The documentary series Hitler’s Handmaidens premieres on Sky History, exploring the role of women in Nazi Germany. The first episode, titled “Female Fuhrers,” airs on Tuesday, 28 May 2024, at 9:00 pm.
The episode examines the women who surrounded Adolf Hitler once he rose to power and the roles they played in Nazi Germany. It investigates how these women were portrayed as the Aryan Ideal and the complexities that arose when war began. While patriarchy constrained them, women in positions of power within women’s organisations actively contributed to the transformation of German society.
“Female Fuhrers” examines the Nazis’ ideal of “Kinder, Küche, Kirche” (Children, Kitchen, Church) and how the reality fell short of their aspirations. The series takes a contemporary approach, viewing women as active participants in all aspects of German society during this dark period.
Hitler’s Handmaidens aims to highlight the often-overlooked role of women in the rise and implementation of Nazi Germany. By adopting a biographical lens and focusing on individual women, the series explores the broad categories of female engagement in the Nazi regime, particularly in the Eastern territories of the Greater Reich.
Hitler’s Handmaidens: Female Fuhrers airs Tuesday, 28 May 2024, at 9:00 pm on Sky History.
