Children in the Third Reich

A detailed Summary of Children in the Third Reich

The education of the children was of paramount importance to the Nazi party during the Third Reich. By educating the children in the beliefs and ideals of the Nazi's they believed that they would perpetuate their political system for the thousand year Reich. They achieved this by controlling all flows of information; principally the arts, the education system and controlling the media.

1. Describe and explain the policies the Nazi government attempted to implement

The belief in Nazi ideals (racism, national pride, belief in the family unit, clean wholesome living)

Art was considered to be one of the most important elements to strengthen the Third Reich and purifying the nation. Political aims and artistic expression became one. An example of this would abstract art. The Nazi's didn't consider this art; therefore the opinion of the Hitler youth towards abstract art was changed. This type of art wasn't approved of because it didn't promote family values.

Hitler had his own ideas of what education should entail. He thought it should preserve, care and develop the best racial elements. The youth of Germany was made to worship Hitler. A picture of him was hung in every classroom.

The publishers of children's literature and textbooks clearly recognised that they could be used to shape a child's view of the world by disseminating social values. Storybooks, as well as history books, were used to diffuse positive social values, but also more negatively to disseminate racist values by means of stereotyping, with such tales as The Story of Little Black Sambo (1899).

Hitler managed to form and control the youth's opinions and was very successful at it. He managed to create an organization that he knew he could always trust and depend on. This wouldn't work in this age as we question our values whereas they were told what their values were. This kind of devotion to your country, especially at the age of 10, is very unhealthy.

Even some of the songs included anti-Sematic lyrics. One song said that:

"My program for educating youth is hard. Weakness must be hammered away. In my castles of the Teutonic Order a youth will grow up before which the world will tremble. I want a brutal, domineering, fearless, cruel youth. Youth must be all that. It must bear pain. There must be nothing weak and gentle about it. The free, splendid beast of prey must once again flash from its eyes...That is how I will eradicate thousands of years of human domestication...That is how I will create the New Order." -- Adolf Hitler, 1933.

"These young people will learn nothing else but how to think German and act German. . . And they will never be free again, not in their whole lives."

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Approximate Word count = 1048
Approximate Pages = 4 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: History