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7 - Conclusion

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  05 January 2013

Michelle Mouton
Affiliation:
University of Wisconsin, Oshkosh
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Summary

During both the Weimar and National Socialist eras, many Germans perceived the family to be the critical foundation upon which Germany's future depended. In political debate, policy formation, and unofficial discourse, Germans articulated the view that the nation's survival rested on a revival of marriage and motherhood. Providing German men and women with the security needed to bear children would, they hoped, usher in economic prosperity, create social stability, and raise moral standards. Through family-directed legislation, both Weimar and National Socialist policymakers sought to raise the birthrate, decrease infant mortality, and improve public health. Since the two regimes had a number of aims in common, some historians have viewed their family policies as developing in a continuous line. Indeed, certain programs introduced by the Weimar governments were continued by the Nazis once they took power. During both eras, policymakers advocated the use of marriage certificates, financed kindergartens, and celebrated Mother's Day. And yet, as this study has demonstrated, a dramatic transformation in family policy followed the Nazi takeover. Parliamentary debates gave way to monolithic decrees as the Nazis introduced a race-based ideology and showed a much greater willingness to intervene directly into families. The result was fundamental change in both the aim and impact of family policy.

During the Weimar era, lawmakers across the political spectrum agreed that the German family was critical to social stability and that the war had dangerously weakened the family.

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From Nurturing the Nation to Purifying the Volk
Weimar and Nazi Family Policy, 1918–1945
, pp. 272 - 282
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2007

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  • Conclusion
  • Michelle Mouton
  • Book: From Nurturing the Nation to Purifying the Volk
  • Online publication: 05 January 2013
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511806964.008
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  • Conclusion
  • Michelle Mouton
  • Book: From Nurturing the Nation to Purifying the Volk
  • Online publication: 05 January 2013
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511806964.008
Available formats
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Save book to Google Drive

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Google Drive.

  • Conclusion
  • Michelle Mouton
  • Book: From Nurturing the Nation to Purifying the Volk
  • Online publication: 05 January 2013
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511806964.008
Available formats
×