Author(s): Paul Roland

History/Politics

After the failure of the Weimar Republic, the Nazis believed their mission was to masculinize life in Germany. Goering told women, "Take a pot, a dustpan and a broom, and marry a man," but many became active Nazis, helping to spread wide the net of evil. By 1944, 40 percent of the Gestapo was staffed by women, concentration camps employed legions of Aufseherinnen (female guards), and callous nurses ran the euthanasia program. Prominent female Nazis included First Lady of the Third Reichb Magda Goebbels, Eva Braun, Lina Heydrich, Carin GC6ring and Unity Mitford. A cult of adoration developed round the unmarried Hitler. Love is meat for husbands, but my love for Hitler isstronger. I would give my life for it, said Magda Goebbels.