Margarete Boden was the wife of Heinrich Himmler, one of the most notorious member of Nazis Germany. In 1893, Margarete was born into a strict, traditional family focused on duty and order. Her upbringing influenced her political views, aligning with nationalist ideals in early 20th-century Germany.
Early Life and Marriage
Early experience as a nurse during World War I brought Margarete into medical and administrative positions. She met Heinrich Himmler in the 1920s, and married in him 1928, just as Himmler’s career in the Nazi Party began to rise. Their marriage was fairly traditional and they settled into a patriarchal home life.
The Nazi party got Margarete involved early, and she was a member in 1928. She avoided the limelight but was recognized for her commitment to the elite Nazi circles; she threw parties for SS wives and supported Heinrich’s career.
Margaret Boden’s Children
Margarete Boden and her husband, Heinrich Himmler, had one biological daughter, Gudrun, who was loyal to her father until his death. Also, they adopted another son, Gerhard.
Margarete Boden’s Career and Involvement in WWII
In World War II, Margarete played important roles in conjunction with Nazi initiatives. She supervised German Red Cross hospitals and carried out missions in Nazi occupied areas. This responsibility gave her a relative high status, although she was described as unlikable by her peers. Her diaries reflect a harsh view of non-German populations, indicative of her ideological views.
Margarete and Heinrich became increasingly estranged during the war, especially when he began an affair with his secretary, Hedwig Potthast, with whom he had two children. Still, Margarete remained loyal to Heinrich until the end, even after learning of the affair. Post-war, Allied forces detained her and her daughter but they were released without charges.
Who is Heinrich Himmler? History and Rise of the Nazi Party
Heinrich Himmler was one of the main architects of the Holocaust and one of Adolf Hitler’s closest associates. He was born in 1900, in Munich, Germany, and raised in a strict Catholic family. He studied agronomy but nationalist sentiments led him to join the Nazi Party in 1923.
His organizational skills and ideological fervor earned Himmler leadership positions. He became head of the SS (Schutzstaffel), a paramilitary force by 1929. He was responsible for constructing the Nazi state’s apparatus of terror, the Gestapo, and concentration camps.
Highlights of Career and Role in WWII
Heinrich Himmler’s sway over the Germans spread during World War II. He planned and implemented the Final Solution, a genocide of the Jews. He also ran Nazi racial policy and administered occupied territory. Himmler had initially supported Hitler but in 1945, he tried to strike peace with the Allies, a move Hitler considered betrayal.
Himmler’s life ended in May 1945, when he was captured by British forces. He committed suicide with cyanide capsules. His bureaucratic handling of mass murder and precise implementation of Nazi policies have made him a historical subject.
Legacy and Impact
Himmler’s legacy is controversial and overwhelmingly negative. He remains a symbol of the systematic nature of Nazi atrocities. Moreover, Himmler’s atrocities were only eclipsed by Margarete’s support of his ideology. Margarete Boden faced denazification trials after the war, and lived relatively private until her death.
