Hitler Youth
The Hitler youth was enforced and seen as a strong contribution in the ongoing education of German children. The Hitler Youth was a logical extension of Hitler’s belief that the future of Nazi Germany was its children. The Hitler Youth was seen as being as important to a child as school was the organisation demonstrated extremely similar ruthless and manipulating values to take over the minds of the German children.
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The young people of Germany were important to the Nazi government if they wanted the third Reich to last for a thousand years. The government took great control over their education in the school classroom and they also took control of their education in the youth’s leisure time too (BBC, 2014). The youth movement was led by Kurt Gruber and by educating them from a young age and attracting young men they would be trained to become members of the strong and growing military.
The Hitler youth wore uniform and attended meeting and rallies where they were indoctrinated with the Nazi views. In December 1936, membership of the Hitler Youth became virtually compulsory for all boys and girls by 1940 there were over 8 million members of the Hitler Youth. There were different groups depending on age and gender boys ages 6-10 years joined the little Fellows they did mainly outdoor sports type activities such as hiking, rambling and camping maintaining their physical health. Boys aged 10-13 years joined the German Young People. They as well did sporting activities however with a stronger military emphasis such as parading and marching they learnt about Nazi views on racial purity and anti-Semitism reinforcing the education at school. Boys aged 14-18 years joined the Hitler Youth and the main focus was preparing them to be soldiers by doing military activities. Girls aged 10-14 years joined the Young Maidens they were taught good health practices as well as how to become good mothers and housewives while reinforcing the Nazi views on racial purity. As the girls got older they were further educated and prepared for their roles as the mother of future Germans (History on the net, 2014).
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Hitler said himself...
“My program for educating youth is hard… weakness must be hammered away. In my castles of the Teutonic order, a new youth will grow up, before which the world will tremble. I want a brutal, domineering fearless and cruel youth. Youth must be all that. It must bear pain. There must be nothing weak and gentle about it. The free, splendid beast of prey must once again flash from its eyes… That is how I will eradicate thousands of years of human domestication… that is how I will create the New Order.”(Adolf Hitler, 1933)
This shows Hitler’s relevant view on how significant the education of the youth was it demonstrates how prepared Hitler was to indoctrinate the youth it emphasises the importance of the Hitler Youth programme in educating the military style skills in combination with the education in the classroom. The constant education that was demonstrated in the classroom and also in the youths own personal time through the Hitler Youth programme showed the great power and the drive that the Government had to maintain their control and reinforce their ideals to the wider Germany and focus on the education of the Youth to withstand power for years to come.
“My program for educating youth is hard… weakness must be hammered away. In my castles of the Teutonic order, a new youth will grow up, before which the world will tremble. I want a brutal, domineering fearless and cruel youth. Youth must be all that. It must bear pain. There must be nothing weak and gentle about it. The free, splendid beast of prey must once again flash from its eyes… That is how I will eradicate thousands of years of human domestication… that is how I will create the New Order.”(Adolf Hitler, 1933)
This shows Hitler’s relevant view on how significant the education of the youth was it demonstrates how prepared Hitler was to indoctrinate the youth it emphasises the importance of the Hitler Youth programme in educating the military style skills in combination with the education in the classroom. The constant education that was demonstrated in the classroom and also in the youths own personal time through the Hitler Youth programme showed the great power and the drive that the Government had to maintain their control and reinforce their ideals to the wider Germany and focus on the education of the Youth to withstand power for years to come.