Moha Antani

20th Century Europe Final Exam

The impact of the Hitler Youth on German society

Historians specializing in European History know the importance of the Hitler Youth in

shaping the minds of young Germans during the inter-war period. Although starting out as a

small and insignificant organization, the Hitler Youth (also known as the Hitler Jugend) soon

became one of the largest youth institutions in the world. Through the analyses of various

publications pertaining to this subject, one begins to gain an understanding of the ideologies of

the Hitler Youth and the attitudes shared by the individuals. Some of these articles put a great

emphasis on the generational gap and its impact on the formation of the Hitler Youth. These

works also offer an insight into the education system under the Nazi regime and how the school’s

priorities completely altered. While most historians rarely dispute on certain aspects of this topic,

the indecisive nature of the youths and their reasons for joining the Hitler Youth are still being

debated. By reading these accounts, one begins to grasp the amount of power held by the Hitler

Youth, and how this power aided them in overthrowing opposing religious youth organizations.

To further their arguments and discussions, many of these sources use primary documents to

validate their points on the effects of Hitler Youth on German society. Finally, these scholars

illustrate the significance of their research in gathering a complete view of the Hitler Youth and

its’ implications on the development of German culture.

One of the most noticeable factors the Hitler Youth had on society’s individuals was their

rigorous fitness curriculum. Hitler wanted men who surpassed any other race and ethnicity in

their physical health to be the image of the Third Reich. Gerhard Rempel in his novel named

Hitler’s Children: The Hitler Youth and the SS, acknowledges the attractive nature of the ideal
physical being to the people of that era. Hitler sought to transform this new generation into his

new order, and thus “eradicate the thousands of years of human domestication” (Rempel 173).

Even though exercise and sports were a compulsory part of the education system of the Hitler

Youth, the young individuals willingly participated in these strenuous activities as they offered

an escape “from the drudgery of everyday life [and] into a world of action and heroics” (174).

Not only did fitness play a part in developing one’s physique, it also brought about a sense of

patriotism, self discipline and obedience. Researching the different types of physical exercises

and sports, Rempel demonstrates the complete effect it had on German youths. He notes the fact

that the Nazis emphasized the childhood as the prime time for creating soldiers who were fit to

represent the Third Reich. Rempel also shows an awareness of the adolescents’ determination to

succeed and maintain health; in fact, the National Sport Competition attracted more than 7

million competitors in 1939, which comprised of almost 80% of teenagers (179). In his book,

Rempel’s discussion pertaining to the physical obsession of the Germans during the Third Reich

begins to give one an understanding of the Hitler Youth and its effect on society.

Authors tend to have different perspectives regarding the reasons behind the membership

of the regime. From having a general sense of Hitler’s dictatorship, one knows the violence that

was used to gather support for the National Socialist party. Even though many children were

persuaded to join through this method, historians have encountered upon various other motives

of youths for joining the organization. The youth movement did not just begin with the Hitler

Youth—it had its roots way prior to the formation of the Third Reich. Peter Loewenberg psycho-

analyzes the actions of the Nazi Youth and uses psychology to comprehend the nature of their

exploits in his “The Psychohistorical Origins of the Nazi Youth Cohort”. After the First World

War, the people of Central Europe were left to recover from all the prolonged hunger, economic
depression, and other problems brought on by the war. Because of the mental stress faced by a

child during and after the war, children began to vent out their frustrations “with externalized

violence, projecting all negative antinational or antisocial qualities onto foreign and ethnic

individuals and groups” (Loewenberg 1463). He specifically emphasizes the point of one’s

childhood being imperative in forming one’s adult life and psyche. Thus, it is inevitable that he

correlates the swarming of the youth into the hands of the Hitler Youth with the travesties they

faced during the inter-war period. For example, in 1932, one out of every three Germans was

unemployed (1468). Since the youth were the most inexperienced, they were undoubtedly the

most likely to be jobless. These conditions played a major role in the future politics of Germany,

as young people were easily persuaded by the National Socialist party and their promises for an

improved future. Using psychological research pertaining to the effects of the absence of parental

figures on the child, Loewenberg comes to the conclusion that “self-humiliation and self-

contempt were displaced onto the Jews and other supposedly inferior people, thereby assuaging

feelings of unworthiness and masochistic fantasies of rejection”(1492). According to

Loewenberg, a large part of the members of the Hitler Youth joined as a result of their built up

aggressive nature and the desire to vent off their anger.

On the other hand, Peter D. Stachura, another renowned historian, presents one with

another point of view in his book titled The German Youth Movement 1900-1945. In his novel,

he creates an established view of the German adolescents, their incentives for joining the Hitler

Youth, and how they collectively as a group helped formulate the Third Reich. Instead of using

psychological means to assess the youth and their decisions, Stachura derives his reasoning from

historical data and assumptions made based upon the data. Like Loewenberg, Stachura also starts

out by stating that the Hitler Youth was a result of the various German Youth movements that
had surfaced during the turn of the 20th century. While there were other youth organizations such

as the KJVD (Kommunisticher Jugendverband Deutschlands) and the SAJ (Verband der

Sozialistische Arbeiterjugend Deutschlands), these movements ended up failing due to “a lack of

good leadership, crude propaganda methods, a penchant for violence and sheer hooliganism, and

the absence of material assistance from the party” (Stachura 112). Even though these factors

were also present in the Hitler Jugend prior to 1933, they were distinct from the rest as their

ideology and organization set them apart from previous youth groups of Germany. The young

Germans also “strove for commitment and identification with a cause” (95) and thus wanted an

organization that would make them feel as if it was solely for the young Germans. Stachura

claims that the youth were lured into the organization through the “HJ’s unrelenting use of

nationalism in trying to persuade youth that the best interests of Germany would be served by

everyone’s being united under one banner” (123). Moreover, the Hitler Youth expanded into the

German Labour Front with the transfer of apprentices and factory workers into the organization.

In 1936, the membership of the Hitler Youth was just over 5 million members, making it the

largest youth organization in the world (131). Evidently, “terror tactics, intense propaganda,

expanding social and recreational amenities and government pressure had all proved

insufficiently persuasive” (133). By analyzing the works of these two authors, one can come to

the conclusion that the young people of Germany both willingly and unwillingly responded to

the organization in a positive manner. Both Loewenberg and Stachura further our insight into the

minds of the individuals and give us a background reason for the compliance of the German

youth to the Third Reich.

Historians who have written about or studied on this topic realize the consequence of the

generational gap on the growth of the Hitler Youth. Gerhard Rempel discusses why the gap
essentially played a major role in creating the Hitler Youth, and how the changing role of the

youth thus would impact society. He begins by pointing out the obsession Hitler had with the

youth as a political force; in fact, he quotes Hitler saying, “ ‘We older ones are used up….We

are rotten to the marrow…But my magnificent youngsters! Are there finer ones anywhere in the

world? Look at these young men and boys! What material! With them I can make it a new

world’ ” (Rempel 1-2). By using a direct quote of Hitler, Rempel makes clear the importance of

young people in making this organization successful. Although Rempel is well aware that

calculating the influence of young people on teachers, parents, and adults in general would be

impossible, he still cannot deny “that the uniformed army of teenagers had something to do with

promoting the myth of Hitler’s invincible genius” (2). Due to the insistence of this movement

being youth oriented, Rempel talks about the disruptions in family life caused by child spies and

informants. Since many of the older generations did not share the same ideas as the Third Reich,

they were likely to discuss their opposing sentiments in the privacy of their households. As

Rempel brushes upon the spying and backstabbing nature of German children during that period,

he attributes the increasing generational gap on the “caution and silence [that had] replaced

candor and guidance as the twin commandments of family life” (106). Rempel’s information

leads one to understand the underlying cause of the division between the generations as the youth

themselves with their new ideas and opinions.

While Rempel focuses on the youth’s acquirement of modern ideas as the reason for the

generational gap, Michael H. Krater, in his book titled Hitler Youth, concentrates on the effects

of historical events on the generation conflict. He uses Peter Loewenberg’s psycho-analysis

study to determine the factors behind the feelings of distance of the new generation from the old.

As previously mentioned when discussing Loewenberg’s article, the absence of parental units
during the child’s prime years along with the immediate following of an economic depression,

built up a lot of animosity within the German youth. When the older generation was at war, the

younger generation was given their jobs and responsibilities. However, the return of the parents

and elder cohort brought the youth to feel “cheated out of whatever chances they had thought

were theirs and [thus] increasingly looked to radical alternatives” (Kater 6). The German youth

hence joined several groups such as the Jungnationaler Bund, which offered a refuge from all the

problems they faced with their elders. Similar to Rempel’s ideas, Kater also notes that the young

people wanted freedom and the choice to live life beyond “urban confines” (7). They became

enchanted by the notions of romanticism and mysticism, ideas “alien to their parents’

experience” (8). Therefore, even before the Hitler Youth was formed, the intergenerational

conflict became the prime explanation for the development of the numerous German youth

movements in the early 1900s. By connecting the psychology of the youth with their role in the

Hitler Youth, Kater develops a full understanding of the effects of the generation gap. He relates

the generation clash to the rise of the National Socialist movement among the youth, as the Nazi

party uses propaganda schemes to deepen this disparity. For example, one of their old war

slogans was “ ‘Make Way, You Old Ones!’ ” (10), which Kater uses as the title of a chapter in

this book thus highlighting the importance of the phrase. Such methods illustrated the skill of the

Hitler Youth in exacerbating “the existing generational tensions to their own ends” (10). Because

of the Hitler Youth’s clever tactics, they were able to create an even bigger gap in society

between the young and the old.

In trying to gain power, the Hitler Youth made an attempt at dissolving all the existing

youth movements, including the powerful religious organizations. By involving themselves into

this aspect of society, they were interfering in non-political affairs, causing great chaos among
the people. Stachura explains the history of the Hitler Youth in trying to take control of the

Protestant and Catholic organizations and subtly adds his own opinions comparing the two

religious units. The Protestant movement welcomed the Third Reich and its ideologies—they felt

they could work together with the Hitler Youth in order to expand both their beliefs. However,

they did not want to disband their youth movement especially after hearing of the anti-Christian

sentiments made by the Hitler Youth leader, von Schirach. Although they created a new

organization in 1933 called the Evandelische Jugendwerk Deutschlands which comprised of

700,000 members, the resistance of the Protestant group came to an end with the appointment of

Ludwig Muller, the leader of pro-National Socialist German Christian group, as Reich Bishop

(Stachura 125). However, Stachura emphasizes the “deep divisions in the Protestant Church”

(126) and how this also added to their submission to the Hitler regime in 1934. Unlike the

Protestant movement, the Catholics were determined to resist the control of the Third Reich

using any means necessary. The Catholic youth were “prepared to make its contribution to

national rejuvenation, provided its religious and educational interests were respected by the

regime” (126). The result of this was a Concordat between the National Socialists and the

Vatican, which was supposed to unite the two groups. Nevertheless, Hitler’s administration

overlooked this agreement and proclaimed that any “ ‘private concern of the churches, is in itself

an intolerable situation’ ” (127). Stachura makes it a point to acknowledge the perseverance of

the Catholic youth as the fact that they were able to hold out till the Second World War is “ample

testimony to the inherent strength and wholesomeness of Catholic youth life, which was

unmatched by any other sector of the German youth movement” (127). Through his words,

Stachura inputs his positive thoughts on the Catholic organization and how the group

demonstrated its willpower through their resistance.

 Michael H. Kater communicates the same historical background of the two religious

organizations as Stachura. Where he differs from Stachura’s view is that he does not point out

the superiority of any particular system compared to the other, but instead gives one an objective

view on this subject. Both the authors illustrate the power of the Hitler Youth in taking over the

religious aspect of German life. To the Protestants, Kater proclaims, “Hitler appeared as having

been directly sent by God in order to save Germany” (Kater 21). According to Kater, the only

reason for the Protestant youth resisting was to keep their “institutional freedom” (21) rather than

to uphold their religious beliefs. With their easy submission, Protestant groups felt they could

upkeep some of their previous traditions; however, the Hitler Youth made it entirely impossible

for people to continue their practices without being suspected or harassed. On the other hand,

Kater’s take on the Catholic youth group outlines their struggle against the Hitler Youth, and

their constant attempts at keeping their group alive. Kater highlights the lack of trust the Hitler

Youth had for religious institutions, as they went as far as to make proclamations against the

Concordat, which was set forth by the Vatican itself. Undoubtedly, both Kater and Stachura view

the Hitler Youth as expanding into areas which did not concern them. Through their research,

they are able to accurately make judgments concerning the “voluntary” nature of the

organization, and its wrongdoings in interfering with non-political factors.

The Hitler Youth did not just expand into the religious sectors of society—they also

invaded the entire education system in Germany. Several scholars tend to put great emphasis on

this aspect of the Hitler Youth, as the youth spent most of their lives in schools. Through their

studies, historians have found the existence of resentment and opposition from the teachers and

many Germans. Stachura, in his findings, sees that the National Socialist party regarded the

teaching of scientific and objective knowledge as low priorities—they stressed more on the
building of race-consciousness, character building, and a proper understanding of history

(Stachura 145). Although knowing that politics entering into the education sector of German life

was a bad idea, “the regime was determined to abolish what it considered to be the liberal and

humanitarian educational system of the Weimer Republic” (144). As the influence of the Hitler

Youth became even more apparent, teachers began to feel resentment towards the Hitler regime,

feeling like puppets of the larger movement. Teachers who therefore acted out against the Fuhrer

or just voiced their disagreement of the Third Reich were immediately kicked out and replaced.

However, Stachura makes it known that even those teachers who did swear allegiance to the

Fuhrer, were vulnerable to losing their job. The Hitler Youth, putting great emphasis on the

“youth” factor, tried to replace old teachers with new ones, as they thought old ones were too

backward, and did not understand the importance of the National Socialist movement. During

this period, the German youth became less knowledgeable about academic things as they would

be too tired to concentrate on their studies after Hitler Youth activities. This particular decline in

academic standards is discussed at length by Stachura, as well as how this lack of knowledge

caused the youth to be even more susceptive to the dictatorship. When the National Socialist

party began to gain more power, von Schirach saw it as the key time to establish the Adolf-Hitler

Schulen (AHS) in 1937. These schools were created outside of the state school sector, and

therefore did not have any academic agenda; instead, they were designed to produce the future of

the Third Reich. Clearly, “the HJ had shown itself to be both a revolutionary force for destroying

established sources of authority and a counter-revolutionary regime” (152). After describing all

the facts and details of their takeover of German education, Stachura makes known his own

distaste of the education system under the Third Reich: “Instead of being led to the ‘new man’ in

a new paradise based on humanitarian principles, German youth was led to untold misery and
humiliation” (168). Stachura’s particular emphasis on the academic loss gives one an

understanding of the importance of education, and how it negatively impacted German youth

during the Third Reich.

Unlike Stachura who gives one a complete overview of the education system, Daniel

Horn’s excerpt “The Hitler Youth and Educational Decline in the Third Reich” is a much more

focused study in that it contains specific details regarding the educational decline. He begins by

mentioning Hitler himself, and his poor performance in school as the reason for the future anti-

intellectual education system he creates. Moreover, Horn’s analysis is interesting in that it puts

much of the responsibility of the overthrowing of the education system upon the students

themselves, instead of the Third Reich leaders. Even before the ascendance of Hitler into power

in 1933, students had created a group called the National Socialist Students League (NSS), which

used terror tactics and propaganda to persuade students to go against educational authority. After

the Third Reich gained control, the NSS became even more active, and sought out to eliminate

opposing teachers asserting that “the school belongs to us, to no one but us because we are the

state” (Horn 427). The extreme euphoria felt by the youth towards this new regime brings Horn

to note out that their actions were on the verge of anarchy as they were given too much freedom.

He also brings up the generational conflict which was previously mentioned, and states how the

Nazi leaders made it their point to play upon this gap in order to achieve what they wanted.

Many members of the Hitler Youth felt that “teacher were too old to have any understanding for

them” and thus pushed for “younger and more dynamic teachers [to] be appointed” (429).

However, even when younger and Nazi party affiliated teachers took over, students refused to

comply, making up ridiculous excuses in order to keep their control. Through this and other

similar reasons, teachers “had little choice but to come to terms with the Hitler Youth by placing
at its disposal greater blocks of time” (432). Horn also brings up facts concerning the impact of

this education intervention upon German learning and the disruption in society’s routine ways.

He makes note of the declining academic standards of the students as fewer and fewer were

being accepted into universities, and more and more kept on failing. Even though the leaders of

the Hitler Youth knew of this happening, they felt that it was more important to focus on the

activities of the organization. By making a thorough study of the schooling methods during the

Third Reich, Horn captures the importance of students themselves in making the transition to a

more Hitler Youth controlled environment possible.

Besides taking over the entire education system of Germany, the Hitler Youth extended

its control and influence amongst all aspects of German life. Amongst the historians who have

delved into this subject, Michael Kater discusses several unknown and less talked about areas

where the Hitler Youth presented itself. While the youth were in training in military ways, they

were also surrounded by several specialized units of extracurricular activities. The Fliers HJ, for

example, offered “courses in model-plane construction” for “eager young pilots” while the

Motor HJ concentrated on ground training with motorcycles and automobiles provided by the HJ

(Kater 32). Units such as the Marine HJ, the Equestrian HJ, and the Communications HJ also

existed, giving young people a variety of hobbies to choose from. Kater also mentions the

existence of a musical choir for those artistically inclined members of the Hitler Youth. These

musical groups “performed at public recitals, and whenever the Hitler Youth leadership needed

them for inspiration at its own political and disciplinary exercises” (32). Although this group was

a way to gain more active members, Kater also adds that “the repetitious use of song helped in

the numbing of young minds, as part of the Nazi educational canon” (32). Evidently, the Hitler

Youth leadership used this activity to formulate a greater and more submissive youth following.
Aside from these specific groups, the Hitler Youth established “clubhouses” as a place where the

young boys and girls would spend much of their time in, especially during the wintertime. With

these clubhouses, the Hitler Youth indirectly controlled the youth, thus having their ideologies

engraved into their brains. When stating that the Hitler Youth managed all aspects of society and

culture of the German youth, Kater was not exaggerating. The youthful Nazis took part in

organized agricultural service by “helping on the farms and in the fields, whether this involved

harvesting, cutting wood, or milking cows” (34). Through this activity, the adolescents remained

physically fit and benefitted the economy at the same time. Kater relates the participation in such

activities to the help it would bring in the future during the Second World War as youths “would

know those territories and how to exploit them” (34). Although most if not all of these endeavors

were targeted towards the male species, Kater mentions that girls also held a very important role

in the Bund Deutscher Madel (BDM), the female equivalent to the Hitler Youth. Their main

activities consisted of being fit to bear a son, and teach him the Nazi values. The girls in essence

acted as domestic housewives as they were “to help, where they were needed…to stitch flags and

brown shirts, cook meals, lend medical first aid and post guard at some political demonstrations

and pass along warnings” (77). Undoubtedly, Kater’s description demonstrates the difference

between the two sexes and shows the inferiority of women to men. By looking over Kater’s

research, one can finally realize just how much of a German youth’s life comprised of the Hitler

Youth, and the almost inevitability of submitting to the organization.

All these sources help one in understanding just how big of an impact the Hitler Youth

had on the young individuals. Some of these scholars make it clear that not all the effort was

credited to the Hitler Youth; in fact, young individuals who were tired of their current

circumstances sought out this organization as a way to bring hope for the future. Through their
vast research, these scholars successfully convey the effects of the Hitler Youth on young

individuals in particular, as well as the impact the group as a whole had on German society.
 Citations

Horn, Daniel. “The Hitler Youth and Educational Decline in the Third Reich.” History of
Education Quarterly. History of Education Society. Winter, 1976, pp. 425-447.

Kater, Michael H. Hitler Youth. Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 2004.

Loewenberg, Peter. “The Psychohistorical Origins of the Nazi Youth Cohort.” The American
Historical Review. American Historical Association, Vol. 76, No. 5 (Dec., 1971), pp. 1457-1502.

Rempel, Gerhard. Hitler’s Children: The Hitler Youth and the SS. London: The University of
North Carolina Press, 1989.

Stachura, Peter D. The German Youth Movement 1900-1945. New York: St. Martin’s Press,
1981.