Volksgemeinshaft- Youth

Question 1

What was Hitler’s goal and how could he achieve this?

Answer 1

Build a 1000 year Reich, needed to create a volksgemeinshaft.

Question 2

What was the Volksgemeinshaft? (2)

Answer 2

It was the ‘people’s community’ which was a racially unified community who’s main goal was the nation’s wellbeing, rather than the individual.
A key part of the volksgemeinshaft was to win the support of the youth and prepare themselves for their gender’s role (boys= military, girls= domestic)

Question 3

What does Fischer believe?

Answer 3

Nazi’s only managed to put thinly placed ideologies into young people

Question 4

What happened to the school curriculum?

Answer 4

It was Natzified, from 1935 all textbook had to be approved
Boys focused on physical health, (PE for 2 hours a day) and girls were domestic, eg sewing.
Children were taught racial biology and maths questions had Nazi elements in it.

Question 5

What did Mosse believe about schools?

Answer 5

Each school subject to different levels of re-shaping

Question 6

What changed about classrooms?

Answer 6

Photos of Hitler were put in each class

Question 7

What did Housdon believe?

Answer 7

Children supported the third Reich as it was powerful and exciting

Question 8

What happened to the teachers?

Answer 8

They were co-ordinated into the National socialist teachers league - 97% in it, if refused could have been fired.
By 1938 2/3 of teachers attended 1 month course.

Question 9

What were the state keen to demote?

Answer 9

Intellectualism, young people encouraged not to go to unis.

Question 10

What happened to the number of people attending uni?

Answer 10

1933- 113,000, 1939- 57,000

Men went straight to the military, women went to domestic work

Question 11

What did Sax believe about the Nazi’s?

Answer 11

They created a generation of students not intelligent enough to resist the regime

Question 12

Why didn’t the education system work?

Answer 12

Some Nazi’s called for a reversal on education as standards were falling

Question 13

What did lecturers and students have to join?

Answer 13

Lecturers= the national socialist lectures league, had to attend a 6 week camp
Students had to join the German student legue

Question 14

What evidence is there that students were controlled?

Answer 14

There was no mass outcry at the firing of 10% of the non-aryan professors, and active participation of the book burnings, contrast to edelweiss pirates

Question 15

What were the two Nazi youth groups

Answer 15

The Hitler youth for boys

The league of German girls

Question 16

What did they do in the youth groups?

Answer 16

There was camping, marching, lectures of national socialism, games and activities

Question 17

What happened in 1936 to Nazi youth groups?

Answer 17

It became compulsory, and membership grew to 6 million members.
However this meant there was less enthusiastic members who encouraged other children to not conform to Nazi rule

Question 18

What was wrong with the youth groups?

Answer 18

Children reported the lectures on national socialism boring, they didn’t care about the ideologies only the activities
Emphasis on obedience in the late 1930’s led to less enthusiasm

Question 19

What did Peukert say about the youth?

Answer 19

In the late 1930’s many youths became disillusioned with the movement.

Question 20

What were the edelweiss pirates?

Answer 20

Collection of youth who refused to join the Hitler youth, groups varied; some took part in behaviour seen as unacceptable by the Nazis, eg singing songs about Nazis whilst others were more politicised and had links with the KDP, these groups beat up members of Hitler youth.

Question 21

Why were children not as successfully indoctrinated into the volksgemeinshaft as women?

Answer 21

There was no women protest groups, but there was children protesting against Nazism

Question 22

How many youth were in Hitler youth by 1936?

Answer 22

6 million- an increase of 1 million from 1935

Question 23

What percentage of youth were in Hitler youth by 1939?

Answer 23

90%