The nature and purpose of the ‘Hitler Youth’ movement.

GCSE Modern World History

Coursework Assignment 1

By 1939, about 90 percent of the "Aryan" children in Germany belonged to Nazi youth groups. They started at the age of six. At ten, boys were initiated into the Jungvolk and at fourteen promoted to the Hitler Youth or HJ (for Hitler Jugend). Girls belonged to the Jungmaedel and then the BDM (the Bund Deutsche Maedel or the League of German Girls). In such groups, said Hitler, "These young people will learn nothing else but how to think German and act German. . . And they will never be free again, not in their

whole lives."

The first, perhaps the most important purpose of the Hitler Youth that I am going to discuss is training young boys to become soldiers, political solders of the 3rd Reich, that the nazis would have full control off. This purpose is linked to Hitler’s foreign policies- he wanted to reverse the Treaty of Versailles, unite all the German-speaking people, and give the nation more ‘living space’ (lebensraum). Hitler and the nazis could not achieve these policies alone, they needed a strong, and powerful army. Hitler, being an opportunist, saw the Youth, and took his chance. The young boys of Germany were going to be this army, and the young girls of Germany were going to give birth to his new soldiers. He took them early, and put much effort into making the Hitler Youth Movement such a military institution. To achieve this great army the nazis had to incorporate military training with psychological preparation, which is exactly what they did. An important part of the nature of this aim was the Hitler Youth “military athletics” (wehrsport) that included war activities, which reinforced psychical strength and military tactics that the soldiers would need in war, e.g. Marching, taught them discipline, and obedience. Grenade throwing, a useful tactic on a battlefield, Trench digging, gave them strength and endurance, map reading, taught intelligence and teamwork, activities like wrestling matches between boys proved how manly they were. The Hitler Youth boys were even taught to pick on the weaker males within each division. If a boy lost a wrestling match or did not excel at the field combat drill, they were picked on, without mercy. Severe cross country hikes and marches even left as much as 30 boys in hospital, which shows how far the Nazis would go, and the strength of their beliefs, to create a perfect, Aryan army.

They also had to learn dogma, (nazi beliefs) and once they passed the necessary tests they were given a special dagger marked "Blood and Honour" which was another propaganda for the boys to train hard, they must all have wanted to achieve this special dagger, and those who didn’t would have been humiliated, this gave the boys an aim, a feeling of achievement, which is why I think that the medal ceremonies were a very significant part of the nature of the movement they gave the boys an aim, a challenge that they wanted to fulfil, which made them work harder.

The second most important aim of the Hitler youth movement was to prepare young men psychologically for war, by indoctrination with Nazi ideology. It is not as easy as training the boys and making them strong, and preparing their bodies for fighting, he had to prepare their minds too. Enforcing nazi ideas into these kids depended on teachers, and HYM group leaders delivering it.

Hitler knew that if these boys were going to die for him he would have to give them an incentive, a reason to. He also knew that if these girls were going to give ...

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Hitler knew that if these boys were going to die for him he would have to give them an incentive, a reason to. He also knew that if these girls were going to give up their jobs, and lives, to give birth to large numbers of pure German babies they had to have a reason to. He wanted to indoctrinate young people so that they accepted Nazi ideas, beliefs, and values unquestioningly and so become the ideal nazis, the building blocks for the people’s community.

He took advantage of their young and innocent minds and indoctrinated them with nazi ideology. The HYM meetings were sculpted to allow for this, they gave lectures, speeches and held reading sessions On the superiority of the Aryan race and the evil of the communists and Jews. A very main part of the indoctrination happened at school. The school curriculum was designed to reinforce, and work alongside the indoctrination that took place at the HY meetings. The curriculum was ripped apart, and subjects underwent major changes for example History only covered great German victories, and blamed defeat on Jewish saboteurs, or communists. Science (biology) became a study of different races, it tried to prove that the nazis were superior. “Racial instruction” started at the age of 6. Hitler himself even said that: “No boy or girl should leave school without complete knowledge of the necessity and meaning of blood purity.” The fact that all children had to attend the Hitler Youth at weekends, and In their spare time meant that the nazis had these children under their eyes at all times and had them under full control. By using the education system, HY meetings, and propaganda, for example movies, radio, posters, etc- things that these young soldiers were involved in every day, the youth could not get away from the propaganda which is why I think that It worked so well in the nature of the movement.

The third aim that I wish to discuss, is that Hitler trained boys to become future leaders of the Nazi society. Hitler wanted his Reich to prosper, and overpower other nations. He wanted Germany to be a super-power. To do this he needed the best Generals, Officers, Senior Officers, Key workers, etc, and the Hitler movement was structured to accomplish this aim. For boys that were selected by the youth leaders as being special, different schools were created. Those who were physically fitter, and stronger went to these Adolf Hitler schools. They were taught in these schools how to be future leaders of Nazi society. They had 6 years of tough physical training, and when they left aged 18 they went to the army, or to university. The best went to “order castles” that were schools, which took pupils who excelled the limits of physical endurance. War games used live ammunition, and pupils were even killed at these schools- which just shows the risks, and the extent that the Nazis went to, to try and create a master army. Those who graduated from the order castles were the ones that made it to the top; they were expected to attain a high position in the army, or SS. This one ‘purpose’ of the Hitler Youth was to act as a selection process for the Nazis.

The fourth aim I am going to discuss is that the Hitler Youth movement aimed to ensure loyalty to the fuehrer himself, Hitler. They knew that they had ensure that the children were not open to any ideas, and were just polluted with nazi propaganda. They needed them under full control, so they would not even think about rebelling. He had many different ways of achieving this aim. They recited poems, every day, that members of the Youth movement had to memorize, and this is one example:

That is the greatest thing about him,
That he is not only our leader and a great hero,
But himself, upright, firm and simple,
In him the roots of our world.
And his soul touches the stars
And yet he remains a man like you and me.

Every child said ‘Heil Hitler!’ from 50 to 150 times a day, it was like ‘hi’. If you met a friend on the way to school, you would say, it, when you entered and left your lessons, you would say it, the post man, the shop owners and your parents would say it. If they did not, they would have been guilty of a punishable offence. This just shows how important, and loyal they

were to Hitler.

Education played a very important part in Nazi Germany when trying to create a loyal population of youth. The nazis were aware that education would create loyal youth by the time they were adults, indoctrination and the use of propaganda were a common practice in Nazi schools as I have explained above. The pupils were made to believe in Hitler, they youth movement made sure that they had no reason, no thought, of even trying to oppose him.

All other youth organisations were banned, and the Hitler youth made the only one, and membership became compulsory. The nazis censored cinema, radio anything that the youth were involved in, in their daily life, all these things were made to glorify Hitler, everywhere they went, for example while walking to school Hitler’s speech’s would be on the radio, when they went to films with their friends, they would glorify him, etc. The young minds were banned from listening to American radio stations or non-nazi influences that would pollute their minds and bring them the truth, for example Hollywood, Jazz Music. They were made to believe that the Nazi way, was the only way. An important part of how Hitler made these young people loyal to him was how he encouraged them to inform on their parents and anyone else who spoke badly about Hitler, which could be linked to another purpose, that Hitler wanted the youth to think that he was the most important, more so than their parents.

When trying to capture these young minds, hearts, and souls, the Nazis offered many incentives. This is the fifth aim that I am going to discuss.

The nazis gave a purpose to children and a sense of belonging and importance. The Nazis controlled natural, young rebelliousness into aggressive military activities as I described above. The Nazis wanted to make sure that the youth’s had no reason to object, and rebel. They used incentives that would fascinate and attract children, such as uniforms, knives, drums and much more that kept them happy. An important part of the nature of this aim was that the Nazi’s tried to structure the youth movement so that the youngsters actually enjoyed it, so there was less chance of them rebelling. Girls and boys enjoyed weekend trips, holidays, especially if they were poor. The league of German Girls offered a chance for the girls to get out of the house and do sport, singing, hiking camping and other exciting activities they might never have done before. The next step was to give severe punishments to those that rebelled, and use them as examples to stop others from attempting to rebel. e.g. beatings, canings and humiliation from their peers. A good example of this was the edelweiss pirates who opposed the Nazis by beating up Hitler Youth members, and writing anti-nazi slogans on the walls. They were arrested and 283 gang members, and 124 pirates were executed.

The fifth aim of the Hitler Youth that I am going to discuss is that the Nazis wanted to Restructure German society, and the selection process. Hitler needed a strong, and pure government, one that was prepared, and would not fail as did the Weimar republic. Hitler blamed its failure on the communists and Jews, and wanted these influences to be totally abolished. He shamed the democratic selection process, as he knew that this might be a risk to his Reich. To achieve his aims and indoctrinate the youths into thinking the way he did, the youth movement was structured to give models and ideals of what they should be like when they grow older. For example there were propaganda posters showing ‘ideal families’ girls were taught to wear simple clothes and tie their hair in a bun, and discouraged from work. Whereas boys were encouraged to be strong and militant with blue eyes, and blonde hair. Boys who achieved the ideal nazi characteristics, like strong physical ability were rewarded with a place in the system, like leadership roles, party, etc. Girls that bared children were also rewarded on a special day that was Hitler’s Mothers birthday.

The sixth and final aim that I wish to discuss is how the Nazis took advantage of the youth and used them as informants that helped ‘police’ the German adult population for their totalitarian terror-state. The Hitler youth patrols co-operated with the Gestapo and were trained in policing, traffic control, and fire fighting. They were encouraged to inform on anyone who bad-mouthed Hitler, the nazis, etc even their parents. This motive was effective, and helped Hitler create a whole new generation who helped in sustaining fear in the opposition by acting as informants.

In conclusion, I think that the Hitler Youth movement was carefully structured and sculpted to allow for its many different aims, which were all very militant. The aim that I think was most important was one which trained the youths to be political soldiers. Although this aim may not have been extremely successful- as shortly before Germany lost the war they had practically ran out of adult fighting men, and so the Nazis began to use Youth members as soldiers, and these kids them found themselves on the front line. Not only too young, but little training, no experience, few weapons left, and facing an allied army determined to win- regardless of the lives it might cost. It was suddenly tough on the kids, the glamour of being a member was gone, and many perished on the front line.