The Hitler Youth and their Impact in World War II

581 Words2 Pages

Imagine you are a thirteen year old growing up in Germany, 1938. Some of the kids at school are talking about a new program called the Hitlerjugend (or Hitler Youth). It sounds fun and exciting with its camping trips and home meetings so you decide to join. The Hitlerjugend is just as fun and exciting as it sounded and as the years pass you gain new skills; loyalty to Hitler and German; and growing hatred for Jews, Blacks, the handicapped, and other “burdens of the state”. To you this is simply a thought but to many children in the 1930’s this was a reality. The Hitler Youth was a genius yet terrible organization.

German education in the 1930’s changed dramatically in several ways. First, Hitler was inserted into every classroom. His portrait hung on the wall and “Children were taught to greet each other with ‘Heil Hitler’, swear allegiance to Hitler, and use his name in their prayers” (Bartoletti 40,41). Secondly, two extra classes were added. In Eugenics children were taught to only marry healthy Aryans, discriminating against people of Jewish descent and invalids (Bartoletti 42...

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