Nazi_Germany_Essay

Youth organisations in transforming Germany into a Nazi society Evaluate the importance of the youth organisations in transforming Germany into a Nazi society in the period from 1933 to 1939. The Nationalsozialistische Deutsche Arbeiterpartei (NSDAP) goal to transform Germany into a Nazi society was born in 1919, the very year of its inception. The party’s leader, Adolf Hitler was driven by the desire to create a peoples community, uniting all “Germans”[1] into one, egalitarian, yet dictated society based around the volksgemeinschaft philosophy. Among the techniques utilised by Hitler and his party to co-ordinate this society was primary and secondary education. Using propaganda, it was believed that, an entire generation could be manipulated—Germany’s youngest. This would facilitate the Nazi objective of ultimate power—to control Germany’s fate and future. With an entire generation to work with, the Nazis were now able to take the step of encouraging, and eventually obliging Germany’s youth to progress to one of several Nazi-controlled youth organisations. These youth became vital to the National Socialist task of transforming Germany into a Nazi society. The concept of a volksgemeinschaft or a “people’s community” had long been envisioned by the Nazis. National Socialism underscored the need for a community whereby social barriers, like class and public order would be dissolved and such loyalties would be transferred to nationalism and support for the Führer. To defeat the enemy it was necessary to make many sacrifices. The Jews could only be defeated, and territory gained through struggle and war. With its enemies surrendered, Nazism would have affectively created a völkish state where the people lived in a congruous national community.[2] As the concept outlines, social harmony would displace the conflict of the class-structured society, remnants of Kaiserreich and Weimar principles.[3] The transition from Kaiser-ruled to Weimar democracy occurred in 1919. It involved Germany transforming from leadership of divine right (monarchy), to that of democracy. Many at the time resented such sweeping change. However, economic reform brought a brief period of prosperity after a decade of hardship, hence, few complained. It was only when the Great Depression hit in 1929 that large numbers began to question the abilities of the democratically ruled government. This is where the Nazis came in: after it seemed that every other party had been tried and tested and found to do little in remedying the financial turmoil, the Nazis were one of the few parties left unproven. Within months of their 1933 empowerment, unemployment fell, business thrived and national spirit increased, but—at a cost. The Nazis while doing so had transformed Germany into a regime-controlled “polycracy”,[4] not too dissimilar to a totalitarian state.[5] Personal and political freedoms were abolished, anti-Semitism encouraged, and every aspect of life was “co-ordinated” in adherence to the Nazi principles. This was known as the gleichschaltung.[6] To uphold the gleichschaltung, the conception of total control was employed. This was made possible by the Enabling Act, which gave Hitler dictatorial power. The Reichstag by passing the act ended all constitutional ties of the former republic and surrendered all parliamentary power. Hitler then immediately began to eliminate Nazi opposition one-by-one. Those not eliminated were brought under Nazi control.[7] This terrorism ensured Nazi opposition would be counteracted. Barring political parties, upholding power, controlling judiciary and replacing unions with government-run worker leagues aided this further. Through censorship and propaganda, Hitler would be portrayed positively and even idolised. To command such tremendous loyalty, Joseph Goebbels crafted the “Führer myth”. This was essentially a manufactured image, displaying qualities that would be well received by the German public. From the constant propagation of the myth, mainstream Germany was left with the impression that Hitler was exactly the type of leader the nation required.[8] Amongst all of this, considerable emphasis was placed on the indoctrination of young people. The Nazis learnt quickly that Germany’s youngest were the key to the future success of the party as adults were much harder to convince than children. To establish the anticipated “1,000-year Reich”, Hitler aimed to educate all young people to the “spirit of National Socialism”. This required the younger generation to support the racial and social principles of the Nazi movement.[9] These social principles encompassed the training of youth to certain, gender-oriented roles. Males were encouraged to become soldiers, females into submissive wives and enthusiastic mothers.[10] To achieve these aims the entire education system, headed by Bernard Rust was “co-ordinated” to Nazi specification. Teachers were required to preach an oath of allegiance to Hitler.[11] The Nazis also insisted on a revised curriculum as a part of their attempt to control the minds of Germany’s young.[12] This curriculum worked hand-in-hand with the emphasis on physical fitness in lieu of the academic prominence that once flourished.[13] This was in accordance to Hitler’s own ideas articulated in Mein Kampf: The whole education by a national state must aim primarily not at the stuffing of mere knowledge, but at building bodies which are physically healthy to the core.[14] Hitler’s above emphasis had more to with his national plan than first thought. With every school age German undertaking compulsory physical activity, the average level of fitness inevitably increased. This in turn created better potential soldiers—Hitler’s very aim. To assist further, Nazi-led youth organisations, which also placed great importance on fitness, were strongly encouraged even before the Nazi rise to power.[15] Early on in the life of the party, the Nazis incorporated a youth division known as the Youth League. This was established in February 1922 for German males aged 14 to 18 and remained relatively small while under S.A. control.[16] When the NSDAP reformed in 1925, Hitler returned his attention to revitalising the Youth League. Such a step led to its renaming as the Hitler Jugend (HJ) or Hitler Youth and leadership was handed over to Kurt Gruber. At the same time, the HJ underwent large-scale reform and membership steadily increased.[17] Under Gruber’s direction, junior groups known as the Pimpf and Deutsches Jungvolk (DJ) were set up. Special sections catering for female youths were subsequently established. These were the Bund Deutscher Mädel (BDM),[18] and the Jungmädelbund (JM).[19] The main focus on females was to educate them about things including their duty to have children—spreading the Aryan race. Emphasis was also placed on motherhood, so girls were taught how to look after their husbands, as they were to be crucial for Hitler’s army in the future. Males were skewed in a different direction. The above values were rested and placed on fitness, discipline, military skill, courage and endurance—the very criteria perfect for the S.A., S.S., or army.[20] Hitler reinforced these requirements time-and-time again: German youth of the future must be slim and slender, swift as the greyhound, tough as leather, and hard as Krupp steel.[21] These youth organisations ensured Hitler and his fellow Nazis covered every niche of junior society. However, in contrast to Hitler’s “co-ordination” policy, membership remained voluntary until well into his government’s appointment.[22] It was only when the beginnings of World War II were looming that these groups became compulsory.[23] This occurred in December 1936 when the “Hitler Youth Law” was promulgated.[24] This came at the request of Baldur von Schirach who was appointed Reich Youth Leader in 1931. Under Schirach’s control, public awareness drove membership five-fold from 20,000 upon his promotion greatly assisting Hitler’s quest for power leading up to elections. The youth also attended public rallies, mass demonstrations and speeches promoting National Socialist ideas. Party references—including uniforms, badges, flags, songs, ceremonies, the swastika and the ubiquitous portraits of Hitler—helped encourage Nazi thinking. The HJ were educated with information immersed in nationalistic respect, while at the same time scathing of Weimar values. Physical strength, military heroism and racial pride underlined youth protocol—all in the name of spreading support for the Nazis—support essential to transform society as desired.[25] As a result of the Enabling Act, most other youth organisations at the time of Hitler’s rise to power were forced to cease operation. Exception was given to the Catholic Church due to the concordat signed with the Vatican.[26] The Catholics themselves were forced to sever all involvement late in the 1930s, around the time when the second “Hitler Youth Law” arrived.[27] Before this, it was possible to evade joining Nazi youth groups, but this amendment made it harder. Nonetheless, to assume that all young people were now part of the HJ or similar is wrong. Youth groups such as the Edelweiss Pirates sprang up spontaneously during the late 1930s. These were groups of young Germans who refused to cooperate with the Nazi state, and instead of taking part in Nazi youth activities, formed gangs hostile to the Nazis.[28] Another group, the “swing movement” orphaned Nazi convention in place of a British- and American-inspired lifestyle. They were indifferent to Nazism, undermining Hitler’s notion of the volksgemeinschaft.[29] With almost all of Germany’s youth controlled by Nazi propaganda through the youth movements, and censorship fulfilling the role of filtering reality, one must beg the question. In what other direction were the youth to go' Modest opposition left little opportunity for “outsider” views to permeate through mainstream society. The youth ensured their parents conformed to the “orthodox” standards of the regime, and society was pressured into staunchly supporting the new government. The Nazis were extremely successful at infiltrating society and authorizing every matter. It can be safely determined that the youth organisations were extremely successful in transforming Germany into a Nazi society. In isolation, the youth could never have executed the Nazi’s envisaged future. They acted in tandem with the many other factors that made up the polycratic society—a seemingly invincible system brought down only by Hitler’s over-zealous approach to world power. . ----------------------- [1] “Germans” in this case being all Nazi-adhering Aryans inhabiting Germany and other Germanic countries (Czechoslovakia, Poland, et cetera) at the time. [2] McCallum, Anne (1992). Germany 1918-1945: democracy to dictatorship. Port Melbourne, Victoria, Australia: Heinemann, p. 76. [3] Newton, Douglas (1990). Germany 1918-1945: from days of hope to years of horror. Burwood, Victoria, Australia: Shakespeare Head Press, p. 224. [4] “Polycracy” is a state ruled by more than one person. Many seemingly autocratic states are merely a facade of polycratic societies. Even if one individual acts as a figurehead, they will usually have some sort of support network by which they will rule their nations. While it has been argued that the Nazi regime was totalitarianistic, it is far more suiting to place it as a polycratic state as Adolf Hitler delegated many responsibilities to his inferiors. [5] Cantwell, Tom; et. al. (2002). HTA Modern History Study Guide. Wareemba, New South Wales, Australia: History Teachers’ Association of NSW, p. 64. [6] ibid., p. 62. [7] McCallum, op. cit., p. 72. [8] Cantwell, op. cit., p. 63. [9] Fielden, Philip; Mason, James (2007). Republic to Reich. North Ryde, New South Wales, Australia: McGraw-Hill, p. 148. [10] Collier, Martin (2000). How to Pass AS Modern World History. Oxford, United Kingdom: Heinemann, p. 140. [11] McCallum, op. cit., p. 105. [12] Collier, op. cit., p. 140. [13] McCallum, op. cit., p. 72. [14] Hitler, Adolf (1925). Mein Kampf. London, United Kingdom: Secker and Warburg, p. 377. [15] Fielden, op. cit., p. 148. [16] Newton, op. cit., p. 250. [17] Fielden, op. cit., p. 148. [18] Newton, op. cit., p. 251. [19] Collier, op. cit., p. 140. [20] Cloake, J.A. (1997). Germany 1918–1945. South Melbourne, Victoria, Australia: Oxford University Press, p. 74. [21] Welch, David (1993). Third Reich: politics and propaganda. London, United Kingdom; New York, New York, United States: Routledge, p. 61. [22] Newton, op. cit., p. 252. [23] Collier, op. cit., p. 140. [24] Martin, op. cit., p. 35. [25] Newton, op. cit., p. 253–254. [26] Fielden, op. cit., p. 148. [27] Stackelberg, Roderick; Winkle, Sally Anne (2002). The Nazi Germany Sourcebook. London, United Kingdom; New York, New York, United States: Routledge, p. 156. [28] Kerr, John (2003). Germany, 1918-39. Oxford, United Kingdom: Heinemann, p. 81. [29] Ringer, Ron (2007). Excel HSC Modern History. Glebe, New South Wales, Australia: Pascal, p. 93.