Policies and Aims towards Young People
Nazi views towards young people
Adolf Hitler said "He alone who owns the youth, owns the future"
Nazi aims towards young people
They wanted to create loyal and obedient Nazis who would lead Germany in the future.
They wanted to create a physically and racially healthy German race.
- Boys needed to be prepared for becoming soldiers in the army.
- Girls needed to be prepared for giving birth to Aryan children.
Nazi policies towards young people
Schools & Education
- Should be focused on strict discipline, obedience and physical education
- Teachers had to join the Nazi Teachers' League where they agreed to teach Nazi ideas and beliefs. Teachers had to swear an oath of loyalty to Hitler. Those who refused were sacked.
- The school curriculum was designed to indoctrinate children children from a very young age so they were continually taught Nazi ideas and beliefs.
- Lessons were often very didactic which meant that the teacher spoke and the students copied it down. Students were discouraged from questioning any Nazi teachings.
- Students who excelled at school were often selected to attend special schools where they were prepared for leaders in the future.
School Subjects
- Physical Education was given 15% of school time as Nazis wanted children to be physically fit and healthy.
- Mathematics required students to answer questions that helped reinforce Nazi beliefs about warfare and struggle between the races.
- History reinforced Nazi history and beliefs.
- Geography taught about the history of German land and Germany's requirements of lebensraum.
- German taught students to be conscious of their national identity.
- Healthy Biology or Race Studies focused on teaching students how to classify racial groups based on physical appearance. Jewish Children in the class were often used as real life examples of 'racial inferiority'.
- Domestic Science was taught to girls, focusing on how to select racial qualities in a man so they could produce racially pure aryan children.