Nazi Youth - Baldur von Schirach

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Baldur von Schirach (1907-74)

            Early Life/ Pre-Nazi background

  • Born in Berlin in 1907, the son of an aristocratic German father and American mother

  • Studied art history at university and developed anti-Semitic and anti-Christian views

           Membership of NSDAP and Role Pre 1933

  • An early member of the NSDAP, Schirach joined in 1924

  • Schirach began organising high school and university students for the NSDAP

  • Schirach was devoted to Hitler, who he was  highly regarded by as he wrote poems

 describing Hitler as “Germany's greatest son”

  • In 1929, he was made head of the Nationalist Socialist German Students' League and by 1931 he was mad Nazi Youth Leader

           Job/Role 1939-45 and Personal Empire

  • In May 1993, he was made Youth Leader of the German Reich in charge of all the youth movements.

  • Built up the Hitler Youth to a movement of around 8million in 1939, which had the aim of drilling Nazi ideology into the German youth.

  • Under Schirach, the German youth were to drilled into acceptance of character, discipline, obedience, leadership and they were to be moulded into a new race of “supermen”

  • Schirach was presented as a kind of semi-divine person and with pictures only second to Hitler's in displays across Germany

  • In 1940, he volunteered to fight in the army and won the Iron Cross in France

  • In 1941, he was made Gauleiter of Vienna and was involved in the deportation of Jews to ghettos in Poland  and in 1942, he mentioned their deportation as a  “contribution to European culture”

         Relationship/Proximity to Hitler

  • Schirach was highly regarded by Hitler for his enthusiasm and power to inspire and lead the youth
  • After 1940, once Schirach was Gauleiter of Vienna he had more direct proximity to Hitler and would look to Hitler for direct orders.
  • He lost all real influence in a visit to the Berghof 1943, when he requested the more moderate treatment of eastern Europeans and criticised the conditions in which Jews were being deported in.
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It is certainly the case that the Nazi regime had the

appearance of being strong, stable and successful. It projected

this image through its use of propaganda. Nevertheless there

were signs that whilst the regime was never really challenged,

the success and stability of the regime was beginning to slip,

and that ultimately the success of the regime was being called

into question. Under the strain of war it would begin to

crumble. In addition the increasing use of propaganda and

terror to maintain the appearance of stability and success

points to a regime in crisis. Though never seriously

challenged ...

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