Nazi policies towards young people

Overarching aims and ideology

What were the overarching aims of Nazi youth and education policy?

The primary objective of Nazi youth and education policy was to raise a generation loyal to the Führer, instil militaristic values, and ensure racial purity within German society

How did Hitler describe the ideal characteristics of the future German youth?

Adolf Hitler stated that the German boy of the future must be "slender and supple, swift as greyhounds, tough as leather and hard as Krupp steel", and that both boys and girls must be disciplined and healthy to the core

What was the long-term purpose of Nazi education according to the regime?

The education of the German people was intended to begin in youth and never come to an end, ensuring that nobody was left able to think or act independently of the Nazi regime

What values were expected of both boys and girls under Nazi ideology?

Both sexes were expected to show obedience, idolise the Führer, be physically fit, and be willing to sacrifice themselves for the good of the nation

Education policy schools

How did the Nazis establish control over schools?

The Nazis established control over schools primarily by controlling teachers and reshaping the curriculum to ensure that education served Nazi political and ideological goals

Control over teachers

How did the 1933 Law for the Re-establishment of a Professional Civil Service affect teachers?

Under the Law for the Re-establishment of a Professional Civil Service in 1933, teachers who were deemed politically unreliable or Jewish were dismissed from their posts

How were teachers brought into line with Nazi ideology?

Teachers were pressured to join the National Socialist Teachers’ League, and by 1937 around 97 percent of teachers had complied

What additional requirements were imposed on teachers under Nazi rule?

Teachers were required to attend training courses that emphasised Nazi ideology and physical fitness

Control over curriculum political indoctrination

How did Nazi ideology influence the school curriculum?

All school subjects were permeated with Nazi ideology to ensure political indoctrination of young people

How was physical education used within Nazi schools?

Physical education was heavily emphasised to promote racial health, increased to at least two hours daily, and included military-style drills

How was biology taught under the Nazis?

Biology lessons stressed race and heredity, as well as evolution and the concept of the survival of the fittest

How was geography used to promote Nazi ideas?

Geography was used to promote the ideas of Lebensraum or living space and the concept of blood and soil, reinforcing beliefs in German racial superiority

How was history presented in Nazi schools?

History glorified German heroes and military success and promoted the belief that only the great individuals and nations had history

What happened to religious schools under Nazi education policy?

Denominational religious schools, mainly Catholic, were abolished by 1939

How were textbooks controlled by the Nazi regime?

From 1935 all textbooks required official approval, and new textbooks were produced to reflect Nazi values and ideology

New elite schools

What was the purpose of the new elite schools created by the Nazis?

Special boarding schools were established to train the future Nazi elite, focusing on physical fitness, political indoctrination, and military drill rather than academic study

Which elite schools were created to train future Nazi leaders?

These elite schools included the National Political Institutes of Education known as NAPOLAs and the Adolf Hitler Schools

Education policy universities

How did Nazi ideology affect the role of universities?

The Nazi regime downgraded the importance of purely academic study and prioritised political reliability and physical fitness over intellectual achievement

What impact did Nazi policy have on university student numbers?

Student numbers fell sharply from around 113,000 in 1933 to approximately 57,000 by 1939

Racial and political restrictions

How was access to higher education controlled under the Nazis?

Access to universities was rationed and based on political reliability to ensure loyalty to National Socialism

What did political reliability mean in the context of Nazi universities?

Political reliability referred to a systematic process by which only individuals showing unquestioning loyalty and adherence to Nazi ideology were allowed to study or work in higher education

How were women restricted in higher education?

Women were limited to ten percent of available university places

How were Jewish students treated in Nazi universities?

Jewish students were restricted to just 1.5 percent of university places

Staff purges and loyalty

How did the Nazis purge university staff?

Around 15 percent of university staff, approximately 1,200 individuals, were dismissed on racial or political grounds under the 1933 Civil Service Law

How were university lecturers forced to show loyalty to the Nazi regime?

In November 1933 all university teachers were required to sign a Declaration of support for Hitler and the National Socialist state

Student requirements

What organisations were students required to join?

Students were compelled to join the Nazi-controlled German Students’ League

What non-academic requirements were imposed on students?

Students were forced to complete 4 months of labour service and two months in an SA camp, which the Nazis regarded as more important than academic learning

Why was the transition to Nazi control of universities relatively smooth?

The transition was eased by nationalist and anti-democratic attitudes that were already widespread within German universities

Overarching aims social engineering and conformity volksgemeinschaft

Why did the Nazi regime view young people as central to its social engineering project?

The Nazi regime viewed young people as the essential starting point for its experiment in social engineering because shaping youth allowed the regime to mould future generations into total conformity with Nazi norms and values

What was the ultimate goal of Nazi youth policy?

The ultimate goal was to create a Volksgemeinschaft or people’s community unified by blood race and ideology in which individuals fully conformed to the regime

What role did Gleichschaltung play in Nazi youth policy?

The Nazi policy of Gleichschaltung or coordination aimed to eliminate all independent activity ensuring that individuals had no private space to think or act independently of the regime

How did Nazi aims differ for boys and girls?

The aims were distinct but complementary with boys trained for their future role as warriors and strong fighters while girls were prepared for motherhood and service as housewives to strengthen the health and racial purity of Germany

The hitler youth establishment and mandates

What was the purpose of the Hitler Youth organisation?

The Hitler Youth was the primary vehicle for indoctrinating boys and expanding Nazi control over their social lives

When was the Hitler Youth founded and when did it expand rapidly?

The Hitler Youth was founded in 1926 but experienced rapid expansion after the Nazis came to power in 1933

How did the Nazis eliminate rival youth organisations?

In 1933 the Nazi regime banned or took over all rival youth organisations with the exception of some initially protected by the Catholic Church Concordat

Legal integration gleichschaltung

How did the Law for the Incorporation of German Youth strengthen the Hitler Youth?

The Law for the Incorporation of German Youth in 1936 granted the Hitler Youth the status of an official education movement equal in importance to schools and the family

What happened to Catholic youth groups after the legal integration of the Hitler Youth?

Following the law Catholic youth groups were banned

When did membership of the Hitler Youth become compulsory?

Membership of the Hitler Youth was made compulsory in 1936 and by 1939 membership was required for all young people

Activities and indoctrination for boys

What age groups were involved in the Hitler Youth for boys?

Boys began their involvement in the Jungvolk between the ages of 10 and 14

What motto were boys taught in the Hitler Youth?

Boys were taught the motto live faithfully fight bravely and die laughing

What personal commitment were boys required to make?

Boys were required to swear a personal oath of allegiance to the Führer

What activities dominated the Hitler Youth programme for boys?

Activities focused constantly on political indoctrination physical activity military drill and a fixed syllabus of Nazi ideology

What values were emphasised in the training of boys?

Training stressed competition struggle heroism and leadership to prepare boys for their future role as warriors

What leisure activities were included in the Hitler Youth?

Boys participated in sports camping and singing Nazi songs as part of their training and indoctrination

The league of german girls racial and domestic training

What was the League of German Girls?

The League of German Girls or BDM was the female counterpart to the Hitler Youth

What role were girls prepared for within the Volksgemeinschaft?

The BDM prepared girls for their fundamental role as mothers and homemakers within the Volksgemeinschaft

What motto guided the League of German Girls?

The motto of the BDM was be faithful be pure be German

How did the BDM promote racial awareness?

Leaders emphasised racial awareness with BDM leader Jutta Rüdiger instructing girls to choose only the best German soldiers as partners to keep the blood of the nation pure

When did membership of the BDM become compulsory?

Like the Hitler Youth membership of the BDM was made compulsory in 1939

What labour requirements were imposed on girls after 1934?

After 1934 girls were required to complete a year of work on the land or in domestic service

What was the purpose of this compulsory labour for girls?

The aim was to reconnect girls with their peasant roots and provide practical experience in childcare and community service

How did girls respond to compulsory labour service?

The scheme proved unpopular particularly among girls from urban backgrounds

Success regimentation and non conformity

How successful was the Nazi regime in controlling youth organisations?

The Nazi regime succeeded institutionally in controlling youth organisations but found it harder to maintain total commitment over time

What was the position of the Hitler Youth by 1939?

By 1939 the Hitler Youth was the sole recognised youth movement and had indoctrinated millions especially those who had grown up knowing no alternative system

What values did Nazi youth movements reinforce?

The movements reinforced traditional German values such as duty obedience honour courage and physical strength

Why did enthusiasm for Nazi youth movements decline in the late 1930s?

Enthusiasm declined partly because membership became compulsory and partly due to increasing bureaucracy regimentation and demands on young people’s free time

How did teenagers show resistance or non conformity?

Teenagers expressed normal rebellious behaviour by skipping parades allowing membership to lapse or humming banned tunes

What forms of organised youth resistance emerged?

Some young people formed independent cliques or gangs such as the Meuten groups which appeared in former communist areas like Leipzig in the late 1930s

Why did the Nazis view youth non conformity as a threat?

Any assertion of independence was seen as a threat because it undermined the Nazi goal of eradicating all private activity