Hitler Youth Research Paper

Words: 871
Pages: 4

The government of Nazi Germany was a ruthless totalitarian state. Totalitarian regimes, as opposed to mere dictatorships, establish absolute political, social, and cultural control over the population. By playing on the worldwide distress caused by the Great Depression, Adolf Hitler was able to rapidly climb the ranks with promises of income and food. It later became clear his plan for accomplishing such a task was to wipe out millions of Jews who were not part of the pure Aryan race. Hitler was able to gain control of Germany by being a dynamic leader who established control over individuals as well as the entire state to accomplish his goals.
Adolf Hitler was able to gain control of German society by acting as a dynamic leader who adapted
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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