Men and the Nazi Regime

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Introduction

The Nazi regime was a dictatorial regime that was ruled by Adolf Hitler and the Nazi party, which was his political party. This regime is well remembered for the role it played in the holocaust that saw millions of people, especially Jews and the disabled subjected to death as a result of discrimination. As researchers would argue, the Nazi regime targeted everyone irrespective of their social class and gender. However, some studies argue that the Nazi regime may have been gender biased as they tended to target men more than they did women and youth. In his book, The Nazi State and German Society, Moeller elucidates this concept further by providing a brief history of the Nazi regime and some of the regime’s practices during its time (Moeller, 2009). The author provides a number of documents illustrating the events that took place during the time of the Nazi regime, some of which elucidate on the different gender roles in the Nazi regime. As some of the documents explain, men were the biggest targets of the Nazi regime, as they were seen as assets to the Nazi regime, as compared to, women and youth. Accordingly, women and the youth had little regard for the Nazi regime and the rise of the Nazi party.

This paper explains why the rise of the Nazi Party meant little for German women and youth and why men were the primary target of Nazi propaganda. The paper uses some of the documents presented in Moeller’s book, The Nazi State and German Society, to support this thesis.

Men as the primary target for the Nazi Propaganda

As previously mentioned, men were the primary targets for the Nazi propaganda. This is because men proved to be an asset for the Nazi regime, and for that reason, were put into first consideration before women and children. The word men, in this case, refers to both German men and Jewish men, who each played a role in the rise of the Nazi Party. In order to understand why men were the primary targets of the Nazi propaganda, one must consider the role of men in the Nazi regime from three main perspectives including men as soldiers, men as slave laborers and homosexuality. Whereas German men acted as soldiers for the Nazi regime, the captured Jewish men provided the labor for German landowners (Moeller, 2009).

Men as Soldiers

In his book, Moeller provides the document, On Joining the Nazi Movement in 1931, by Albert Speer. This document explains the conditions through which individuals were allowed to join the Nazi movement in Germany. Evidently, the article explains that only men were permitted to join the Nazi movement, and they were allowed to join as soldiers who would fight in defense of the Nazi regime (Moeller, 2009). Additionally, these soldiers would fight as German troops in every battle or war that Germany would be involved in. Adolf Hitler believed that the role of women was to give birth and take care of their families, whereas the men fought in battle. This is clearly illustrated in his manifesto regarding the Nazi regime, thus illustrating how men were targets of the Nazi regime owing to the military service they provided.

Men as Slave Laborers

Men were also targeted so that they can work as slave laborers in German farms and industries (Moeller, 2009). The Nazi regime looked down upon Jews, as well as, other communities that they believed were inferior to the German community. Accordingly, the Nazi regime committed its activities towards the capture of these minority groups who they subjected to mass deaths. However, it was much easier for women and youth to be subjected to death, as opposed to, their fellow men, as men provided labor for German farms and industries. The document, Growing up Jewish in 1930s Germany, by Inge Deutschkron explains how Jewish men were targeted and captured so as to provide labor in German farms (Moeller, 2009). These men were specifically selected based on their health and ability to work, with those that did not meet this criteria being subjected to death. From this, it is clear how men were targeted so as to provide labor in German farms and industries.

Homosexuality

As research studies illustrate, homosexuality took a central theme during the rise of the Nazi party. Hitler and his group did not take kindly to men who engaged in homosexual activities, and for that reason, felt that they needed to be cast away from the German society as they brought shame to the community. The document, On The Question of Homosexuality, by Heinrich Himmler, explains how men were targets of the Nazi regime on the grounds of homosexuality (Moeller, 2009). The Nazi party did not tolerate homosexual men, and for that reason, such men became death targets for the Nazi regime. Thousands of men were killed on the grounds of practicing homosexuality, which in turn, illustrates how men were targeted by the Nazi regime on the basis of homosexuality.

References

Moeller, R. G. (2009). The Nazi State and German Society: A Brief History with Documents.

New York: Bedford/St. Martin’s.