By: History.com Editors

1938

Hitler establishes Mother’s Cross to encourage German women to procreate

History.com Editors

Published: November 05, 2009

Last Updated: February 18, 2025

On December 16, 1938, Adolf Hitler institutes the Mother’s Cross, to encourage women of "pure" German origin to increase the size of their families and grow the population of the Third Reich.

The Nazis started such encouragement early. When members the League of German Girls (a wing of of the Hitler Youth movement) turned 18, they became eligible for a branch called Faith and Beauty, which trained these girls in the art of becoming ideal mothers. One component of that ideal was fecundity. And so each year, gold medals were awarded to women with eight children or more, silver medals to women with six to seven, and bronze medals to women with five. The crosses were distributed between 1938 and 1944.

Adolf Hitler

Take a look at the life and impact of Adolf Hitler, who as leader of the Third Reich orchestrated the the death of 6 million Jews, in this video.

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Citation Information

Article title
Hitler establishes Mother’s Cross to encourage German women to procreate
Website Name
History
Date Accessed
March 25, 2025
Publisher
A&E Television Networks
Last Updated
February 18, 2025
Original Published Date
November 05, 2009

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