ADOLPH HITLER

Adolph Hitler and his Nazis had an enormous impact on the world between 1939 – 1945,

Causing World War two. Hitler and his Nazis had total power over German social life, starting in 1933 when he came to power, until 1939 when the war began. This project will focus on Hitler youth in this period.

Adolph Hitler was born in Austria in 1889 to Alois and Klara Hitler. He was somewhat of a drifter in his early years, dreaming of nothing but studying architecture in Vienna at the prestigious Academy of Art. He found his calling however when he traveled to Germany in 1919 at the outbreak of World War two and joined the army. Hitler later joined the Nazi party and by 1922 rose through the ranks to become leader of the Nazis. In 1923 he lead a coup against the government in Munich and was arrested. Some nazis were killed and Hitler was imprisoned for three years, during his time in prison he wrote a book called ‘Mein Kamf’. Upon release Hitler’s new strategy involved a plan to take over the political system by making the Nazis the largest single party in the Reichstag and to win Government by legal means. By 1933 Hitler had eventually become chancellor of Germany, not long after his rise to power did the Reichstag building burn down. Hitler consequently made himself dictator of Germany and created the position of Fuhrur.

Hitler consolidated this new found power by using intense propaganda, refusing other parties the the right to use radio, press and platform, and by the use of violence. He hoped to dominate the elections. Hitler and his party set about passing a series of laws that would consolidate his power. The first was the Enabling Law which gave Hitler dictatorship for four years , to rule.

HITLER YOUTH

“Those who have youth on their side control the future”

The Hitler Youth movement began not long after Hitler came to power, the Nazis placed great importance on organising and controlling young people. It was for this purpose they created the Nazi Youth movements, there were groups for boys and girls of different ages. Pressure was put on young people to join them. Both leisure and school time were used to influence the young. The Hitler Youth movement, which undoubtedly captured the imagination of the younger generation, provided healthy recreation while giving the authorities plenty of opportunities for teaching the Nazi ideology to uncritical adolescents and inspiring them with devotion to the Fuhrur.

“What we look for from our German Youth is different from what people wanted in the past. In our eyes the German youth of the future must be slim and slender, swift as the greyhound, tough as leather, and hard as krupp steel”.

The aim was to organise young people leisure and school time so that all German Youth would be trained in the principles of National Socialism. Hitlers first task was to win the children away from Church youth groups and associations such as boy scouts. Political institutions were set up to train the next generation of Nazis, for instance the four isolated order castles called Ordensburgen. Here the students were trained in obedience, racial science, Nazi ideology, mountaineering, parachute training, and military instruction.

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