Hitler Youth: The Future of Germany :: Nazi German Hitler History Essays

Hitler Youth: The Future of Germany The Hitler Youth (Hitlerjugend-HJ) were for Hitler the future of the Nazi party. Hitler’s dream of a thousand year Reich could only be accomplished through the youth, which were deemed the most important aspect of Germany's future as a powerful nation. "The future of the German nation depends on its youth, and the German youth shall have to be prepared for its future duties."(i) The youth were important because they would continue the Nazi legacy and spread propaganda to future generations. Hitler was so obsessed with his quest for the future of Germany, that he devoted most of his endeavors, such as the acquisition of Lebensraum and the elimination of the subhumans, for the purpose of gaining more land for the future generations. Hitler was not some all mighty God that was able to just snap his fingers and the youth would follow him, he was aided in the fact that the youth were on a quest of their own: independence. They were energetic, full of life, and had an overwhelming love for Germany along with spirit and a quest to find their position in life. Hitler recognized these characteristics of the youth and decided to incorporate them into his plan for the National Socialist German Worker's Party (NSDAP or Nazi Party) to flourish. These characteristics and Hitler's involvement became the leading tragedy and inspiration of the German youth movement. This youth movement began before World War I, was the result of the industrial revolution, and came to be known as the ‘Youth Revolution.’(ii) The Early Movement In the 1920's, the German youth were involved in about two thousand groups and organizations. The most popular organization was the Wandervogel, which was popular due to the involvement of sports. Boys were able to go on weekend retreats, where they would hike and learn to survive on their own in the wilderness. Organized sporting events of soccer and other various competitions kept the interests of the children. The Wandervogel were noted for their love of the land, not the new, modern conveniences of the cities. Hiking and skiing were chosen over activities such as watching a movie or going to a dance. The Wandervogel, which was formed November 4, 1901(iii), reflected the main attitudes of the of the youth movement. American Boy Scouts saluting Hitler Youth in Munich in 1935. Koch p. 196. In some ways the Wandervogel was a manifestation of the perceptible mood of boredom and restlessness appearance of Wilhelmian Germany was little more than a facade which