Hitler Youth Essays - Hitler Youth, Nazi Germany,

Hitler Youth Hitler Youth: The Future of Germany The Early Movement The Organization of the Hitler Youth Activities of the Hitler Youth Rival Youth Movements Hitler Youth In and After WWII Links The Hitler Youth (Hitlerjugend-HJ) were for Hitler the future of the Nazi party. Hitler's dream of a thousand year Reich could only be accomplished through the youth, which were deemed the most important aspect of Germany's future as a powerful nation. The future of the German nation depends on its youth, and the German youth shall have to be prepared for its future duties.(i) The youth were important because they would continue the Nazi legacy and spread propaganda to future generations. Hitler was so obsessed with his quest for the future of Germany, that he devoted most of his endeavors, such as the acquisition of Lebensraum and the elimination of the subhumans, for the purpose of gaining more land for the future generations. Hitler was not some all mighty God that was able to just snap his fingers and the youth would follow him, he was aided in the fact that the youth were on a quest of their own: independence. They were energetic, full of life, and had an overwhelming love for Germany along with spirit and a quest to find their position in life. Hitler recognized these characteristics of the youth and decided to incorporate them into his plan for the National Socialist German Worker's Party (NSDAP or Nazi Party) to flourish. These characteristics and Hitler's involvement became the leading tragedy and inspiration of the German youth movement. This youth movement began before World War I, was the result of the industrial revolution, and came to be known as the ?Youth Revolution.'(ii) The Early Movement In the 1920's, the German youth were involved in about two thousand groups and organizations. The most popular organization was the Wandervogel, which was popular due to the involvement of sports. Boys were able to go on weekend retreats, where they would hike and learn to survive on their own in the wilderness. Organized sporting events of soccer and other various competitions kept the interests of the children. The Wandervogel were noted for their love of the land, not the new, modern conveniences of the cities. Hiking and skiing were chosen over activities such as watching a movie or going to a dance. The Wandervogel, which was formed November 4, 1901(iii), reflected the main attitudes of the of the youth movement. American Boy Scouts saluting Hitler Youth in Munich in 1935. Koch p. 196. In some ways the Wandervogel was a manifestation of the perceptible mood of boredom and restlessness appearance of Wilhelmian Germany was little more than a facade which concealed latent tensions beneath the surface. (iv) The youth movement was a rejection of the Weimar government, which was one of the reasons why they were so easily supportive of the Nazi regime. They were also disenchanted with the older generation and their new sets of values: work and money. The Hohe Meissner meeting of 1913 showed the spirit of the youth.(v) The youth wanted to rejuvenate Germany and were so serious in their convictions that they were approached by a variety of people and organizations. These people included reformers, intellectuals and critics of Weimar Germany. They wanted the youth to become their allies, but they were making a serious mistake. This mistake was that they expected that the youth to be led by adults, but the youth were not willing to give up their independence. Start of the Hitler Youth On July 4, 1926, the NSDAP held a convention (Parteitag) where youth leaders and party members attended. The theme was Educational Questions and Youth Organizations. At this convention the Nazi party agreed to the formation of a Nazi youth group named the Hitler Youth (HJ). Kurt Gruber was appointed Reichsfuehrer of the Bund deutscher Arbeiterjugend (German Youth Workers Organization) and adviser for youth affairs on the NSDAP Reichsleitung. Hitler officially recognized these decisions on July 27, 1926.(vi) Hitler decided that if the youth loved the outdoors, they would also love weapons; unfortunately, he was right. The youth loved weapons and the programs set by the Schutzstafel or SS. The programs involved all the activities the youth normally would do in their other organizations, with the exception of the use of weapons.(vii) Dummy hand grenade throwing. Koch p. 164. Three of Hitler's seven points of business for the German people dealt directly or indirectly with education in the Third Reich. Point 4 states that the state must take the sport