The Hitler Youth: The Most Powerful Organizations In Nazi Germany (Essay Sample)

Hitler Youth Name Instructor Institution Course Date The Hitler Youth was one of the most powerful organizations in Nazi Germany. It received considerable support from the government to such an extent that it became among the most successful youth organizations in history. This organization was used by the Nazi Party as a means of making sure that the opinions of the youth in Germany were shaped to reflect the party’s agenda for the country. A result was that an entire generation of individuals ended up being exposed to the propaganda of the Nazis to such an extent that it shaped the way that they thought for the rest of their lives. This paper makes an analysis of the Hitler Youth, specifically its having been a recruitment arm for the Nazi Party, its role in the spread of Nazi ideology, and the effects on the organization on its members. One of the most significant aspects of the Hitler Youth was that it was made mandatory. This process took place following the Nazi takeover of Germany, which resulted in a situation where there was a need to ensure that the future of the party was secured. It involved encouraging parents to allow their children to join this organization, with a number of incentives put in place. Among the most noteworthy incentives was that the children involved in this organization would be able to gain an easier career path than their counterparts, because they would be given priority. Such incentives ensured that a considerable number of parents pushed their children into joining the Hitler Youth, and this was essential because it led to a majority of children in the country being a part of the organization. It essentially became an exclusive club meant only for Aryan youth, to the exclusion of any other ethnic groups that were in Germany. Those German parents who refused to allow their children to join the organization tended to end up being investigated while their children faced considerable discrimination within the school and work environments. Thus, many parents were forced or coerced into allowing their children entry into the organization mainly because of the need to conform rather than any convictions concerning its viability. A consequence of this situation was that the children who were a part of the Hitler Youth were exposed to the Nazi propaganda, which was used to ensure that the minds of these youth were prepared for their future role within the state.[ADDIN EN.CITE <EndNote><Cite><Author>Kunzer</Author><Year>1938</Year><RecNum>136</RecNum><Pages>347</Pages><DisplayText>Edward J Kunzer, &quot;The Youth of Nazi Germany,&quot; <style face="italic">The Journal of Educational Sociology</style> 11, no. 6 (1938): 347.</DisplayText><record><rec-number>136</rec-number><foreign-keys><key app="EN" db-id="axpfs2xwpvexwle0z05x2proe2rparfrx9pd" timestamp="1533446601">136</key></foreign-keys><ref-type name="Journal Article">17</ref-type><contributors><authors><author>Kunzer, Edward J</author></authors></contributors><titles><title>The Youth of Nazi Germany</title><secondary-title>The Journal of Educational Sociology</secondary-title></titles><periodical><full-title>The Journal of Educational Sociology</full-title></periodical><pages>342-350</pages><volume>11</volume><number>6</number><dates><year>1938</year></dates><isbn>0885-3525</isbn><urls></urls></record></Cite></EndNote>Edward J Kunzer, "The Youth of Nazi Germany," The Journal of Educational Sociology 11, no. 6 (1938): 347.] [ADDIN EN.CITE <EndNote><Cite><Author>Kater</Author><Year>2009</Year><RecNum>133</RecNum><Pages>15</Pages><DisplayText>Michael H Kater, <style face="italic">Hitler Youth</style> (Harvard University Press, 2009), 15.</DisplayText><record><rec-number>133</rec-number><foreign-keys><key app="EN" db-id="axpfs2xwpvexwle0z05x2proe2rparfrx9pd" timestamp="1533444944">133</key></foreign-keys><ref-type name="Book">6</ref-type><contributors><authors><author>Kater, Michael H</author></authors></contributors><titles><title>Hitler youth</title></titles><dates><year>2009</year></dates><publisher>Harvard University Press</publisher><isbn>0674039351</isbn><urls></urls></record></Cite></EndNote>Michael H Kater, Hitler Youth (Harvard University Press, 2009), 15.] [ADDIN EN.CITE <EndNote><Cite><Author>Fulbrook</Author><Year>2011</Year><RecNum>140</RecNum><Pages>140</Pages><DisplayText>Mary Fulbrook, <style face="italic">Dissonant Lives: Generations and Violence through the German Dictatorships</style> (Oxford University Press, 2011), 140.</DisplayText><record><rec-number>140</rec-number><foreign-keys><key app="EN" db-id="axpfs2xwpvexwle0z05x2proe2rparfrx9pd" timestamp="1533447857">140</key></foreign-keys><ref-type name="Book">6</ref-type><contributors><authors><author>Fulbrook, Mary</author></authors></contributors><titles><title>Dissonant lives: generations and violence through the German dictatorships</title></titles><dates><year>2011</year></dates><publisher>Oxford University Press</publisher><isbn>0199287201</isbn><urls></urls></record></Cite></EndNote>Mary Fulbrook, Dissonant Lives: Generations and Violence through the German Dictatorships (Oxford University Press, 2011), 140.] A major role of the Hitler Youth was to act as a recruitment base for the various security services that were under Nazi control. This organization was critical when it came to the training of its members in the use of arms as well as other military tactics; essentially providing paramilitary training. The result was that it was an ideal recruitment ground for the Nazi security forces, which had trained recruits for its various divisions. In addition, the Hitler Youth was critical for recruiting because it prepared its members psychologically for their role in the future of the state. Thus, the teaching of Nazi propaganda as well as the promotion of the superiority of Germans as the master race was ingrained in the youth to such an extent that they were able to positively view the actions of the state. When the time came for recruitment, most of these individuals were quite eager; resulting in a situation where the organization essentially became an extension of the Nazi party and its state apparatus. It can be considered to have been one of the most important areas when it came to the development and sustainability of the state because it was one of the places where the indoctrination of the youth was conducted. For the members of the Hitler Youth, it was a main means of achieving social advancement, because membership in the organization created academic and career openings which were unavailable for nonmembers; the latter often facing considerable discrimination because their parents had not allowed them to join or were against the organization’s ideals.[ADDIN EN.CITE <EndNote><Cite><Author>Rempel</Author><Year>1989</Year><RecNum>135</RecNum><Pages>22</Pages><DisplayText>Gerhard Rempel, <style face="italic">Hitler&apos;s Children: The Hitler Youth and the Ss</style> (UNC Press Books, 1989), 22.</DisplayText><record><rec-number>135</rec-number><foreign-keys><key app="EN" db-id="axpfs2xwpvexwle0z05x2proe2rparfrx9pd" timestamp="1533445206">135</key></foreign-keys><ref-type name="Book">6</ref-type><contributors><authors><author>Rempel, Gerhard</author></authors></contributors><titles><title>Hitler&apos;s children: the Hitler Youth and the SS</title></titles><dates><year>1989</year></dates><publisher>UNC Press Books</publisher><isbn>0807842990</isbn><urls></urls></record></Cite></EndNote>Gerhard Rempel, Hitler's Children: The Hitler Youth and the Ss (UNC Press Books, 1989), 22.] [ADDIN EN.CITE <EndNote><Cite><Author>Kater</Author><Year>2009</Year><RecNum>133</RecNum><Pages>94</Pages><DisplayText>Kater, 94.</DisplayText><record><rec-number>133</rec-number><foreign-keys><key app="EN" db-id="axpfs2xwpvexwle0z05x2proe2rparfrx9pd" timestamp="1533444944">133</key></foreign-keys><ref-type name="Book">6</ref-type><contributors><authors><author>Kater, Michael H</author></authors></contributors><titles><title>Hitler youth</title></titles><dates><year>2009</year></dates><publisher>Harvard University Press</publisher><isbn>0674039351</isbn><urls></urls></record></Cite></EndNote>Kater, 94.] The Hitler Youth was made use of by the Nazis as a means of controlling the state. This organization was one that for the most part either involved members who were devout believers in the Nazi doctrine of Aryanization and racial ideologies, or the place where even those who did not believe in the beginning were indoctrinated.A result of this situa...