How Did Hitler and the Nazis Use Youth and Education in Their Endeavours to Develop a Third Reich in Germany?

How did Hitler and the Nazis use youth and education in their endeavours to develop a Third Reich in Germany?
Hitler focused on the youth of Germany because he believed that the Third Reich in Germany would last a 1000 years so why waste time and resources on the older people of Germany? The youth of Germany were open to manipulation because they were vulnerable from World War 1. Also there were already structures in place where Hitler could educate young people on the Nazis. Hitler thought that it would be easy to separate the children from their parents and thus from the past. He thought this because the parents had a different upbringing from their children. Pressure was a way to get young people to either support the Nazis or join them, if their friends where getting involved then they would want to, too. Hitler had thought of many was in which to use youth and education in their endeavours to develop a Third Reich in Germany.
Hitler saw that there where many systems in place to which he could use to educate the youth of Germany, such were they education and work force system. When Hitler came to power his views were almost impossible to challenge because to challenge him was meet with horrendous consequences such as death. When Hitler made learning about Nazism compulsory no body dared to challenge him. Education has previously been the responsibility of the State, it was then later centralised and Nazified. Youths were often being drilled about the Nazis and how great a movement it was. Some people believe that in a sense they were brain washed because of how impossible it was to look through all of Hitler’s work and because they never got a chance to stand back and truly look at the Nazis.
Hitler came up with a way to manipulate the youths of Germany through groups. Multiple Nazi groups for the youths of Germany were formed. Some of these were the Hitlerjugend (boys aged 14 to 18), League of German Maidens ( girls 14 to 18), for children of 10 to 14 there was groups similar to that of which was just mentioned. Once they became adults they either became part of Faith and Beauty (women) or for the men they joined State Labour Service and after serving for 6 months they would then join the German armed forces or SS. Joining the Hitler Youth group soon became compulsory. Through these groups Hitler was able to manipulate adolescents by enlisting them in these youth groups.
World war 1 affected the German soldiers heavily, Hitler came up with new ways to disconnect the new Germany from the defeated one. He separated teenagers from their parents dividing them into two groups, new Germany (the youths) and old Germany (the parents). He made the parents seem unwilling to cooperate with Hitler’s new ways and convinced the youths see this as wrong. Children started to learn about all the great things that Nazi’s do, they then became a part of the youth groups which taught them such things as using a rifle or machine gun. After the children had finished learning they were sent home to their parents where the Nazi’s hoped, the children would see that they have nothing in common with their parents.
Hitler’s main focus was on the youth groups; something that added to the well thought out plan was that through these youth groups, pressure would arise among young people. Two kinds of pressure would surface; one being that of which a friend has joined a group and then his or her friends feel as if they should too and the other one is that of which to please their parents and the Nazis. A strict rehem was in place where discipline was taught and enforced. To step out of line would have held huge consequences; the weight that pressing down on a child’s shoulders would have been massive. Hitler saw this as a great way to prepare them for a life in the army serving Germany. Also, seeing a friend in a place which offers new skills that where before not available to them normally made people want to join.
Manipulation, Pressure and youth groups where just a few of the ways in which Hitler and the Nazis used the youth and education of Germany to help them with their endeavours to develop the Third Reich. Hitler had the uttermost belief that the Third Reich in Germany would last for a 1000 years. He saw no point in concentrating of the older people of Germany. He saw it more fit to put money into educating and enforcing Nazism on the youth. Can you see that Hitler had a cunning plan, if the adolescents where taught to love the Nazis then they would then go on to support them throughout their adult lives.

Bibliography:
Source: The Oxford Companion To World War 2.

Source: Victory The Epic of World War 2. 1939-1945.

Walsh, Ben, Modern World History, John Murray, London, 2001.

Hoepper, B., Henderson, D., Gray, I., Hennessey, J. & Lewis, R., Inquiry 1: A Source-Based Approach to Modern History, The Jacaranda Press, Milton, 1996.

Walsh, B. (Ed.) (2001 ). GCSE Modern World History. John Murray Publishing. London p. 2-169

Bibliography: Source: The Oxford Companion To World War 2. Source: Victory The Epic of World War 2. 1939-1945. Walsh, Ben, Modern World History, John Murray, London, 2001. Hoepper, B., Henderson, D., Gray, I., Hennessey, J. & Lewis, R., Inquiry 1: A Source-Based Approach to Modern History, The Jacaranda Press, Milton, 1996. Walsh, B. (Ed.) (2001 ). GCSE Modern World History. John Murray Publishing. London p. 2-169