Social & Cultural Life

Assess the impact of the Nazi Party on German social and cultural life in the period 1933-39.!

Hitler and the Nazi Party had extensive impact on German society from the moment they came into

power. Amongst Nazi Party ideology was Hitler's belief that he would lead 'a thousand year Reich'.

In order to achieved this, Hitler required a continuous flow of loyal, fanatic followers. These

followers would stem from Germany's youth, thus the establishment of the Hitler Youth. Another

aspect of the ideology was to produce a racially pure and supreme nation with the women of

Germany compelled to be the mothers of this. The cultural life of Germany was to be transformed

to block any corruption of Hitler's pure nation. Furthermore, Nazism became a sort of religion. They

had a messiah: Hitler, a bible: Mein Kampf, iconography: the swastika, it also had an intolerant

dogma along with perhaps Germany's greatest need at the time - an answer to life and being.1

Essentially, every aspect of the German nation was Nazified and if people disagreed with this they

were removed.!

! The establishment of the Hitler Jugend was important for Hitler to maintain popular support. It

made up the foundations of his campaign. This movement was to exist without competition thus

the abolishment of other youth groups. To ensure that the Hitler Youth could be presented as a

positive ideal, the youth were trained and expected to be in good health and physical fitness. Boys

were trained in military tactics and girls were taught domestic skills and child bearing as they were

to be the next generation of master race mothers. The Hitler Youth was prioritised over school thus

the school standards fell in the 1930s. Kindergaten aged children were taught about noble SS

warriors slaying evil Jewish dragons.1...