TOPICS COVERED Traditional role prior to the Nazi take over Nazi Policy towards youth Examples of policies used Success or failure in terms of Volksmeinschaft

Traditional Role Prior to the Nazi take over of Power A strong youth movement already existed in Germany. It began in the 1890s and was known as the Wandervögel a male-only movement featuring a back-to-nature theme.

Traditional Role Prior to the Nazi take over of Power This youth movement grew rapidly from 1900 to 1914 which soon created its own competing youth groups, borrowing the back-to-nature theme and other ideas from the Wandervögel The Catholic Youth Organization, the Boy Scouts, along with a variety of political, religious, para-military, and sports groups sprang up, organized so that youth was indeed led by youth Page 2 At the outbreak of World War I in 1914, most German youths were quickly caught up in the war mania that swept Germany and enthusiastically went off to the battlefield anticipating it as a noble, romantic experience that would mold them into 'new men.'

Nazi policy towards youth In Hitler’s eyes the young were particularly important. They had to be won over so that Hitler’s policies could be implemented. To create a radical state, the Nazis had to make children believe in the superiority of the Aryan, the ‘master race’. All young Germans were taught to see him as a father-figure who demanded and should receive unquestioning loyalty from his people.

Nazi Policy towards Youth This organization had been running since 1925 and in the first few years after 1933 many young people joined voluntarily. It offered a variety of leisure pursuits. This was particularly welcomed in rural areas where the arrival of the Hitler Youth meant a first chance to join any kind of Youth Organization. Boys and girls could now enjoy weekend trips, walking and sports. Hitler Youth Movement Later on youths were forced to Join the Hitler Youth organization. When this happened discipline was tightened and there was a greater emphasis on drill. During the war years the number of leisure activities was cut. Playing fields and youth club buildings were bombed and many Youth leaders were called up for war. Thousands of young Germans now created their own youth gangs and culture in opposition to the Hitler Youth.

The structure n Outside school, young people had to belong to youth organisation which taught them loyalty to Hitler and trained them in military skills. n There were five organisations for the youth to join. Together, they made up the Hitler Youth Movement. n AgeBoys Girls n 6-10The Pimpfen (The Little Fellows) n 10-14The Jungvolk (The Young Folk)The Jungmadel (Young Girls) n 14-18The Hitlerjugend (Hitler Youth – HJ) The Bund Deutsche Madel (The German Girls League)

Hitler Youth For Boys For boys aged between 10 and 14 years Baldur von Schirach set up the Jungvolk. The boys had to learn semaphore, arms drill, and take part in two- day cross-country hikes. They also had to learn Nazi dogma and once they passed the necessary tests they were given a special dagger marked "Blood and Honour". The main objective of the organization was to provide Adolf Hitler with loyal supporters n The task of the boys section was to prepare the boys for military service.

Hitler Youth For Girls n Once girls reached the age of they could join the Jungmädel. At 14 they entered the Bund Deutscher Mädel. (German Girl’s League). This included a year of farm or domestic service. They were trained by female guardians and their overall leader was Gertrud Scholtz-Klink. n Girls were assigned to help care for wounded soldiers in hospitals, to help in kindergartens, and to assist households with large families. They also stood on railway platforms, offering encouragement and refreshments to army troops departing for the front.

Popularity n The Hitler Youth group became extremely popular in the 1930s. It became so popular that many other youth groups had to be shut down. n By 1936 almost all young Germans were either in the Hitler Youth, or in the League of German Maidens. n Youth groups for girls were not as important for the Nazis as boys groups, because girls could not be trained for military service. n In 1938 there were 8,000 full-time leaders of the HJ. There were also 720,000 part-time HJ leaders, often schoolteachers, who had been trained in National Socialist principles.

The End Of The Hilter Youth n The Hitler Youth was disbanded by Allied authorities as an integral part of the Nazi Party. n Some members of the Hitler Youth were accused of war crimes; however, as the organization was staffed with children, no serious efforts were made to prosecute these claims. n While the entire Hitler Youth was never declared a criminal organization. the Hitler Youth adult leadership corps was deemed to have committed crimes against peace in corrupting the young minds of Germany. n Many top HJ leaders were put on trial by Allied authorities, with Baldur von Schirach sentenced to twenty years in prison.

Young German boys in a Hitler Youth parade Examples of policies used Hitler Youth in scouting activity

Flag Bearers lead a group of Hitler Youth Success or Failure Grave site of murdered member of Hitler youth

Hitler youth at book burning bonfire

‘Hitler Youth leader Baldur von Schirach (standing in the car) salutes Jungvolk boys parading through the streets of Nuremberg

A scene from the Nazi film "Triumph of the Will" reveals Hitler speaking to top Nazi leaders about his youth

Hitler Youth are assembled inside the sports stadium at Nuremberg awaiting the arrival of Hitler

Enthralled Hitler Youth salute Adolf Hitler after his arrival in the stadium during the 1934 Nuremberg rally.

An SS man with Einsatzgruppe D prepares to shoot a Ukrainian Jew kneeling before a mass grave as a crowd watches.

Close-up from previous photo reveals a young member of the Reich Labor Service, product of the Hitler Youth system, casually watching.

As Allied troops advance into Germany, a boy rolls a cartload of family possessions out of harm's way while his mother pushes from behind.

One of Hitler's boy-soldiers is tended to by an American who examines his injury while awaiting the arrival of a medic

At Dachau, following Germany's defeat, Americans force former Hitler Youths to view a Nazi Death Train

A German girl is overcome as she walks past the bodies of 800 slave workers killed by the SS near Namering, Germany

"I bear the guilt for having trained the young for a man who murdered millions. I believed in that man. That is all I can say in my defense." Schirach at the Nuremberg War Crimes Trials (1946) :18