How Successful was the Nazi youth policy?

Essay by ShinobiUniversity, Bachelor'sA, February 2003

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The Nazi Youth policy was very successful in some areas however in other areas it failed. Firstly though, it is important to see its aims before it can be deemed successful or not. The Nazis aimed to make Children obedient and disciplined, they also wanted them to idolise the Fuhrer and make him seem like God to them. They also aimed to make the growing nation a lot fitter and aimed to implant the idea that it was great to sacrifice yourself if it meant benefit for the national good. They also wanted children to do everything they could to bring about racial purity of the German nation. They wanted to develop boys and girls to become separate things. For the boys they wanted to make them into a strong fighter and for the Girls they wanted to make them into reliable housewives and the bearer of many children (but only if they were of pure Aryan blood).

The Nazis concentrated heavily on the youth policy and there many groups set up to lure children of all ages into them. As far as numbers go they were very successful in pulling in a large majority of the German youth to become part of the Nazi organisation and it very quickly became the thing to be part of. There was no doubt that through brainwashing and teaching they managed to get the German youth to idolise their Fuhrer. Girls in the B.D.M wrote love letters to him and have been quoted to look at Hitler as "God." The Nazis manage to catch children at the right age and successfully brainwashed and hype up Hitler through propaganda and it was clear just by looking at the hysteria at one of Hitler's speeches that they had succeeded in doing this.

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