Adolf Hitler was able to gain control of German society by acting as a dynamic leader who adapted …show more content…
By banning the Boy Scouts, Hitler forced children to turn to something much darker, the Hitler Youth. In January of 1933, the Hitler Youth had just 50,000 members, but by the end of the year, it had expanded by 3900%, to over 2 million (USHMM). And as the 1930s continued, the Nazis waged war on groups popular among German youth. Only groups correlated to political movements were banned at first, but by 1936 all youth groups had been prohibited, including Boy Scouts, and forced members to join the Hitler Youth instead. Jewish children were the only ones not forced into the program. By 1937 every non-Jewish boy in Germany was required to be part of the Hitler Youth. Hitler said of the nations youth in a 1938 speech: “The weak must be chiselled away. I want young men and women who can suffer pain. A young German must be as swift as a greyhound, as tough as leather, and as hard as Krupp’s steel” (Adolf Hitler). One young boy refused and was forced to pay the price. A group of Nazi Youth harassed and then attacked the Boy Scout and stabbed him in his hand. The boy fought back and cut his assailant’s face with the knife. As the Hitler Youth became the only way to get scouting experience, many joined. By 1939, ninety percent of German children were part of the Hitler Youth. Banning scouting sent a message to the children and teenagers who may have otherwise unified and rebelled: obey or be punished. By targeting the younger generation, Hitler was brainwashing children all the while training the next generation of military