Mata Hari – and the concept of the 'evil' female spy - Big Ideas
Mata Hari - the erotic dancer was executed during World War I as one of several ‘evil female spies’. The ‘spy-mania’ at the time was influenced by the assumption that women were innately deceptive. It was also believed that women exploited the war to gain social and economic privileges that belonged previously for men only. Historian Joanne Bourke explains what made Mata Hari the perfect scape goat.
Source: abc.net.au