This dissertation examines the historical development of parental responsibility in non-marital father-child relationships. The timeframe of the inquiry begins just before 1900, when the law of those not married was unified, followed by an explanation of the reform movements during the Weimarer Republic and the Third Reich. Through the dynamic change of law the author concentrates on the legal orders of the individual German states in a comparative perspective. It is shown how the fathers' rights and obligations and their willingness to obey and accomplish these are interrelated. Political implications and social conditions of the legal regulations are derived from the captured aspects. Finally, the author compares recent socio-scientific findings with the shown developments and summarizes the results in her conclusion.