Research has managed to establish some form of relationship between mass murder in Germany and sexual morality. Despite the issue of sexuality being seen by many as a frivolous subject for discussion in the wake of the horrific crimes related to Nazism, the truth of the matter is that through studying sexuality, the correct perspective in understanding the history of Germany in the 2oth century is met. There is much debate as to which role sexuality and sexual immorality played in the period characterized by the world war. Through such discussion, one gets a proper insight as to the relationship that existed between sexuality and the political history of Germany, further strengthening the understanding of Germany’s political history.
Important to note is the fact that by carefully studying the history of sexuality, one gets in a better position to effectively periodize the history of Germany in the 20th century. Through this, the interpretations across the divides within the period are changed. By considering the sexuality history and insisting on the attempts to incorporating it into history, key political and social transformations are challenged since a new insight into the crucial phenomenon is attained (Herzog & Dagmar, 45). Attempts to neglect the history of sexuality means that anti-Semitism in the Third Reich’s early years and the Weimar Republic would not be understood. Through studying the relationship between sexuality and political history, one gets to comprehend Nazism’s appeal to the Germans: both those that were beneficiaries of the loosening of the conventional mores by Nazism and the ones that sought to restore conservative values. The sexuality study of the time is, therefore, important in understanding Germany’s political history and the manner that sexuality influenced the politics of the time.
In one way or another, sex and sexuality were related to politics of the time. Largely, Nazism was characterized by sexual politics as sexual politics acted as the core locus. During the Third Reich, reworking of sexual mores was such a crucial feature. In order to address the issues of Germany’s fascism legacies, sexual matters held a crucial role. By explaining the ways through which sexuality was related to politics, one gets into a better position to reveal the connection that existed between evil and pleasure in the society. This is the best position that can be adopted in order to understand how Nazism’s legacies were interpreted during the 1960s. In essence, the Third Reich represented an era characterized by sexuality to the extent that sexual liberation was considered as an antifascist imperative. In essence, there was a strong link between sexuality and politics. Scholars have argued that racism and Fascism during the time were caused by sexual repression. Sexual emancipation, they argued, would promote political and social justice in the society.
The West German New Left Student movement defended activism for sexual emancipation, arguing that sexual repression was not just a characteristic of fascism; it was, in fact, the cause of it (Herzog & Dagmar, 77). In essence, as a substitute for bodily pleasure, some people would engage in brutality and engage in destruction practices. During the fascist rebellion, genocide was formed by the energies that were as a result of inhibited sex. The sexual conservation culture after the postwar was thereby dismantled because of the moral justifications argued for its course. The public opinion was that, through liberating sexuality, the Nazism’s aftereffects would be cleansed. This was very crucial in their attempt to forget the injustices that had taken place early on during the time characterized by the Nazism movement. As such, it becomes important to study the relationship between sexuality and politics of Germany during the time.
The interpretation of sexual politics during the period of the Third Reich by the New Lefts has regarded Nazism as being repressive. Nazism, to some extent, encouraged sexual immorality and sexual licentiousness as they argued that sexual immorality was tied to genocidal barbarism. In order to overcome the post-Nazism effects, many movements proposed the restoration of marriage and containment of sexuality as being crucial and as such, they were listed as a priority. In a way, this seems to mean that the sexual conservation practice after the war was not meant to be repressive of fascism’s continuation; rather it was a reaction that was against Nazism. In order for the politics of the war to be overcome, it was crucial, therefore, to conserve sexuality.
The Jews were in most cases associated with sexual liberality. This belief was developed after Germany was defeated in the World War. Because of this, the early socialist campaigns were characterized by demonizing the Jewish. In order to facilitate the exclusion and murder of the Jews from the Germany society, the Jews were equated to sexual immorality. Differences in opinion about sexual mores also saw a rise in tension between Nazis and the church. This explains why under the leadership of CDU (Christian Democratic Party), the post fascist period was marked by sexual propriety. Sexuality, therefore, was in a way related to politics in the FRG.
Works Cited
Herzog, Dagmar. Sex After Fascism: Memory and Morality in Twentieth-Century Germany. Princeton, N.J: Princeton University Press, 2005. Print.
