Nazi youth / eduction

• Nazis' view of education


  Opportunity to indoctrinate young people, to ensure they grew up to be loyal Nazis
• Hitler believed that young peoples' minds were open to influence and control and he took advantage of this
• Changes to school curricula


  1. Emphasise Nazi ideas

  2. Reduce time children spent with families

  3. Limit other influences on beliefs and attitudes

  4. Ensure next generation met Nazi ideals
• Teachers


  • Forced to join Nazi teachers' association or lose jobs
  • Attended Nazi training camps to learn how to pass on Nazi values
• Curriculum changes


  1. New subjects created

  2. Focus of other subjects changed

  3. Textbooks rewritten to reflect Nazi beliefs

  4. All new books checked and approved by Nazi officials
• New subjects


  • 'Race Studies' teaching Aryans were superior and Jews were lowest racial type
• Changes to existing subjects


  • More time given to PE to prepare boys as soldiers and girls as mothers
  • Mathematics using military problems
  • History focused on rise of Nazi Party
  • Biology emphasising Aryan supremacy
  • Geography teaching German need for Lebensraum
  • Domestic science for female students only
• Illustration caption: '"Trust No Fox on the Heath and No Jew on his Word"'
• The illustration shows how Aryans and Jews are portrayed in a children's book used to teach about racial groups in Germany, 1935
• Hitler Leadership schools


  Educated boys to become military leaders and administrators for the Nazi state
• Nazi youth movements


  • Banned all other youth groups except Catholic Church groups
  • Hitler Youth Law made membership compulsory by 1939
• Hitler Youth activities


  1. Learning about Hitler and how he saved Germany

  2. Discussing political pamphlets and ideas

  3. Performing military drills

  4. Learning about competition and racial purity

  5. Girls' groups focused on crafts and childcare

  6. Fun activities like summer camps and physical activities

  7. Encouraged to report anyone not loyal to Nazi state, even parents
• By 1939, 8 million young people were members of Nazi youth organisations