Mothers in the Fatherland : Women, the Family and Nazi Politics

Rating:
Summary: An eye opener to the mystery of women's role in Nazi Germany
Review: "Mothers in the Fatherland" the title alone strikes a chord for women's historical song, especially for those interested in the land of Bach and Beethoven. I was so looking forward to Claudia Koonz introducing me to the unknown women of Nazi Germany and in that she did not disappoint me. Koonz introduces the reader to a montage of women from her interviews with Nazi leader, Gertrud Scholtz-Klink to concentration camp survivor, Frau Dr. Jolana Roth. Koonz's presentation of Protestant, Catholic and Jewish women adds to the understanding of the woman's role during the Third Reich. With all of it's wealth of knowledge, do not expect this to be an easy read. At times, the book's molasses-like flow bogs down the reader with contrasting statements, vagueness and repetitiveness. Even with these disadvantages, I would strongly recommend the book for the serious feminist or German historian

Rating:
Summary: wonderful
Review: I have just finished taking a semester long course with Claudia Koonz at Duke University, and have been inspired to read more about the cultural aspects of Nazi Germany. I was impressed that she truly is as good a writer as she is professor. I highly recommend the book and highly recommend coming to Duke to take a class with her!!

Rating:
Summary: wonderful
Review: I have just finished taking a semester long course with Claudia Koonz at Duke University, and have been inspired to read more about the cultural aspects of Nazi Germany. I was impressed that she truly is as good a writer as she is professor. I highly recommend the book and highly recommend coming to Duke to take a class with her!!

Rating:
Summary: Must Read for Modern German History Majors!
Review: I was led to reading this book for a paper I did on the civil rights of women and reasons behind women's support of the state during Hitler's reign. Professor Koonz did a superb job of bring several elements together to form a large, descriptive view of the lives of all women, Christian, Jewish, Nazi, Socialist, etc. I found the interview done with Frau Scholtz-Klink, former head of the women's department under the Nazis, one of the most fascinating, especially since she has held on to her Nazism when other Germans such as Hemult Kohl have renounced and apologized for their role in Nazi Germany. For the first time in all my studies of Germany, I finally began to understand not only who, what and when but also how and why the German Weimar Republic of the 1920's could accept a dictator such as Hitler.

Rating:
Summary: Interesting and well written discussion
Review: In her book Mothers in the Fatherland: Women, the Family and Nazi Politics historian Claudia Koonz tackles an interesting aspect of Nazi Germany and women's history. Koonz's topic is one that has been relatively unexplored, despite the vast abundance of historical writing and discussion on Nazi Germany since WWII. I enjoyed the book for the most part, and found her ideas and explanations for the many contradictions and issues women found in Nazi Germany to be satisfactory and enlightening. Using many previously unearthed documents and sources, Koonz attempts to explain how women survived and adapted during such a misogynist and time.
I found Koonz's writing to be both in-depth and comprehensive, but rarely boring or cumbersome. I think she did an excellent job of keeping the reader informed of her thought progression, and at times I felt that I was along with her looking for sources or trying to figure out an explanation to a problem. I liked her analysis of the Weimar republic and "New Woman" and how those factors influenced many women's decisions and opinions on submitting to Nazi dominance. I also found her chapter on Jewish women very enlightening and yet frustrating. Reading about how hopeless it seemed to the women when their children brought home Nazi propaganda from class provides a good example of the cruelty (and stupidity) of the Nazis. I do feel that Koonz tended to get bogged down in her examples of particular Nazi women. Although they were necessary, I feel that they ran long-winded at times. Overall, Mothers in the Fatherland is a very interesting and insightful analysis of this dark period of women's history.

Rating:
Summary: Interesting and well written discussion
Review: In her book Mothers in the Fatherland: Women, the Family and Nazi Politics historian Claudia Koonz tackles an interesting aspect of Nazi Germany and women's history. Koonz's topic is one that has been relatively unexplored, despite the vast abundance of historical writing and discussion on Nazi Germany since WWII. I enjoyed the book for the most part, and found her ideas and explanations for the many contradictions and issues women found in Nazi Germany to be satisfactory and enlightening. Using many previously unearthed documents and sources, Koonz attempts to explain how women survived and adapted during such a misogynist and time.
I found Koonz's writing to be both in-depth and comprehensive, but rarely boring or cumbersome. I think she did an excellent job of keeping the reader informed of her thought progression, and at times I felt that I was along with her looking for sources or trying to figure out an explanation to a problem. I liked her analysis of the Weimar republic and "New Woman" and how those factors influenced many women's decisions and opinions on submitting to Nazi dominance. I also found her chapter on Jewish women very enlightening and yet frustrating. Reading about how hopeless it seemed to the women when their children brought home Nazi propaganda from class provides a good example of the cruelty (and stupidity) of the Nazis. I do feel that Koonz tended to get bogged down in her examples of particular Nazi women. Although they were necessary, I feel that they ran long-winded at times. Overall, Mothers in the Fatherland is a very interesting and insightful analysis of this dark period of women's history.

Rating:
Summary: nice
Review: This is a very good pioneering study of the women's sphere of Germany during the Hitler years. I especially enjoyed the portions on Sholtz-Klink, the Nazi women's leader. And I was especially facinated by Mutter Diehl's idea of a Women's Chamber of Syndicates.

This is a good pioneering study of this topic. Further studies are needed.