Panel 6: World War What? The Obligatory World War II Panel
Location
Campus Center, Room 3545, University of Massachusetts Boston
Start Date
29-3-2014 10:45 AM
End Date
29-3-2014 12:00 PM
Description
The case study of Melita Maschmann shows that despite the deep manipulation and gender discrimination she was subject to in her youth by National Socialism Maschmann made her own free choices as an adult and chose to zealously absorb its political ideology. The general assumption is that National Socialism, and fascism, were male dominated political ideologies in which women played a passive role, such as that professed by Gertrude Scholtz-Klink. However, many women found National Socialism appealing and became active supporters of its ideals. The purpose of this paper is to explore that appeal and analyze why certain women such as Maschmann became such strong supporters of this political ideology.
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A Case Study of Melita Maschmann: Women and the Third Reich
Campus Center, Room 3545, University of Massachusetts Boston
The case study of Melita Maschmann shows that despite the deep manipulation and gender discrimination she was subject to in her youth by National Socialism Maschmann made her own free choices as an adult and chose to zealously absorb its political ideology. The general assumption is that National Socialism, and fascism, were male dominated political ideologies in which women played a passive role, such as that professed by Gertrude Scholtz-Klink. However, many women found National Socialism appealing and became active supporters of its ideals. The purpose of this paper is to explore that appeal and analyze why certain women such as Maschmann became such strong supporters of this political ideology.
Comments
PANEL 6 of the 2013 Graduate History Conference features presentations and papers under the topic of "World War What?: The Obligatory World War II Panel."
This presentation is drawn from Lynda Willett's 2012 masters thesis from UMass Boston, "Women Under National Socialism: The Case Study of Melita Maschmann": http://scholarworks.umb.edu/masters_theses/122/.