Nazi Policies towards the Young (Gleichschaltung)

• Total loyalty to Hitler as Fuhrer; To be proud Germans who were loyal to Germany
• To be loyal members of the Nazi Party and believe in Nazi policies.
• To be strong and healthy and be prepared for their future roles in society– girls for childbearing – boys for being soldiers and workers.
Point Evidence
Education Schools
• Courage and athletic ability were praised over academic ability highly.
• Separate schools for boys and girls
• Special Napola SS schools focussed on military training and fitness: graduates joined SS units.
• Adolf Hitler Schools trained ‘elite’ of the Hitler Youth for work in the Nazi Party: focus on learning about Nazi policies and glorifying Hitler.
Teachers
• Compulsory for teachers to join the Nazi Party, those that refused were sacked
• Teachers were sent on training courses about Nazi ideals.
• 97% of teachers joined the Nazi Teachers League, an organisation promoting the teaching of Nazi ideas.
• The Nazis totally controlled the education system and what was taught in schools.
• Any resistance by teachers meant they were sacked.
Lessons
• All lessons began with the ‘Heil Hitler’ salute; every classroom had Nazi flags and posters; all textbooks had to be approved by the Nazi Party.
• Racist ideas and anti Semitism (being anti Jewish) were embedded in all subjects e.g. in literature classes only no Jewish authors, only German authors were studied.
Subjects
• 15% of the school day was devoted to PE – and for boys the was an focus on military training.
• Lessons like foreign languages were scrapped and instead more time was spent studying German history, particularly German military successes.
• Students were taught in biology lessons about the superiority of the Aryan race. They were taught that Jews and other races were inferior and Germans should not
marry these races. Children were taught to measure skulls and analyse facial features to classify different racial groups.
• For girls, extra lessons were spent on cookery, sewing to encourage them to be good housewives.

Hitler Youth • After 1936 membership was compulsory for all children from the ages of 14-18.
• Boys wore a military style uniform and completed activities deigned to prepare them for the army e.g. shooting weapons, camping, marching,
• Learnt about Hitler’s ‘greatness’; sang patriotic songs; learnt about the ‘superiority of Aryans’.
• By 1939 the Hitler Youth had 7 million members
• Many young Germans enjoyed the physical activities and working together as group.
• Many other young Germans did not like the rules and having to conform. Limited numbers joined opposition groups like the Swing Youth and Edelweiss Pirates.
League of • Girl’s branch of the Hitler Youth. Girls wore uniforms, but learnt cookery, housework, caring for babies and small children, looking after their future husband.
German • Learnt about Hitler’s ‘greatness’; sang patriotic songs; learnt about the ‘superiority of Aryans’.
Maidens
1) Give two things you can infer from Source B about the Nazi policies 1) Give two things you can infer from Source B about the Nazi policies
towards young males. (4 marks) towards young males. (4 marks)

Source B: image of Hitler Youth on parade, 1937 Source B: image of Hitler Youth on parade, 1937
1) Give two things you can infer from Source P about young peoples’ 1) Give two things you can infer from Source P about young peoples’
opposition to the Nazi Party. (4 marks) opposition to the Nazi Party. (4 marks)
Source P Source P
Verse from an Edelweiss Pirates song Verse from an Edelweiss Pirates song
Hitler’s power may lay us low, Hitler’s power may lay us low,
And keep us locked in chains, And keep us locked in chains,
But we’ll be free again. But we’ll be free again.
We’ve got fists and we can fight. We’ve got fists and we can fight.
We’ve got knives and we’ll get them out. We’ve got knives and we’ll get them out.
We want freedom don’t we boys? We want freedom don’t we boys?
We’re the fighting Navajos. We’re the fighting Navajos.
 FOCUS 5 IN 5 > Seated > Planner > Equipment > Coats and bags > Title, Date & Do Now
F Title: How did the Nazis control the Date:
Face the
teacher German youth? Sunday 21 January 2024
O Do Now:
Organised 1. The chief minister who oversaw the Reformation
and ready to
learn was...
2. The Great Depression happened in 19??
C 3. The hyperinflation crisis took place in 19??
Communicate
Clearly 4. Jack the Ripper commit his first murders in…
5. To catch Jack the Ripper, police used techniques
U such as…
Understand
the task
6. An example of a major crime from the middle ages
was...
S 7. The Witch Finder General was…
Sit up, 8. The two London police forces were…
listen and
engage Teacher Tools
 FOCUS 5 IN 5 > Seated > Planner > Equipment > Coats and bags > Title, Date & Do Now
F Title: How did the Nazis control the Date:
Face the
teacher German youth? Sunday 21 January 2024
O Do Now:
Organised 1. The chief minister who oversaw the Reformation was Thomas Cromwell.
and ready to
learn 2. The Great Depression happened in 1929.
3. The hyperinflation crisis took place in 1923.
C 4. Jack the Ripper commit his murders in Whitechapel.
Communicate
Clearly 5. To catch Jack the Ripper, police used techniques such as interviews, ID
parades, careful observation, suspect sketches.
U 6. An example of a major crime from the middle ages was treason.
Understand
the task
7. The Witch Finder General was Matthew Hopkins.
8. The two London police forces were Metropolitan Police; City of London Police.
S
Sit up,
listen and
engage Teacher Tools
 FOCUS Title: How did the Nazis policies Date:
F control the German youth? Sunday 21 January 2024
Face the
teacher

O Objective: to understand how the Nazis controlled young people

Organised
and ready to
learn

C Outcome:
Communicate
Clearly To be able to
Describe the methods Hitler used to control young people.
U
Understand
the task

S
Sit up,
listen and
engage Teacher Tools
 1. Education

Gleichschaltung for Young People

(Nazi Policies towards young people)

2. Youth Groups
 Key term

Indoctrination

Influence to change minds a.k.a.

‘brain washing’

How did the Nazis indoctrinate

children?
The indoctrination of children started when they were
very young – these were the ‘Class of 1940’
The Nazis controlled
education – there was a
Nationalist Socialist
curriculum
Total loyalty to the Fuhrer
The Nazi Youth promoted militarism and loyalty - antisemitism
The League of German Maidens
There was adulation for the Fuhrer amongst the
German youth – male and female
1) Give two things you can infer from Source B about the Nazi policies towards young
males. (4 marks)

i) What I can infer

I can infer about..that…

Details in the source that tell me this:

I know this because…

ii) What I can infer

I can infer about…that…

Details in the source that tell me this:

Source B: image of Hitler Youth on parade,
I know this because… 1937
 Nazi Policies towards the Young (Gleichschaltung)

• Total loyalty to Hitler as Fuhrer; To be proud Germans who were loyal to Germany
• To be loyal members of the Nazi Party and believe in Nazi policies.
• To be strong and healthy and be prepared for their future roles in society– girls for childbearing – boys for being soldiers and workers.
Point Evidence
Education Schools
• Courage and athletic ability were praised over academic ability highly.
• Separate schools for boys and girls
• Special Napola SS schools focussed on military training and fitness: graduates joined SS units.
• Adolf Hitler Schools trained ‘elite’ of the Hitler Youth for work in the Nazi Party: focus on learning about Nazi policies and glorifying Hitler.
Teachers
• Compulsory for teachers to join the Nazi Party, those that refused were sacked
• Teachers were sent on training courses about Nazi ideals.
• 97% of teachers joined the Nazi Teachers League, an organisation promoting the teaching of Nazi ideas.
• The Nazis totally controlled the education system and what was taught in schools.
• Any resistance by teachers meant they were sacked.
Lessons
• All lessons began with the ‘Heil Hitler’ salute; every classroom had Nazi flags and posters; all textbooks had to be approved by the Nazi Party.
• Racist ideas and anti Semitism (being anti Jewish) were embedded in all subjects e.g. in literature classes only no Jewish authors, only German authors were studied.
Subjects
• 15% of the school day was devoted to PE – and for boys the was an focus on military training.
• Lessons like foreign languages were scrapped and instead more time was spent studying German history, particularly German military successes.
• Students were taught in biology lessons about the superiority of the Aryan race. They were taught that Jews and other races were inferior and Germans should not
marry these races. Children were taught to measure skulls and analyse facial features to classify different racial groups.
• For girls, extra lessons were spent on cookery, sewing to encourage them to be good housewives.

Hitler Youth • After 1936 membership was compulsory for all children from the ages of 14-18.
• Boys wore a military style uniform and completed activities deigned to prepare them for the army e.g. shooting weapons, camping, marching,
• Learnt about Hitler’s ‘greatness’; sang patriotic songs; learnt about the ‘superiority of Aryans’.
• By 1939 the Hitler Youth had 7 million members
• Many young Germans enjoyed the physical activities and working together as group.
• Many other young Germans did not like the rules and having to conform. Limited numbers joined opposition groups like the Swing Youth and Edelweiss Pirates.
League of • Girl’s branch of the Hitler Youth. Girls wore uniforms, but learnt cookery, housework, caring for babies and small children, looking after their future husband.
German • Learnt about Hitler’s ‘greatness’; sang patriotic songs; learnt about the ‘superiority of Aryans’.
Maidens
Answer questions in red
1. Nazis controlled the youth in three ways:

2. The focus of the Hitler Youth’s training was…

3. Intellectual activities were minimised because…

4. The League of German Maidens focused on…

5. Two youth groups who resisted Hitler:

6. These groups were an effective/ineffective opposition to Hitler because…

However, there was some opposition – but this was not a threat to the Nazi
state

Opposition
from the
young

Edelweiss
Pirates Swing Youth
Some youths
were against
the Nazis and
resisted
indoctrination
The Swing Youth
The Edelweiss Pirates
The Swing music of Duke Ellington
 Opposition to the Nazi Party
General • Through the first ten years of Nazi rule there were no attempted coups. Only in the last years of the war were there
Opposition plots against Hitler. Some people refused to join the party. Some refused to give the ‘Heil Hitler’ salute. Some refused to
contribute to Nazi party funds. A few people were even executed for this
• Evidence suggests ordinary Germans resented many aspects of the Nazi regime. People attended meetings, parades and
demonstrations because their jobs depended on it but the show of support was often a pretence. There were no public
complaints or protests. The greatest show of opposition was an anti-Nazi joke.
Opposition • The Edelweiss Pirates were not one group but the name given to a number of gangs that had the same interests and
from Youth: wore similar clothes. In the town of Cologne there was a gang called the Navajos. In the town of Essen there was a gang
Edelweiss called the Roving Dudes. They disliked the rules imposed by the Nazis and did not want to conform.
Pirates
• Edelweiss Pirate groups were working class children. They listened to banned swing music and wrote anti Nazi graffiti
• They wore clothes considered extreme by the Nazis. Dark shorts, checked shirts and white socks
• They had fights with local groups of Hitler Youth
• They loved the countryside and often went hiking and camping.
• There were only ever about 2000 Edelweiss Pirates, the Nazis never considered them to be a serious threat.
Opposition • Children from wealthy and middle class families who loved banned swing music and American style fashions.
from Youth: • They disliked the rules imposed by the Nazis and did not want to conform.
the Swing • Swing Youth organised parties to dance to American swing music, smoke and drink alcohol.
Youth
• They did not take part in the activities of the Hitler Youth.
• The Swing Youth activities were never considered a great treat by the Nazi authorities.
Answer questions in red
1. Nazis controlled the youth in three ways:

2. The focus of the Hitler Youth’s training was…

3. Intellectual activities were minimised because…

4. The League of German Maidens focused on…

5. Two youth groups who resisted Hitler:

6. These groups were an effective/ineffective opposition to Hitler because…

1) Give two things you can infer from Source P about young peoples’ opposition to the
Nazi Party. (4 marks)

i) What I can infer

Source P
I can infer that…

Details in the source that tell me this: Verse from an Edelweiss Pirates song
I know this because… Hitler’s power may lay us low,
And keep us locked in chains,
ii) What I can infer
But we’ll be free again.
I can infer that… We’ve got fists and we can fight.
We’ve got knives and we’ll get them out.
Details in the source that tell me this:
We want freedom don’t we boys?
I know this because… We’re the fighting Navajos.
 FOCUS Title: How did the Nazis policies Date:
F control the German youth? Sunday 21 January 2024
Face the
teacher

O Objective: to understand how the Nazis controlled young people

Organised
and ready to
learn

C Outcome:
Communicate
Clearly To be able to
Describe the methods Hitler used to control young people.
U
Understand
the task

S
Sit up,
listen and
engage Teacher Tools