Hitler's Women

by Guido Knopp

Guido Knopp turns the spotlight on the principal women in Hitler's life. Here are six vivid pen-portraits of women whose lives, different as they were, were all fatally bound up with that of Hitler himself. Eva Braun, Hitler's mistress, whom he always kept in the background until the final bizarre marriage ceremony in the bunker before they died together; Magda Goebbels, a devotee of Hitler, wife of the Reich Propaganda Minister, and Nazi `super-mum', who ended by killing herself and her six young children; Winifred Wagner, the English-born daughter-in-law of composer Richard Wagner, who introduced Hitler into influential circles and later put Wagner's music to the service of the Reich; Leni Riefenstahl, the brilliant film-maker who flirted with Hitler and lent her talent to the Nazis, but claimed to be a non-political artist; Zarah Leander, the hugely popular Swedish singer and film star, who gave Hitler advice on his hair-style and boosted the morale of the Wehrmacht; and finally the legendary screen goddess Marlene Dietrich, who, unlike the other five, resisted all the temptations of power and wealth in Hitler's Germany. She emigrated to the USA and became a committed and high-profile opponent of the Nazi regime.
Supported by photographs, many of which are previously unpublished, and the words of close friends and colleagues of those portrayed, Guido Knopp's account brings back to life a generation who, with a few courageous exceptions, succumbed to enticement and connived in atrocity.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, World War II, Biography, Historical, German Literature, Germany

320 pages, Hardcover

First published April 1, 2003

About the author

Guido Knopp is a German journalist and author. He is well known in Germany, mainly because he has produced a great number of TV documentaries, predominantly about the Nazi era, but also about other topics, such as Stalinism.

Reviews

[Mick Meyers · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book looks at the lives of six women with exception of one,got embroiled with Adolf hitler.i got the profound feeling that all bar miss Dietrich were happy to receive his patronage,then once war had ended tried to back pedal and not me.the polar opposite of the me too.not bad but a tad dry in places.

[Karl · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another fine volume by Guido Knopp, with biographies of six women whose lives were shaped by the Nazi perversity. This is a much more eclectic collection than Knopp's previous books, as none of his subjects here held any position in the Nazi party or state.
Eva Braun. Hitler's companion remains an oddity, almost an non-entity in some respects. Beyond shallow pursuits, she was completely obsessed with Hitler, even though he often ignored her and forced her into obscurity to preserve his self-image as the solitary Fuhrer.
Magda Goebbels was the true believer, fanatic, and enabler. She lent class and social respectability to Hitler and to husband, Josef Goebbels.
Leni Riefenstahl was remarkable women, and might be remembered as great figure in film history except for her opportunistic role as the auteur of Nazi film. She was more than willing to use her connections to Hitler and Goebbels to make her films, even to the point of using concentration camp prisoners as extras.
British-born Winifred Wagner was another opportunist, more puzzling for her willingness (even years after the war) to separate the charming sponsor of her music festival with the ruthless dictator.
Zarah Leander is another strange personality. Swedish-born and with limited contact with Hitler, she was willing to sing and act in German films. Knopp paints her as the most mercenary, a woman mainly interested in money and who bolted once the war turned against Germany.
Marlene Dietrich is Knopp's heroine. Repelled by Hitler and the Nazis, she refused several offers to return to her native country. Instead she aided refugees and threw herself into work for America's war effort, selling war bonds, serving with the USO, and entertaining front-line troops.

[James · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book features a somewhat different approach to looking at the Nazi regime, through the prominent women that aided and abetted it - or opposed it. The dark historical period prompts an understandable emotional reaction, but the text is a little too reactive in its commentary for an objective history book. Still, it was an interesting read and provided some fascinating insights.

[minnajee · Rating 2 out of 5]

27.8.2007
Knopp, Guido: Hitlerin naiset ja Marlene (Hitlers Frauen und Marlene, 2005)
8
- Kuus pienoiselämänkertaa Hitlerin naisista: Eva Braun, Madga Goebbels, Winifred Wagner, Zarah Leander ja... olikos niitä viel muit ku vastustaja Marlene Dietrich? Ihan mielenkiintosta luettavaa ja uutta tietoakin.

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book it was easy to read and the topic was most interesting. This book contains narratives of the live's of women while the Nazis were in power and the seemly harmless (albeit naive} choices they made that further helped create a society that allowed the holocaust to happen.

[Mary · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this to further my understanding of Hitler and the German nation of the time, in particular those people who assisted him in his awful vision.