Resistance by Young People

Youth Opposition

Why did the Nazis view youth as important?

They saw youth as vital for the Volksgemeinschaft and attempted to control all aspects of their lives through compulsory organisations like the Hitler Youth HJ

What was considered a threat by the Nazis?

Any assertion of independence

Non-Conformity and Passive Resistance 1933-1939

What signs of disillusionment appeared by the mid-1930s?

Many youths were disillusioned with official youth movements due to compulsory membership in 1936 and growing regimentation

How did young people respond to compulsory membership?

Some allowed their membership to lapse or did not attend weekly parades

Why was the regime concerned about independent youth cliques?

They were re-emerging and consciously rejected Nazi culture

How did middle-class youth reject Nazi culture?

Listening to and dancing to American and British swing and jazz music wearing English-style clothes and seeking pleasure

Working-Class Opposition The Edelweiss Pirates

Who were the Edelweiss Pirates?

Groups of mostly working-class young people aged 14-18 active in the Rhineland and Ruhr areas

What did the Edelweiss Pirates reject?

The disciplined Hitler Youth culture

How did they resist?

Organised independent trips sang banned songs and sometimes engaged in street clashes

How did some groups resist during the war?

Helping army deserters escaped POWs forced labourers and attacking military depots

How did the Gestapo view them?

As a serious problem

What extreme measure did authorities take?

Publicly hanged the leaders of the Cologne group in November 1944

Student/Intellectual Opposition The White Rose Group

Who led the White Rose Group?

Students Hans and Sophie Scholl at Munich University

What motivated the White Rose Group?

Religious beliefs emphasising individual freedom and moral responsibility

What did they protest against?

The Nazi regime's treatment of Jews and Slav peoples

How did they resist?

Issued 6 anti-Nazi pamphlets painted slogans on buildings and highlighted euthanasia programs and Eastern Front atrocities

How was their resistance characterised?

By self-sacrificial heroism

What happened to the group?

They were caught by the Gestapo and executed in February 1943

Overall Effectiveness of Youth Opposition

Did youth opposition attract broad support?

No it was fragmented

Was dissent widespread?

Yes non-conformity was widespread

What did the survival of groups like the Edelweiss Pirates show?

The regime failed to completely dominate youth

Did youth resistance threaten the Nazi system as a whole?

No but it provided acts of defiance that preserved non-fascist traditions