How Was Successful Nazi Policy In The Years 1933 - 1945 - Essay Example

How Successful Was Nazi Policy Towards Youth And Women In The Years 1933 - 1945? Table of Contents Introduction 3 Youth 3 Aim 3 Youth Groups 4 Education- Primary to University 5 Youth Opposition 6 Wartime 7 Women 7 Aim 7 Employment 8 Welfare- Medical Service Improved 8 Birth Rate 9 Education 10 Public Life 10 Marriage 11 Loyalty to Hitler Repression 11 Health 12 Other Directives on Fashion and Appearance 12 Conclusion 12 References 14 Introduction The National Socialist German Workers’ Party (NSDAP) commonly known as the Nazi Party succeeded “German Workers’ Party” starting from the year 1920. It has experienced its peak under the influential leadership of Adolf Hitler. Notably, during the period ranging from 1933 to 1945, the Nazis had flourished themselves quite considerably owing to their absolute control over the nation’s women and youth. In this regard, it will be vital to mention that the Nazi party had understood the importance of women and youth in the future and likewise they placed significant priorities related to these groups in their policies (History, 2014). In order to develop a comprehensive understanding about the policies of the Nazis towards women and youth and its subsequent effect, this particular study will focus on affirming whether the policies of the Nazis succeeded in attaining the goals of the party. Youth Aim The Nazi Party was known for conducting its activities in a systematic manner. The party was structured into several layers including the leader i.e. Hitler himself, the supporting leaders and the regional leaders among others. All of them have their own set of responsibilities which ultimately intended towards presenting the party as one of the most powerful in Germany and the world. One of the major aims of the Nazis for the youth of the nation was towards indoctrinating the youth of the nation. The Nazis has understood the importance of youth in the future and likewise they placed significant priorities related to these groups in their policies. They were encouraged to join the Nazi force right from their young age and were provided with proper training and academic knowledge (History, 2014). The youth were also influenced to imbibe into the culture and ideologies of Nazis. Both Boys and girls had different roles during the regime of Hitler. Boys were encouraged and prepared to join the Nazis while the girls were influenced to enhance their ability to manage household affairs. Furthermore, training was provided to both the boys and girls to make them physically fit so that they can contribute positively towards developing a powerful Germany. All these aspects intended towards fulfilling the long-term aims and objective of the Nazis to build a strong next generation and resilient Germany. Youth Groups Two major groups bind the youth of the nation during the reign of Nazis. These group comprise the Hitler youth group and league of the German maidens. In the youth group under the reign of Hitler led Nazi Germany, boys at the age of 10 were influenced to join the Jungvolk (Young Folk). At the age of 14, it is expected that the boys will join the Hitler youth committee which include activities such as camping and hiking. The Hitler led Nazi mainly focused towards enhancing the physical fitness along with proper military training for the youth right from the very beginning of the Nazi era. In addition, the membership of the youth in the Nazi movement made compulsory for the boys. On the other hand, ‘League of the German Maidens’ predominately included the German girls. Nazi led German was also focused towards providing training to the teenagers so that they could join the Nazi defence force. Hitler also instructed schools that the girls should be taught about Nationalist as well as racist beliefs so that they could embed well into the Nazi culture. In this particular regard, Hitler started the youth movement (1933-1945) where the young girls of age 10-14 were need to learn the ideologies of Nazi along with other activities such as camping and athletics among others so that they could be able to get physical fitness and enhance the prospects of future Nazi soldier. The Hitler led Nazi Germany considered the youth of the country to be among the most vital assets. Contextually, they attempted to control girls and embed them into the Nazi culture right from the beginner stage. All these approaches of the Nazi were intended towards presenting a united Germany where only the Nazi ideas could prevail. Furthermore, in order to ensure proper control over the girl youth population, the Nazi government intended to influence the parents of the children and instruct them to imbibe the Nazi culture within themselves. Through his policies, Hitler mainly conveyed to the youth of the nation which includes both boys and girls that there is no place for the weak people in the Nazi led Germany and the youth should be ready to deal with the challenges. Both the girl and the boy population were considered equally important for the growth of the society. The popularity of the groups has increased considerably in the course of time as membership in these groups has increased considerably since their inception. This is because of the fact that Nazis had made the membership in the youth groups compulsory and owing to which the number of members in these groups has increased in a rapid manner. This approach of the Nazis had further ensured the formation of a better disciplined youth group within the nation for the subsequent generation. Education- Primary to University Considerable changes were experienced in the domain of education system of the nation especially for the youth to ensure noteworthy control over them. The Nazis had major influence on the education system of the nation. The schools were being decorated with the symbols of Nazi and they were taught songs relevant to Nazism so that the sense of loyalty can be ensured amid the youth right from the very young age. Furthermore, the teachers at school were also encouraged to join the national movement. Likewise, they took over the entire education system of the nation and embedded the ideologies of the Nazism within the teenage boys and girls (Dearn, 2006). However, there were certain negative impacts of the approach. The education system for the youth was also deemed to be irrelevant and was mainly concentrated towards promoting the Nazi ideologies. This had obstructed the youth of the nation to avail proper education for them. The activities for the youth can be better comprehended from the aspect that the activities developed for the youth were mainly dominated by the physical activities rather than focusing on the intellectual knowledge for the youth. This has become one of the major loopholes in the academic leaning process for the youth. The discipline aspect had also become quite less amid the students owing to the policies of the Nazis with regard to the education system. Notably, few of the teachers of the school during that particular period determined that barely few people use to attend the meetings of Hitler as they get tired from the stern activities during the training. The gradually declining interest of the German people can be considered as potential loophole that hindered the success of Nazis up to an extent. Youth Opposition Number of youth groups were developed which exhibited denial to the approaches and policies of the Nazis. This group had the believed that the youth population of the nation were entirely supportive towards the autocratic policies of Hitler. Some of the groups of the youth opposition included ‘the Edelweiss Pirates’ ‘The Swing Youth’ and ‘White Rose’ among others. The Edelweiss Pirates movement mainly worked towards safeguarding the rights of the male youth. Their policy mainly included working against the will of the Nazis and their ideologies so that a sense of revolution can be provoked. The Swing Youth involved conducting the activities relevant to non-Germanic views to overcome the ideologies of the Nazi party. Likewise, the White Rose movement involves against Hitler and his ideologies to develop a resilient German society. Though all this movement were isolated from one another, their collective aim and objective were deemed to be quite common (History Learning, 2014). Wartime Conscription had been one of the most widely renowned policies of the Nazi led Germany. The Nazis had made the participation of the youth compulsory in the movement of forming a resilient German military unit. In this regard, continuous training has been provided to the youth right from their teenage days so that their physical fitness can be assured to a larger extent. The youth especially including the boys were further influenced to join armed force of the nation to serve the same during wartime. Women Aim The emergence of Nazi policies relevant to the women in the nation, led to a dramatic transformation. The approach of the Nazis was gender oriented as man and women had segregated position within the society. The role of the women were limited to domestic employment including mothers and housewives where they were entirely bestowed with the responsibility of producing the next generation for the Nazi led Germany. The policies of the Nazis mainly included providing interest free loans to the Women population along with other rewards. Employment The policies presented by the government in the employment sector reflected the rigid treatment towards the women population of the nation (The University of Vermont, 2014). Notably, as per an Act i.e. Marriage Loan Act (1933), the newly married women or couples was liable to get interest free loans directly funded by the government of the Nazi led Germany. The loan provided to the couples by the government was in the form of vouchers with regard to furniture and other household commodities. However, in order to make them eligible for the loan, women were instructed to leave their jobs bestow most of their time toward becoming good mothers. Historical data revealed that more than 224,619 couples made themselves eligible for the loan offered by the government. However, by the end of 1943, bans of employment on the women were lifted. Apart from that within the employment sector, young girls were mainly trained to conduct activities like cleaning and other social work. Welfare- Medical Service Improved Notably, there was a substantial increase in the mortality rate during the mid 1930s in Germany. The infant mortality rate had mainly increased owing to the lifestyle of the women where they get little time to manage their child after birth owing to their professional commitment. However, the Nazi government had emerged with policies where woman population of the nation was manipulated to leave their job so that their concentration can be diverted towards managing of household activities. Owing to this particular policy of the Nazi government, there had been a substantial increase in the birth rate of the nation and a sharp decline in the overall death mortality rate. Birth Rate Hitler demanded his allies to adopt measures in improving the birth rate of Germany. Marriage Loan Act (1933) is considered to be the first major step of the Nazis to increase the national birth rate of the country. Accordingly the women population of the nation were encouraged to concentrate more on fulfilling their household duties and motherhood other than spending their time in delivering their professional commitments. Furthermore, in 1934, the Nazi government has declared Mother’s Day as an official national holiday owing to the initiatives of ‘Ministry of Propaganda’. Apparently, Mother’s Day celebrated on May 17 was a noteworthy step of the government towards influencing the women to have more and more children as well as safeguarding the nation’s interest. During Mother’s Day, the government of the nation had decided to give away awards to mothers with an Honour Cross. Women with four or more children were awarded with the Bronze Cross while with six or more than that were entitled to receive Silver Cross. Furthermore, Hitler himself awarded women with eight children or more with Gold Cross (The University of Vermont, 2014; Pearson, 2014). This approach also promoted the birth rate within the nation. Education With regard to the education sector of the nation, both men and women were provided equal priority during the Nazi regime. The girls of the nation were provided with opportunities to pursue the secondary education. Hitler clearly reflected through his polices that women of all classes should be provided with equal opportunity of education in alignment of what is provided to the male population. Evidently Hitler led Germans mainly encourage the girl population to know about the past history of the nation so that they could play a commendable role in ascertaining a strong future for the nation in the global world. Hitler believed that proper education for the girls will enable them to understand their role in strengthening the position of the nation and likewise they can manage their lifestyle in alignment to the same. However the physical training provided to the youth were also quite stern in nature as it included “athletics, marching, bayonet drill, grenade throwing, trench digging, map reading and gas defence among others. All these aspects further deteriorated the mental and physical health of the youth (London Jewish Cultural Centre, 2011). Again in 1939, the Nazis emerge with policies were the women population of Germany were restricted to have sexual contact with the war prisoners and foreign workers. This approach was mainly concentrated towards keeping the ideologies and cultures of the Nazis intact (Wollheim, n.d.). Public Life The place of the woman in the society during the regime were thought to be limited towards producing children with the master race for ensuring strong and powerful Germany Notably, the role of the women within the government led by Nazi was only restricted to biological purpose. As a result of this approach women were seen to have become reluctant towards any external work as they were subject to little appreciation for the same. Apart from these aspects, the approach of the government towards rewarding the women with more children further affected their intellectuality in a negative manner (Bendersky, 2000). Marriage In the domain of marriage, the Nazis have developed the Marriage Loan Act (1933). As per this particular Act, were provided with interest free loans for household purpose if they leave their job and concentrate more on motherhood and managing children and husband. Notably, among the several policies that have been enacted by the Nazis for the women, the approach of marriage loan Act was deemed of the most successful among the schemes of Nazi. This is because of the fact that owing to the emergence of this particular Act the birth rate of the children has become quite high and continued the same in a considerable manner. Loyalty to Hitler Repression The Nazi party realised the need for supporting the women population with which a stronger Nazi led Germany could be developed. The girl population were mainly taught to deal with household affairs such as homemaking and taking care of the children. Women during the reign of Hitler were force or influenced to give birth to more children so that they can further serve the military of the nation. The role of the women in the society were promoted as well as restricted only towards motherhood (Bendersky, 2000). Health The women in the society were encouraged to be healthy so that they could give birth to master race. Young girls were encouraged to take measures to improve their health and beauty right from their teenage (London Jewish Cultural Centre, 2011). Other Directives on Fashion and Appearance Women in the Nazi led Germany were encouraged to imitate and wear traditional German apparel with regard to their fashion and appearance. Women were also urged to wear pleasant costumes along with hair tied in buns. Furthermore, the women population were instructed to wear make-up and dye hair on a regularly (London Jewish Cultural Centre, 2011). Conclusion The era from1933 to 1945 where Hitler led Nazi ruled the people of Germany had both positive and negative aspects. Notably, during the regime of Hitler led Germany, they firmly believed that both the youth and women population had the potential to contribute positively towards the creating a strong and powerful German society and hence they fostered policies that highly prioritised these group. Observably, as per the study Nazis had developed loan policies for the women with the criteria that they need to focus entirely on their family life by eliminating professional domain. Correspondingly, the policies incorporated by the Nazis can be argued to achieve the intended goals but it also has certain negative influence in the sphere dealing with women liberty. Hence, from the overall analysis it can be concluded that the policies of the Nazis towards youth and women were indeed successful. References Alpha History, No Date. Children in Nazi Germany. Home. [Online] Available at: http://alphahistory.com/nazigermany/children-in-nazi-germany/ [Accessed Aug 05, 2014]. Bendersky, J. W., 2000. A History of Nazi Germany: 1919-1945. Rowman & Littlefield. BBC, 2014. Changing Life in Germany. News. [Online] Available at: http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/gcsebitesize/history/tch_wjec/germany19291947/2economicsocialpolicy5.shtml [Accessed Aug 05, 2014]. Dearn, A., 2006. The Hitler Youth 1933-45. Osprey Publishing. History, 2014. Nazi Party. Article. [Online] Available at: http://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/nazi-party [Accessed Aug 05, 2014]. History Learning Site, 2014. Hitler Youth Movement. Home. [Online] Available at: http://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/hitler_youth.htm [Accessed Aug 05, 2014]. History Learning, 2014. Youth Opposition in Nazi Germany. Home. [Online] Available at: http://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/youth_opposition_nazi_germany.htm [Accessed Aug 07, 2014]. London Jewish Cultural Centre, 2011. The Role of Women in Nazi Germany. Home. [Online] Available at: http://www.theholocaustexplained.org/ks4/the-nazification-of-germany/impact-of-the-nazi-state/the-role-of-women-in-nazi-germany/#.U-ByPWOsy1s [Accessed Aug 05, 2014]. Pearson, 2014. The Nazis Impact on Young People. Home. [Online] Available at: https://www.pearsonschoolsandfecolleges.co.uk/Secondary/History/14-16_for_Edexcel/EdexcelGCSEHistoryBSHP/Samples/EdexcelGCSESchoolsHistoryProjectSamplePages/SHP_sample_spreads.pdf [Accessed Aug 05, 2014]. St Dunstans School, 2014. How Successful Were Nazi Policies Towards Youth? Home. [Online] Available at: http://www.st-dunstans.somerset.sch.uk/docs/KS4_Coursework_Controlled_Assessment/History/Unit_2-Germany/6_Germany_Hitler_Youth_revision_and_tasks.pdf [Accessed Aug 05, 2014]. The University of Vermont, 2014. Mothers and Aryan Women. Home. [Online] Available at: http://blog.uvm.edu/jscontom/mothers-and-aryan-women/ [Accessed Aug 05, 2014]. Wollheim, N., No Date. Living Conditions of Female Foreign Civilian Labourers. Home. [Online] Available at: http://blog.uvm.edu/jscontom/mothers-and-aryan-women/ [Accessed Aug 07, 2014]. Read More