Sex after fascism

More about the book

What is the relationship between sexual and other forms of politics? This question is particularly urgent in the context of Nazi Germany. The exploration of Nazism's sexual politics raises critical inquiries: Were these politics uniformly repressive, or did they grant sexual freedoms to certain groups while persecuting others? How have postwar interpretations of these politics evolved, especially given the assertion by scholars since the 1960s that the Third Reich was "sex-hostile"? Addressing these questions, the work fundamentally reconsiders key aspects of twentieth-century German history. It reshapes our understanding of the Nazi regime's popular appeal, antisemitism, the influence of Christianity on postfascist conservatism, and the countercultural movements of the 1960s-1970s, as well as the dynamics between government and citizens in East Germany. By reinterpreting the Third Reich's sexual politics and examining the revisions of Germany's history following communism's collapse, the work reveals the complex interconnections between capitalism and communism, pleasure and state policies, and religious and secular trends. It also delves into sexual attitudes and practices, addressing issues like contraception, pornography, and sexual orientation theories, highlighting how sexuality became a crucial site for managing the memory of Nazism and the Holocaust.