education + culture

• Nazi's main aims for youth:

  • produce a new German cotizen , obident , physically fit , dedicated to the Fuhrer
  • indoctrinate kids with Nazi ideals
  • Girls to bear children , boys to fight
• nazis were anti-intellectual , heavy emphasis on physical fitness and Nazi indoctrination
• by 1936 - two hours of PE a day for 1935 all text books had to be approved
• girls education focused on languages and home crafts as well as history , biology and fitness training
• NAPOLAs : special leadership schools established 1933 for boys aged 10-18 to prepare future leaders
• by 1936 over 30% of teachers were NSDP members , teachers were pressured to join the Nationalist Socialist Teachers' league , 97% had joined by 1937
• November 1935: all university teachers signed a declaration supporting Hitler and the Nazi Regime as well as havin gto join the Nazi Lectures' Assocation
• two key opposition groups to Hitler Youth:

  • Edelweiss Pirates
  • Swing Youth
• Swing Youth:

  • Upper middle class
  • anti-politics (including Nazism)
• Edelweiss Pirates:

  • did camping , hiking , music and sining
  • 2,000 members by 1939
  • intially groups were wanred then raided or arrested but after WW2 action against them stepped up
• opposition groups to hitler Youth also listened to banned music such as jazz and swing
• Wilt (1994) - As many as 95% of German Youth supported Hitler
• Youth groups for girls:

  10-14 ; Young Girls

  14-18 ; League of German Girls

  18-21 ; Faith and Beauty
• Youth groups for boys:

  6-10 ; Pimpfen

  10-14 ; Young German Boys

  14-18 ; Hitler Youth
• 1936 - all youth organisations apart from Nazi ones banned and membership of Nazi groups became compulsory
• Nazis wanted arts to be traditional , not degenerate
• Reich Chamber of Culture set up in 1933 to monitor art and culture to make sure they conformed to the Nazi message
• buildings in nazi era:

  • had to reflect Nazi power - architecture modelled off the grandeur of ancient romans and greeks
  • buildings had to be built from traditional materials
  • Albert speer was hitlers preferred architect , created key Nazi buildings such a buildings for rallies
• music during Nazi period:

  • music had to be traditional - 'degenerate' Jazz music banned
  • music written by Jewish composers forbidden e.g Mendelssohn
  • music by Beethoven encouraged
• art during Nazi period:

  • art meant to glorify Aryan race and traditional Volk values
  • art had to have naturalist style , Nazis popularised paintings of ideal Aryan family or rural scenes
  • favoured Nazi artists rewarded with large competition prizes - many artists fled to continue their own style of art
• literature during Nazi period:

  • needed to fit nazi message
  • chamber of culture had to approve all books
  • thousands of books burned to show population to send out message of Nazi power
• cinema during the Nazi period:

  • modern way of sending strong messages of Nazi propaganda
  • all film scripts had to be approved by Goebbels
  • mandatory for all cinemas to show short Nazi propaganda films before entertainment film