4.2 Nazi policies towards the young Flashcards
Why did the Nazis make policies aimed towards the young?
Hitler wanted to create the ‘Thousand Year Reich’ - a Nazi state that would last a very long time.
Hitler knew that many German adults were not Nazi supporters, but he reasoned that if young Germans supported the Nazi Party, it would secure the future of the ‘Thousand Year Reich’. So, Nazi propaganda often encouraged young people to see Hitler as a father-figure.
The policies towards the young were not supposed to benefit the young; they were aimed to strengthen Germany and strengthen the Nazi Party now and in the future.
Describe four aims of Nazi policies towards the young.
- All young Germans should be brought up to be proud Germans who supported a strong, independent German
- All young Germans should be brought up to be loyal supporters of the Nazi Party who believed in Nazi policies - preparing children for their future role as adults
- All girls should be brought up to be strong and healthy so that they would be strong wives and healthy, fertile mothers
- All boys should be brought up to be healthy, to do productive work for the German economy and fight in the German armed forces.
What did the Nazis think about gender equality?
Nazis believed that boys and girls are equal but different, They had different strengths to offer Germany so policies for boys were different from the policies for girls
What Hitler do to the youth groups when he came into power in 1933?
he banned almost all youth groups part from Nazi groups.
from the mid 1930s there was more pressure on young people to join Nazi youth groups
How did the numbers of the Hitler Youth change in the 1930s?
In 1932, Nazi youth groups were yet to be fully scaled as they were small in comparison with other groups.
In 1932, there were 600,000 boys and girls in the Protestant church youth groups compared to only 100,000 boys and girls part of the Hitler Youth.
By 1936, all sports were put under the control of the Hitler Youth.
Then, in March 1939, it became compulsory for all young Germans to join Nazi Youth groups from 10-18 - over 9 million people were part.
Only ‘unwanted’ minority groups like Jews were omitted.
How were Nazi youth groups segregated for boys?
JUST AN EXTRA FACT YOU NEED TO REMEMBER:
youth groups were segregated for boys and girls
6-10 were the Pimpfe (Little Fellows)
10-14 were the Deutsche jungvolk (German Young People)
14-18 were known as Hitler Jugend (Hitler Youth)
How were the Hitler Youth politically trained?
- members had to swear an oath of loyalty to the Fuhrer
- had to attend residential courses where they were told about Nazi ideals
- Balder Von Schirach set out a schedule of lessons for every year group of due Hitler Youth to learn. Lessons included “German Heroes “ and “the evil of Jews”
- members had to report anyone, even teacher and parents, who were disloyal to the Nazis
Who was the Hitler youth leader?
Balder Von Schirach
Why was it important that the Hitler Youth were politically trained?
this way Hitler hoped to build up a constant supply of citizens who were Nazi supporters
How were the Hitler Youth physically trained?
- regular camping and hiking expeditions
- run regional and national sports competitions
How were the Hitler Youth militarily trained?
- members practised skills useful to troops such as map-reading and signalling
- 1938 - 1.2 million boys in the Hitler Youth were being trained in small-arms shooting
- separate military divisions of the \Hitler Youth for specialist training, including naval training
How did the Hitler youth receive Character training?
Activities stressed the need for comradeship and loyalty, but also competition and ruthlessness
How were Nazi youth groups segregated for girls?
10-14 yrs = Young maidens
14-21 = League of German maidens
What activities did the League of German Maidens have to undertake?
Describe two ways in which it was similar to the boys and outline two ways in which it was different.
Similar:
- political training included rallies and oaths of allegiance; physical
- character-building activities included, camping and marching were compulsory;
different: - girls were trained to cook, iron, make beds, sew and generally prepare to be a housewife
- also, girls were taught the importance of ‘racial hygiene’: the idea that they should keep the German race ‘pure’ by only marrying Aryan men.
Did Nazi youth groups achieve Nazi aims? Give two reasons for and two reasons against.
- Some young people were enthusiastic and committed Hitler Youth members, some were less keen.
- They did not enjoy being forced to do activities they did not enjoy or believe in.
- Many parents felt that they were being undermined by Nazi youth groups as the groups taught that loyalty should ultimately lie with the Nazi state, not the family.
- Many found the compulsion and obedience as unpleasant as people felt that their own free will.
For the Nazis, not only did it allow the Third Reich to indoctrinate children at their most impressionable, but it let the Nazis remove them from the influence of their parents, some of whom opposed the regime.
