From nurturing the nation to purifying the Volk : Weimar and Nazi family policy, 1918-1945 / Michelle Mouton.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Mouton, Michelle, 1965- author.

Series:

Publications of the German Historical Institute.

Publications of the German Historical Institute

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Family policy--Germany--History.

Family policy.

Family services for--Germany--History.

Family services for.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (xvi, 309 pages) : digital, PDF file(s).

Place of Publication:

Cambridge : Cambridge University Press, 2007.

Language Note:

English

Summary:

Fearing that the future of the nation was at stake following the First World War, German policymakers vastly expanded social welfare programs to shore up women and families. Just over a decade later, the Nazis seized control of the state and created a radically different, racially driven gender and family policy. This book explores Weimar and Nazi policy to highlight the fundamental, far-reaching change wrought by the Nazis and the disparity between national family policy design and its implementation at the local level. Relying on a broad range of sources - including court records, sterilization files, church accounts, and women's oral histories - it demonstrates how local officials balanced the benefits of marriage, divorce, and adoption against budgetary concerns, church influence, and their own personal beliefs. Throughout both eras individual Germans collaborated with, rebelled against, and evaded state mandates, in the process fundamentally altering the impact of national policy.

Contents:

Marriage policy in turmoil: stabilizing society, re-ordering gender roles, and guaranteeing the future

Divorce: balancing individual freedom and the 'public good'

From Mother's Day to forced sterilization motherhood as antidote to national health

Alleviating the burdens of motherhood

Morality versus mortality: negotiating policy toward single mothers and illegitimate children

Forming families beyond blood ties: foster care and adoption.

Notes:

Title from publisher's bibliographic system (viewed on 05 Oct 2015).

Includes bibliographical references.

ISBN:

1-316-08639-9

0-511-80696-5

1-280-75059-6

0-511-27024-0

0-511-26968-4

0-511-26826-2

0-511-32036-1

0-511-26893-9

OCLC:

772646784