2.14 - social policy - youth

what was the role of girls?

future mothers and carers

what was the role of boys?

future soldiers and workers

all children needed to be…

racially pure and devout to nazi ideals

what did they need to be taught?

the state is more important than the individual and they must be willing to sacrifice themselves both for the nation and the fuhrer

what organisations taught them this?

the hitler youth and the league of german girls

participation in these groups was…

at first optional but strongly encouraged, with young people struggling to find work or education if they weren’t a member

when did attendance become mandatory?

1939

how many members were there by 1939?

7 million

boys left the hitler youth at age 18 whilst girls stayed on until …

the age of 21 in ‘faith and beauty’

why did girls stay on for longer?

because once they left, they would be exposed to less nazi ideology since most wouldn’t progress to work or higher education

the main way the nazis sought to indoctrinate children was through …

education, although most schools in germany were christian schools

how did the nazis combat this?

the nazis pressured parents to send their children to secular state schools

how many children attended state schools by 1933?

65%

by 1939, religious schools had…

virtually disappeared

what was another problem the nazis faced?

the curriculum as it did not accurately reflect nazi ideology

what changed this?

the 1936 law for the support of youth education as it mandated the incorporation of nazi ideology into the curriculum

following this, education…

changed dramatically as nazi ideology needed to be incorporated into all subjects

what happened to textbooks?

they had to be approved by the nazis and reflect their ideals

what did the nazis place great emphasis on?

PE to ensure physical health

what happened to subjects like RS?

they were scrapped completely

there was also a move away from…

co-ed schools and the introduction of a separate curriculum for girls

the final problem standing in the way of the nazification of schools were…

teachers

how did the nazis tackle this?

with the introduction of the national socialist teachers league

whilst it was not a law to join…

it was encouraged to ensure ideological conformity amongst teachers

the nazis also passed the law for the restoration of the professional civil service which…

prevented jews and political undesirables from teaching

many teachers, even if they didn’t agree with the changes being made, simply …

went along with them out of fear for their livelihoods or personal safety

despite the control exerted by the regime…

there were people who opposed the regime and attempted to undermine indoctrination within education

many children accepted nazi ideas since…

they were exposed to propaganda from an early age