Interpreting memory: Young women coming of age in the shadow of the Third Reich

This study examines how German women recall their childhoods during the Third Reich and immediate aftermath. It explores this era through their eyes interpreting how memory compares with scholarly works on this topic. Much has been written about the Third Reich as it pertains to those old enough to vote; however, academic scholarship has not fully considered the impact on younger generations. Utilizing oral histories conducted with women residing in the United States, social and gender methodologies, recent memoirs, and Nazi propaganda, this study explores the lack of ideological influence the Bund Deutscher Madel possessed over its members, how racial intolerance penetrated society through cultural conditioning, and the manner in which German women recall and have dealt with the reality of rape in the postwar Soviet occupation. The women's memories provide the catalyst to gain a more extensive insight into the Third Reich and how it continues to shape their lives.