The Politics of the Body in Weimar Germany: Women’s Reproductive Rights and Duties

Based on a wealth of archive material, much of which had been previously neglected, this book examines the remarkable progress made in Weimar Germany toward reproductive freedom and maternity protection. Social and political upheaval after the First World War, including a rapidly declining birthrate, the decisive influence of socialists in government, and the advent of Germany's first female politicians, made possible progressive legislation and reforms in the areas of welfare, abortion, and contraception. These advances afforded women an unprecedented measure of control over their lives, but also stimulated state intervention in reproduction. The attempts to restore national fortunes by means of biological politics shed new light on Weimar society and reveal new tensions between the sexes, classes, and generations. The increasing emphasis on eugenics reduced women's freedom by sacrificing individual aspirations to collective interests in the name of regeneration for the Volk.