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German Essay: Life Under Hitler For German Children

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Life under Hitler for German Children
Right from when he first came to power, Hitler saw the political value of children. This mindset is perhaps what allowed him to grasp control of Germany as easily as he did. He forced his ideals and views on younger generation, and through doing this influenced the entire country. The repercussions of this are permanently imprinted in German history. “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”.
One of the most chilling aspects of Nazi Germany was how the youth was used to control the country. By utilising Hitler’s Youth and the Legion of German Girls, Hitler was able to actively control the entire country. These organisations allowed the Third Reich to indoctrinate children when they were at their most impressionable. Importantly, it allowed the Nazis to remove them from the influence of their parents, some of whom disagreed with Nazi policies. Family units - private cohesive groups with their own opinions - …show more content…

They were raised to be wives and mothers, breeding the next generation. The Nazi ideal woman was demure and domesticated. She had no ambition beyond the household. This was reflected in the female equivalent of Hitler’s youth – Jungmädel. Also known as the League of German Girls, they were taught cooking, cleaning and childcare. All of this was aimed to prepare them for motherhood. This was based on Hitler’s belief that girls had to undergo training in order to be good mothers. Like Hitler’s youth, attendance began as optional, but progressed to become compulsory. If girls fit outside this ‘ideal woman’, they were forced to conform, and change who they were. This degrading and undermining stereotype was prevalent throughout all of Germany. While the League of German Girls is not as affronting as Hitler’s Youth, it was just as

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