Uploaded June 2025 | Updated September 2026, 1 week ago
The arrival of the new Republic in 1918 brought about much change for women in Germany. They received new legal rights, making them, at least in theory, equal citizens to men. In this video we look at how things actually were and what difference these rights made, with a specific focus on women in politics and in the workplace.
#GCSEHistory #GCSERevision #WeimarGermany
Support the channel and get early access to new videos amongst other benefits by signing up for my Patreon: patreon.com/alonglongtimeago
*Useful resources*
Practice exam-style questions on Weimar: quizlet.com/_6cqa3d
Quizlet Flashcards: Coming at some point
Revision Notes: Also coming at some point
*SOURCES*
FOOTNOTES:
[1] Weimar Constitution, Article 109 (“Alle Deutschen sind vor dem Gesetze gleich. Männer und Frauen haben grundsätzlich dieselben staatsbürgerlichen Rechte und Pflichten.”)
[2] Weimar Constitution, Article 119 (“Die Ehe steht als Grundlage des Familienlebens und der Erhaltung und Vermehrung der Nation unter dem besonderen Schutz der Verfassung. Sie beruht auf der Gleichberechtigung der beiden Geschlechter.”)
[3] Helen Boak, _Women in the Weimar Republic_ (Manchester University Press, 2013), p. 78.
[4] Ibid., 89.
Footnotes continued here (description has a character limit): docs.google.com/document/d/1NMCeqNv6mtXNPhSnPVJuRLtc-MDAl2eSa92F9mVEWzM/edit?usp=sharing
BIBLIOGRAPHY:
Boak, Helen, _Women in the Weimar Republic_ (Manchester University Press, 2013).
Planert, Ute ‘Weimar Bodies: Gender, Sexuality, and Reproduction’, in Nadine Rossol and Benjamin Ziemann (eds), _The Oxford Handbook of the Weimar Republic_ (Oxford University Press, 2022).
Rossol, Nadine, and Benjamin Ziemann, ‘Introduction’, in Nadine Rossol and Benjamin Ziemann (eds), _The Oxford Handbook of the Weimar Republic_ (Oxford University Press, 2022).
Stibbe, Matthew _Germany, 1914-1933: Politics, Society and Culture_ (Routledge, 2010).
Wikisource contributors, ‘Verfassung des Deutschen Reichs (1919)’, Wikisource (2021), de.wikisource.org/wiki/Verfassung_des_Deutschen_Reichs_(1919) [accessed 6 May 2025].***
*I rely on an official GCSE textbook heavily for the purpose of making sure that what I’m teaching falls in line with the GCSE curriculum, the problem with this, however, is that this official GCSE textbook is a very unreliable source, which fails to cite its sources and contains numerous errors and outdated interpretations of the history. It very much does not hold up to academic standards and should not be used for anything other than GCSE revision.
**Benjamin says read his book: global.oup.com/academic/product/the-oxford-handbook-of-the-weimar-republic-9780198845775?cc=nl&lang=en& He is a bit of a legend (and even gave feedback on an early draft of this script!) so I think you should too.
***English translation of the Weimar Constitution if you’re interested to take a look for yourself and don’t speak German: en.wikisource.org/wiki/Weimar_constitution
*Social Media*
Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/alonglongtimeago.bsky.social || @alonglongtimeago.bsky.social
Patreon: patreon.com/alonglongtimeago
Insta: instagram.com/alonglongtimeago || @alonglongtimeago
*IMAGE ATTRIBUTIONS*
1:49 "Conference Room 2 - Glendale Real Estate Office" (flickr.com/photos/25726561@N06/3443283766) by Phil Sexton (flickr.com/photos/john_hall_associates/) is licensed under CC BY 2.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/?ref=openverse).
1:57, 3:57, 4:04 "cc office san francisco" (flickr.com/photos/13102974@N00/536036926) by tvol (flickr.com/photos/sixteenmilesofstring/) is licensed under CC BY 2.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/?ref=openverse).
2:01, 3:51, 4:34 "Corn field, France" (flickr.com/photos/45692217@N07/5240634085) by RPPH (flickr.com/photos/45692217@N07/) is licensed under CC BY 2.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/?ref=openverse).
2:04, 3:54, 4:48 Still from ‘Berlin – Die Sinfonie der Großstadt’ by Walter Ruttmann (1927), which is in the Public Domain
2:48, 4:04 "Tesco, Earl's Court" (flickr.com/photos/21112151@N00/2405706800) by yisris (flickr.com/photos/yisris/2405706902/in/photostream/) is licensed under CC BY 2.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/?ref=openverse).
3:05, 3:52 “Wohnzimmer Beimer (Lindenstraße)” (de.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Datei:Wohnzimmer_Beimer_(Lindenstra%C3%9Fe).jpg) by tbleek has been assigned available for copyright-free use.
0:00 Intro
0:28 New Legal Rights
0:45 Women in Politics
1:56 How many women are working?
3:07 Treatment in the Workplace
3:39 Areas of Employment
5:38 Backlash Against Women’s Employment
6:27 Conclusion - The State of Things
7:49 Outro
The arrival of the new Republic in 1918 brought about much change for women in Germany. They received new legal rights, making them, at least in theory, equal citizens to men. In this video we look at how things actually were and what difference these rights made, with a specific focus on women in politics and in the workplace.
#GCSEHistory #GCSERevision #WeimarGermany
Support the channel and get early access to new videos amongst other benefits by signing up for my Patreon: patreon.com/alonglongtimeago
*Useful resources*
Practice exam-style questions on Weimar: quizlet.com/_6cqa3d
Quizlet Flashcards: Coming at some point
Revision Notes: Also coming at some point
*SOURCES*
FOOTNOTES:
[1] Weimar Constitution, Article 109 (“Alle Deutschen sind vor dem Gesetze gleich. Männer und Frauen haben grundsätzlich dieselben staatsbürgerlichen Rechte und Pflichten.”)
[2] Weimar Constitution, Article 119 (“Die Ehe steht als Grundlage des Familienlebens und der Erhaltung und Vermehrung der Nation unter dem besonderen Schutz der Verfassung. Sie beruht auf der Gleichberechtigung der beiden Geschlechter.”)
[3] Helen Boak, _Women in the Weimar Republic_ (Manchester University Press, 2013), p. 78.
[4] Ibid., 89.
Footnotes continued here (description has a character limit): docs.google.com/document/d/1NMCeqNv6mtXNPhSnPVJuRLtc-MDAl2eSa92F9mVEWzM/edit?usp=sharing
BIBLIOGRAPHY:
Boak, Helen, _Women in the Weimar Republic_ (Manchester University Press, 2013).
Planert, Ute ‘Weimar Bodies: Gender, Sexuality, and Reproduction’, in Nadine Rossol and Benjamin Ziemann (eds), _The Oxford Handbook of the Weimar Republic_ (Oxford University Press, 2022).
Rossol, Nadine, and Benjamin Ziemann, ‘Introduction’, in Nadine Rossol and Benjamin Ziemann (eds), _The Oxford Handbook of the Weimar Republic_ (Oxford University Press, 2022).
Stibbe, Matthew _Germany, 1914-1933: Politics, Society and Culture_ (Routledge, 2010).
Wikisource contributors, ‘Verfassung des Deutschen Reichs (1919)’, Wikisource (2021), de.wikisource.org/wiki/Verfassung_des_Deutschen_Reichs_(1919) [accessed 6 May 2025].***
*I rely on an official GCSE textbook heavily for the purpose of making sure that what I’m teaching falls in line with the GCSE curriculum, the problem with this, however, is that this official GCSE textbook is a very unreliable source, which fails to cite its sources and contains numerous errors and outdated interpretations of the history. It very much does not hold up to academic standards and should not be used for anything other than GCSE revision.
**Benjamin says read his book: global.oup.com/academic/product/the-oxford-handbook-of-the-weimar-republic-9780198845775?cc=nl&lang=en& He is a bit of a legend (and even gave feedback on an early draft of this script!) so I think you should too.
***English translation of the Weimar Constitution if you’re interested to take a look for yourself and don’t speak German: en.wikisource.org/wiki/Weimar_constitution
*Social Media*
Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/alonglongtimeago.bsky.social || @alonglongtimeago.bsky.social
Patreon: patreon.com/alonglongtimeago
Insta: instagram.com/alonglongtimeago || @alonglongtimeago
*IMAGE ATTRIBUTIONS*
1:49 "Conference Room 2 - Glendale Real Estate Office" (flickr.com/photos/25726561@N06/3443283766) by Phil Sexton (flickr.com/photos/john_hall_associates/) is licensed under CC BY 2.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/?ref=openverse).
1:57, 3:57, 4:04 "cc office san francisco" (flickr.com/photos/13102974@N00/536036926) by tvol (flickr.com/photos/sixteenmilesofstring/) is licensed under CC BY 2.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/?ref=openverse).
2:01, 3:51, 4:34 "Corn field, France" (flickr.com/photos/45692217@N07/5240634085) by RPPH (flickr.com/photos/45692217@N07/) is licensed under CC BY 2.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/?ref=openverse).
2:04, 3:54, 4:48 Still from ‘Berlin – Die Sinfonie der Großstadt’ by Walter Ruttmann (1927), which is in the Public Domain
2:48, 4:04 "Tesco, Earl's Court" (flickr.com/photos/21112151@N00/2405706800) by yisris (flickr.com/photos/yisris/2405706902/in/photostream/) is licensed under CC BY 2.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/?ref=openverse).
3:05, 3:52 “Wohnzimmer Beimer (Lindenstraße)” (de.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Datei:Wohnzimmer_Beimer_(Lindenstra%C3%9Fe).jpg) by tbleek has been assigned available for copyright-free use.
0:00 Intro
0:28 New Legal Rights
0:45 Women in Politics
1:56 How many women are working?
3:07 Treatment in the Workplace
3:39 Areas of Employment
5:38 Backlash Against Women’s Employment
6:27 Conclusion - The State of Things
7:49 Outro
