4. weimar culture

• From 1908, Women could attend university but the number getting degrees were very small
• In 1920 over 100 women were elected to the Reichstag
• The league for the Protection of Mothers campaigned for free abortion and government financial assistance for unmarried mothers.
• The SPD opposed equal pay for women.
• The league of German Women's Associations set out to improve moral standards and conventional family life.
• In 1925 about 1/3 of all women worked in the Labour force, mostly in low paid factory and office jobs. This remained roughly the same i.e. 35% in 1931.
• Article 109


  men and women have the same fundamental rights and duties as citizens, including the right to vote and to hold office
• Article 113 


  guaranteed the rights of ethnic minorities, stating that all should be allowed to use their own language and keep their national identity.
• Article 118


  there should be no censorship although 'obscene' works could be banned
• The League of German Defence and Defiance was set up in 1919 - it was a strongly antisemitic organisation and had had 25,000 members.
• By the time it disbanded in 1923, the German League of Defence had 170,000 members.
• In 1919 the Bauhaus design school was set up by Walter Gropius. It was world renowned for design, craftmanship and architecture.
• Rudolf Steiner setup his first school based on liberal ideas and 'child-centred' learning. He opened up three more schools in 1925.
• Innovation in Weimar cinema produced films such as The Golem (1920) and The Cabinet of Dr Caligari (1920)
• In 1920 the management of prostitution reformed i.e. the phased closure of brothels and Care Offices established to rehabilitate sex workers.
• The School Law 1920 created a single type of elementary school, ensuring all children received a standard education for the first 4 years. It also made education compulsory until 18.
• In 1921 and 1925 the government attempted to introduce a federal school law but it failed to win support in the Reichstag.
• 1922 Youth Welfare Law - “Every German child has the right to an upbringing that will ensure physical, intellectual and social fitness.”
• In 1926 Bavaria passed a series of law restricting the rights of travellers. In 1927 Bavaria passed another law forcing all travellers to carry identity cards.
• In 1926 the publication of 'Killed by Life' supposedly the diary of a teenage prostitute caused public outcry.
• In 1926 Georg Grosz painted 'Pillars of Society' ridiculing the elite.
• In 1927 prostitution was decriminalised.
• Erich Remarque's 1929 anti war novel 'All Quiet on the Western Front' was a best seller.
• Between 1907 and 1925 the percentage of women in domestic service (maids, cooks etc.) declined from 17.1% to 12.5%
• The total workforce in fields like commerce and transportation increased from 3.5 million in 1907 to 5.25 million in 1925 the number of female workers increased by 82.3%
• There was an estimated 'surplus' of 2 million women in Germany in 1918 due to male casualties in the war.
• The new woman had a different appearance i.e. shorter skirts, silk stockings and the page-boy cut (Bubikopf)
• The declining birth rate was a serious concern for the government
• The new woman was typically young and middle class.
• By 1930 there were 1 million illegal abortions with 10,000 to 12,000 deaths annually.
• Until 1927 it was illegal to advertise contraception.
• Some women made their names in the arts e.g. Hannah Hoch in photography and Renate Muller in film.
• Many women worked as dancers and singers in the clubs and bars of Berlin although not on equal terms as men and many were exploited.
• Many women supported conservative parties which promoted traditional family values e.g. the Catholic Centre Party or the DNVP. These parties won more than 1/3 of the women's vote.
• Student of Chemistry, a novel by Vicki Baum published in 1928 told the story of Helene Willfuer, a research scientist who had an illegitimate child. It was a best seller.
• Married women were generally expected to stay home. According to 1925 statistics almost all female white collar workers were single and 2/3rds were under 25.
• There was a sharp increase in the divorce rate from 21 per 1,000 marriages during 1901 through 1905 to 62 marriages from 1921 through 1925.
• The Good Pal


  a children's book for boys that featured adventurous, strong and brave heroes hunting and exploring.
• The Friendship Circle


  a children's book aimed at girls that featured a dutiful and nurturing hero who had to bare German culture.
• Pandora's Box (1929) portrayed the new woman and her sexual liberation negatively.