National Socialist Family Law: The Influence of National Socialism on Marriage and Divorce Law in Germany and the Netherlands

In National Socialist Family Law, Mariken Lenaerts analyses the possible influence of National Socialism on marriage and divorce law in Germany and the Netherlands. As the family was regarded the germ-cell of the nation, the Nazis made many changes in German and Dutch marriage and divorce law to suit their purpose of a thousand-year Aryan Reich. By making extensive use of archival resources, Mariken Lenaerts gives an overview of the most important changes adopted in marriage and divorce law by the Nazis and proves that although daily marital life in both countries was highly influenced by National Socialism, marriage and divorce law did not become National Socialist.

Listen to Lenaerts explaining about her project: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TINKR6xKyUQ.

In 2013 the book was awarded the Prix Fondation Auschwitz - Jacques Rozenberg.