OCR Specification focus:
‘education and policy towards youth; racial policies to 1939; benefits of Nazi rule’
The Nazi regime sought to mould young Germans into loyal followers through strict control of education, youth organisations, and racial indoctrination before 1939.
Education and Nazi Control
Restructuring the Curriculum
The education system became a tool for indoctrination rather than intellectual development. Schools were expected to shape pupils into obedient supporters of the Volksgemeinschaft (people’s community).
History: rewritten to glorify German nationalism, highlight the “stab in the back” myth of 1918, and portray Jews and communists as enemies.
Biology: emphasised racial science and eugenics, teaching concepts of Aryan superiority.
Geography: promoted ideas of Lebensraum (living space), encouraging support for territorial expansion.
Physical education: drastically expanded, with daily sport and military-style drills designed to prepare youth for war.
German language and literature: studied selectively, with works that encouraged patriotism and militarism.
Teacher Loyalty and Control
Teachers were brought under close surveillance. Membership in the National Socialist Teachers’ League (NSLB) was made compulsory.
Teachers had to swear an oath of loyalty to Hitler.
Those who resisted were dismissed or transferred.
Classroom teaching was monitored to ensure conformity with Nazi ideology.
Volksgemeinschaft: The Nazi concept of a unified national community in which individual interests were subordinate to the needs of the nation and race.
Universities and Higher Education
Although universities retained some independence, they too were Nazified. Professors were dismissed if they were Jewish, politically unreliable, or critical of the regime. Academic freedom was severely curtailed.
Universities were gleichgeschaltet, with lecturers purged and student bodies harnessed to regime propaganda.
Policy Towards Youth
Hitler Youth (Hitlerjugend)
The Hitler Youth (HJ) became central to shaping young males. By 1936, membership was effectively compulsory. Its programme included:
Military-style training and weapons drills.
Camping, hiking, and sport to build physical strength.
Political indoctrination in loyalty to Hitler and the Nazi state.
Preparation for future roles in the army and labour service.
League of German Girls (Bund Deutscher Mädel, BDM)
The BDM was the female counterpart to the HJ. Its focus was on preparing girls for their roles as mothers and homemakers.
Activities centred on physical fitness, domestic skills, and Nazi ideology.
Girls were taught the importance of racial purity and raising large Aryan families.
Suppression of Alternative Youth Groups
All rival organisations, such as church youth groups and scouting movements, were either banned or absorbed. Resistance from some youths (e.g., Edelweiss Pirates, Swing Youth) emerged later, but before 1939 opposition was relatively limited.
Hitler Youth: A Nazi youth organisation designed to train boys in military skills, loyalty, and obedience, while instilling Nazi ideology.
Racial Policies up to 1939
Early Anti-Jewish Measures
From 1933, Jews faced increasing legal, social, and economic discrimination. Policies intensified up to 1939.
1933: Boycott of Jewish businesses; exclusion from civil service and professions.
1935 Nuremberg Laws: Defined Jews racially, banned marriage or sexual relations between Jews and Aryans, and stripped Jews of citizenship.
1938: Jewish children were banned from German schools; Jewish property was confiscated.
The Nuremberg Laws (1935) codified racial discrimination by defining ‘Jewish’ status and prohibiting marriage or sexual relations between Jews and ‘Aryans’.
Kristallnacht, November 1938
The most dramatic pre-war escalation came with the Kristallnacht pogrom (Night of Broken Glass).
Jewish businesses, synagogues, and homes were destroyed.
Around 30,000 Jewish men were arrested and sent to concentration camps.
Marked a shift from discrimination to violent persecution.
In November 1938, Kristallnacht marked a violent escalation: synagogues burned, Jewish businesses smashed and around 30,000 men arrested.
Photograph of the Wiesbaden synagogue burning during Kristallnacht, 9–10 November 1938. The image captures state-sanctioned destruction of Jewish religious life, foreshadowing intensified persecution. Source
Ideological Basis of Racial Policy
Nazi racial policies were based on Social Darwinism and pseudo-scientific ideas of Aryan superiority. Other groups targeted included Roma, the disabled, and political opponents, though Jews were the main focus before 1939.
Benefits of Nazi Rule
Although Nazi policies were oppressive, many Germans perceived benefits during this period, reinforcing support for the regime.
Youth opportunities: Access to organised leisure and adventure appealed to many children and families.
Education: While indoctrinatory, it provided a strong sense of purpose and belonging.
Employment and economic recovery: Youth training schemes and public works gave families security, boosting loyalty to the state.
National pride: Many young Germans welcomed the sense of unity, discipline, and optimism fostered by Nazi propaganda.
Nuremberg Laws: A set of racial laws introduced in 1935 that institutionalised discrimination against Jews, removing citizenship and forbidding marriage with “Aryans.”
By 1939, Nazi education and youth policies had deeply penetrated German society, embedding loyalty to Hitler and reinforcing racial hierarchies that paved the way for later wartime policies.
FAQ
Teachers often faced reduced professional autonomy, with lesson plans dictated by the state. Many were sent for retraining at Nazi-run camps, where they were exposed to physical drills, ideological lectures, and military-style discipline.
Career advancement depended on active participation in the National Socialist Teachers’ League. Those who resisted were dismissed or transferred, and some were even denounced by pupils for lacking enthusiasm in promoting Nazi ideology.
New textbooks were produced under strict government approval. These texts were infused with Nazi ideology, ensuring uniform messaging across all schools.
History books glorified German victories and vilified the Versailles Treaty.
Biology texts promoted eugenics, emphasising Aryan superiority and the dangers of “racial mixing.”
Geography texts underlined expansionist aims, highlighting Germany’s need for Lebensraum.
All alternative or “un-German” books were removed during widespread book burnings.
The Hitler Youth and League of German Girls incorporated rituals to foster loyalty.
Members wore uniforms symbolising equality within the Volksgemeinschaft.
Parades and flag ceremonies created a sense of belonging.
Oaths to Hitler reinforced the cult of personality.
These rituals blurred the line between leisure and indoctrination, making Nazi ideology inseparable from everyday youth experiences.
The laws isolated Jewish children socially and academically.
By 1936, many faced bullying encouraged by teachers and peers under state approval.
In 1938, they were formally banned from attending German schools.
This exclusion not only denied education but also reinforced their marginalisation within society, leaving many without qualifications or future opportunities.
Their removal symbolised the broader exclusion of Jews from the Volksgemeinschaft.
While many youths joined willingly, not all complied. Some found Hitler Youth activities too regimented or resisted its restrictions on leisure.
Groups such as the Swing Youth valued jazz and American culture, openly rejecting Nazi cultural norms. Others, like the Edelweiss Pirates, avoided compulsory service and preferred independent hiking and camping.
Although relatively small before 1939, these examples show that Nazi youth policy did not achieve total control.
Practice Questions
Question 1 (2 marks):
Name two subjects in the Nazi school curriculum that were adapted to promote Nazi ideology.
Mark scheme:
1 mark for each correct subject, up to a maximum of 2 marks.
Acceptable answers include:History (rewritten to glorify German nationalism and demonise Jews/communists)
Biology (emphasis on racial science and eugenics)
Geography (promotion of Lebensraum)
German language and literature (restricted to patriotic/militaristic works)
Physical education (focused on military-style drills and physical training)
Question 2 (6 marks):
Explain how Nazi youth organisations prepared young Germans for their roles in the Nazi state before 1939.
Mark scheme:
Level 1 (1–2 marks): General statements with little detail, e.g. “They trained boys for the army and taught girls to be mothers.”
Level 2 (3–4 marks): Some specific knowledge and explanation, e.g. “The Hitler Youth prepared boys with military training and camping, while the League of German Girls taught domestic skills to prepare for motherhood.”
Level 3 (5–6 marks): Developed explanation with precise knowledge and clear links to roles in the Nazi state, e.g. “The Hitler Youth provided boys with weapons training, drills, and political indoctrination to ready them for service in the army and labour service. The League of German Girls encouraged physical fitness and domestic skills, ensuring girls were prepared for motherhood and raising Aryan children. Both groups reinforced loyalty to Hitler and the Nazi state, embedding future roles within the Volksgemeinschaft.”
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