were not allowed to have high-level positions, such as teaching at universities or to obtain any position of political or public power. In the document published in 1934 ‘The Nine Commandments of the Workers’ Struggle’ Herman Goering summarized the future role of a German Woman: “Take a pot, a dustpan and a broom and marry a man” This was an anti feminist sense that existed in this time. The conservative part of the German population was very critical of the image of the emancipated woman from the 1920’s. Wearing make up was not allowed, modesty of women was demanded, smoking in public was prohibited and sexuality was banned unless for reproductive

Millions of people were homeless, families were broken and cities were destroyed. Germany was divided by the victorious Allies - Britain, the US, the Soviet Union and France- into four zones of occupation. Each of the Allies ran their zone more or less independently for the next two years. Most women in the Soviet zone were victims of rape and paid a very high price for this war. Women collected ‘wood from the forests’ which was not easy for widows with children who lost their homes due to bombing and were left to live near starvation. Strict orders were given to US military personnel to destroy or render inedible their own leftover food so that German civilians could not eat