Young people in Nazi Germany Cambridge IGCSE History revision
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In plain words
Hitler was not much interested in changing the minds of adults. He wanted their children. A child who went through a Nazi school and the Hitler Youth would never have known anything else.
8 things to know
- The Nazis aimed to make young people loyal to Hitler. Boys were to be prepared as soldiers and girls as mothers.
- Schools: teachers had to belong to a Nazi teachers' organisation. Those who did not support the regime were dismissed.
- The curriculum was changed. History taught the greatness of Germany and the injustice of Versailles. Biology taught Nazi ideas about race. Physical education was given far more time. Girls studied domestic science.
- The Hitler Youth was the organisation for boys. Its activities were camping, hiking, sport and military training. The League of German Maidens was the organisation for girls, and stressed fitness and preparation for motherhood.
- Other youth organisations were banned. In 1936 the Hitler Youth became the official organisation for all young people, and in 1939 membership was made compulsory. By then it had about seven million members.
- How young people reacted. Many enjoyed it: the activities, the uniform, the sense of belonging and importance. Some became fanatical Nazis, and reported their own parents or teachers.
- Others were bored by the endless drill and lectures, especially later in the 1930s, and found ways to avoid meetings.
- A minority rebelled openly. The Edelweiss Pirates refused to join and fought the Hitler Youth. The Swing Youth listened and danced to banned jazz.
Worked example
"The Nazis were successful in winning the support of young people." How far do you agree? Plan a 10-mark answer.
- Successful: membership of the Hitler Youth reached about seven million. Many enjoyed the activities and absorbed Nazi ideas, and some informed on adults.
- Not successful: membership had to be made compulsory in 1939. Many were bored by the drill, and groups such as the Edelweiss Pirates and the Swing Youth rejected it.
- Judgement: successful with the majority, at least outwardly. The need for compulsion and the existence of rebel groups show that support was never complete.
Tips and tricks
- Boys were prepared for war, and girls for motherhood. Every detail of Nazi youth policy follows from that.
- Seven million members does not mean seven million believers. Use the fact that membership became compulsory in 1939.
It lands in your notebook with its questions as flashcards.
Young people in Nazi Germany: 5 questions and answers
These are the quiz’s questions. Do the quiz first, then come back here for the ones that got you.
What was the Nazi organisation for girls called?
It prepared girls for motherhood.
In which year did membership of the Hitler Youth become compulsory?
By then it had about seven million members.
Which school subject was used to teach Nazi ideas about race?
Pupils were taught that Germans were a superior race.
What did the Nazis want boys to become?
Their training was military.
Why did the Hitler Youth become less popular with some members in the late 1930s?Stretch
It became more like training for the army.
Quiz
5 questions
Tap an answer and you’ll see straight away whether it’s right, and why.
Worksheet
3 questions, 16 marks. Write your answers on paper, then check them.
Young people in Nazi Germany
Cambridge IGCSE History 0470 · 16 marks · papermunch.org
Name ______________________________ Date ______________
What activities did the Hitler Youth offer?[4]
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Any four: camping; hiking; sport and physical training; marching and drill; military training such as shooting and map reading; lectures on Nazi ideas.
Why did the Nazis change what was taught in schools?[6]
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They wanted to produce loyal Nazis. History was rewritten to praise Germany and to attack the Treaty of Versailles. Biology was used to teach Nazi racial ideas. More physical education made boys fit to be soldiers, and girls were taught domestic science to prepare them to be wives and mothers.
Why did some young people oppose the Hitler Youth?[6]
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Many found the constant military drill and the lectures boring, and resented the loss of free time. Some disliked the strict discipline and the lack of freedom to choose their own music, clothes and friends. Groups such as the Edelweiss Pirates and the Swing Youth wanted to live in their own way, and rejected Nazi control.
Answers: Young people in Nazi Germany
- 1. Any four: camping; hiking; sport and physical training; marching and drill; military training such as shooting and map reading; lectures on Nazi ideas.
- 2. They wanted to produce loyal Nazis. History was rewritten to praise Germany and to attack the Treaty of Versailles. Biology was used to teach Nazi racial ideas. More physical education made boys fit to be soldiers, and girls were taught domestic science to prepare them to be wives and mothers.
- 3. Many found the constant military drill and the lectures boring, and resented the loss of free time. Some disliked the strict discipline and the lack of freedom to choose their own music, clothes and friends. Groups such as the Edelweiss Pirates and the Swing Youth wanted to live in their own way, and rejected Nazi control.