Youth: The Rise Of The Hitler Youth

As the Nazis came to power in the late 1930’s, Hitler wanted to engage all of the generations, as well as future generations, in his plan to create a racially pure and dominant society. Hitler’s goal not only applied to Central Europe but also to the domination of the entire world. One of the first groups to form, the Hitler Youth, came to light in 1922. Later sub groups formed and from 1933-1945 those were the leading organizations to shape the youth of Germany into Hitler’s molds of “perfect” Aryan children. As the Nazi Party gained strength and power, Hitler garnered his support in the youth by creating outside-school youth groups and later requiring the participation in youth organizations, in an effort to recruit more followers to ultimately

In his book Mein Kampf, Adolf Hitler said, “Whosever has the youth has the future”. Hitler pushes this thought into reality has the Nazi Party began to set up youth groups, separated by gender. By the age of 10 boys were initiated into Jungvolk and girls joined Jungmädel. Creating this system allowed the Nazi’s to control German lives from and extremely young age and shape them into loyal party members in the future. By separating the groups by gender, Hitler immediately appealed to more traditional Germans. Yet at the same time, the “modern” and progressive supporters, especially in the Weimar Republic, opposed the Nazi’s and felt as if this new power was a step back into conventional Germany, where woman were not allowed to work and men had to take all of the financial reponsibility. Hitler’s main goal however was “a violently active, dominating, intrepid, brutal youth… [the youth] must be indifferent to pain…no weakness or tenderness in it”. By looking into the core values and ideas Hitler had, there is a direct correlation with an effort to make children “indifferent to pain…or tenderness” and with how/what these organizations taught these children to do. To require these groups weekly and then to change

After taking out the attractions and ultimately requiring the attendance of youth groups, much of the youth were trained to march. Many of the boys and girls gladly went along, and were prideful to serve Hitler and the Nazi regime. The “Marching picture” portrays how regimented and carefully controlled these youth groups were with boys marching bearing flags, matching uniforms, and badges. Marching drills and marching songs were a common practice in youth groups in order to prepare these children for war and to create fit, disciplined children, reiterating one of Hitler’s main goals. The implementation of these practices led the Nazi to gain a higher reputation and power among the citizens of Nazi Germany. Similarly, looking at the effects of this strict order and practice, at the age of 8, Susan, a young German, was scolded by her parents with her loyalty to Hitler. The next day she told her organization leaders and her parents were arrested. Susan, being only 8 years old was so influenced by the fundamentals of these youth organizations that she felt the need to tell her youth group leaders of a small issue. This led to bigger repercussions as her parents were then sought out and arrested, for some of the littlest of comments. This incident shows the greater effect and influence that these groups had on the