Young ppl + Youth groups

Young ppl

• struggle for control and behaviour development of G youth another key battleground in weimar “culture wars”, concern yg ppl breaking free of constraints of fam, school and religion turn to life of crime and anti-social behaviour.

• those child who were wc didnt attend highly selective gymnasium schools were supported to leave school at 14 and start apprentenship or employment, few apprentanships n more youth unemployment

• yg ppl suffer disproportionately from rise in unemployment, 1925-26, nearly 17% of unemployed in 14-21 age. partly bc baby boom 1900 n 1910.

• benefits system provided some help for yg ppl n day centres estab to help youth acquire skills needed to find work, neither could compensate for lack of employment opportunities

• result= many yg wc g join gangs.

yg ppl- education

• G prided itself from being one of best state education system in EU, developed in prussia n extended to G after 1871,

• alongside gymnasiums for those aiming at uni, there were realschule provided 6 years of schooling for children who’d then go to apprentenships,

• few elite private schools, state education systems divided along religious lines since prot n cath inf over rel ed

• ed reform aim break down divides provide free ed to all pupils, partially successful, intro elementary schools all children attend for first 4 years of ed

• those who didnt pass gymnasium exam wont be able to continue at elementary school for further 4 years,

• reforms x succeed in remove inf of church, c+p vigorously successfully defended right to promote religious teachings thru state education system, sup by respective political party.

Youth groups

• estab of organisations catering for yg ppl bean in 1890s continued thru weimar period, three main types

  • wandervogel

  • church youth groups

  • political youth groups

youth groups- wandervogel

• first wandervogel “wandering birds”, set up in 1896, by berlin schoolteacher. movement spread quick and groups consisted of mainly middle-class boys.

• altho non political, highly nationalistic, very romanticised view of g past

• hated industrialisation and big cities, much of time spent hiking in forest, swimming in lakes n rivers n sleeping under canvas

• in many ways, rejected mc social conventions and sought freedom of wild spaces, some adopt more unconventional lifestyle by practicing nudism and vegetarianism

Youth groups- church youth groups

• both p+c churches had youth groups,

• c many diff groups aimed at diff sections of yg ppl, (new germany, founded in 1919, aimed at mc youths.

• p didnt give youth work as high priority and groups has less members,

• both religions tasks of youth groups were to promote religious observance instil respect for church, fam n school

Youth groups- political youth groups

• all main political parties had youth sections eg-

  • social democratic youth movement (spd) founded 1925, most members of any political youth group in weimar period

  • young communist league founded in 1925 for children’s of KPD members

  • Bismark Youth linked to DNVP, founded 1922 reached membership 42,000 1928. strongest appeal among middle n upper class youths in protestant areas also had strong wc following in Berlin

  • Hitler youth group linked to nazi, growth = slow in 1920s hitting membership of only 13,000 in 1929.