Volksgemeinshaft- Youth Flashcards
What was Hitler’s goal and how could he achieve this?
Build a 1000 year Reich, needed to create a volksgemeinshaft.
What was the Volksgemeinshaft? (2)
It was the ‘people’s community’ which was a racially unified community who’s main goal was the nation’s wellbeing, rather than the individual.
A key part of the volksgemeinshaft was to win the support of the youth and prepare themselves for their gender’s role (boys= military, girls= domestic)
What does Fischer believe?
Nazi’s only managed to put thinly placed ideologies into young people
What happened to the school curriculum?
It was Natzified, from 1935 all textbook had to be approved
Boys focused on physical health, (PE for 2 hours a day) and girls were domestic, eg sewing.
Children were taught racial biology and maths questions had Nazi elements in it.
What did Mosse believe about schools?
Each school subject to different levels of re-shaping
What changed about classrooms?
Photos of Hitler were put in each class
What did Housdon believe?
Children supported the third Reich as it was powerful and exciting
What happened to the teachers?
They were co-ordinated into the National socialist teachers league - 97% in it, if refused could have been fired.
By 1938 2/3 of teachers attended 1 month course.
What were the state keen to demote?
Intellectualism, young people encouraged not to go to unis.
What happened to the number of people attending uni?
1933- 113,000, 1939- 57,000
Men went straight to the military, women went to domestic work
What did Sax believe about the Nazi’s?
They created a generation of students not intelligent enough to resist the regime
Why didn’t the education system work?
Some Nazi’s called for a reversal on education as standards were falling
What did lecturers and students have to join?
Lecturers= the national socialist lectures league, had to attend a 6 week camp
Students had to join the German student legue
What evidence is there that students were controlled?
There was no mass outcry at the firing of 10% of the non-aryan professors, and active participation of the book burnings, contrast to edelweiss pirates
What were the two Nazi youth groups
The Hitler youth for boys
The league of German girls
What did they do in the youth groups?
There was camping, marching, lectures of national socialism, games and activities
What happened in 1936 to Nazi youth groups?
It became compulsory, and membership grew to 6 million members.
However this meant there was less enthusiastic members who encouraged other children to not conform to Nazi rule
What was wrong with the youth groups?
Children reported the lectures on national socialism boring, they didn’t care about the ideologies only the activities
Emphasis on obedience in the late 1930’s led to less enthusiasm
What did Peukert say about the youth?
In the late 1930’s many youths became disillusioned with the movement.
What were the edelweiss pirates?
Collection of youth who refused to join the Hitler youth, groups varied; some took part in behaviour seen as unacceptable by the Nazis, eg singing songs about Nazis whilst others were more politicised and had links with the KDP, these groups beat up members of Hitler youth.
Why were children not as successfully indoctrinated into the volksgemeinshaft as women?
There was no women protest groups, but there was children protesting against Nazism
How many youth were in Hitler youth by 1936?
6 million- an increase of 1 million from 1935
What percentage of youth were in Hitler youth by 1939?
90%
