Eesti naisliikumine Saksa okupatsiooni ajal 1941–1944: kohandumine ja arendamine / The Estonian Women’s Movement during the German Occupation 1941–1944: Adaptation and Development

Teesid: Artikkel käsitleb Eesti naisliikumise eesmärke, tegevussuundi ja tegevuse tulemusi Saksa okupatsiooni (1941–1944) aegse argielu kontekstis. Uurimus tugineb Kodumajandusameti materjalidele Rahvusarhiivis, ametlikele dokumentidele ja ajakirjandusele. Naisliikumise korraldajad kohandusid okupatsioonivõimu struktuuride ja rahastusprioriteetidega ning nende propagandasuundadega, mis haakusid argise toimetuleku ja tsiviliseeriv-ratsionaalsete eesmärkidega – säästlikkus, isetegemine ja isevarustamine, otstarbekas kodukorraldus. Nad säilitasid 1930. aastail välja kujunenud rahvusliku, ent ühtlasi moderniseerumist edendava ja sotsiaalkriitilise hoiaku, millele lisandusid teatud soolise võrdõigusluse nõuded. Life during the Second World War in Estonia has mainly been studied from the viewpoints of military history, human losses and crimes against humanity, administrative arrangements, and propaganda. There are no comprehensive academic studies of everyday life or the women’s movement. The article provides a preliminary view of women’s initiatives in organising everyday life and counselling during the period of German occupation (1941–1944), focusing on the activities of the Home Economics Office. The analysis is based on manuscripts and documents from the Estonian National Archives, the media, and other official documents. As the economic priority of the occupation authorities was to support the front, the civil population suffered from a lack of industrial goods and food products, fuel and electricity. In December 1941, a system of food rationing was introduced and farms were obliged to sell their products to the state. People had to rely on an extensive system of natural economy and exchange between the city and the countryside, saving methods and substitute products. Social assistance was built on local pre-war experiences and structures, but also on new organisations that followed the patterns of Nazi Germany. An umbrella organisation was set up called Joint Assistance of the Estonian People (Eesti Rahva Ühisabi) which organised collection campaigns and delivered aid to families in need as well as soldiers at the front. The ERÜ was integrated into the power structures of the German occupation authorities, although its rhetoric also emphasised the need to enforce the Estonian national spirit and the people’s vitality. Women played a significant role in the efforts to normalise everyday life. In September 1941, the Office of Home Economics was establishe