Gateway Chronicle 2022

THE IMPACT OF THE
NAZI REGIME ON THE
YOUTH OF GERMANY
Grace Brown, L6SC
The Nazi regime during the 1930s in
Germany had a significant impact on all
who were subject to its control, with the
youth being one of the most prolifically
targeted groups of them all. Whether it be
through propaganda or perpetuating the
Hitler Myth, the youth of Germany were
targeted for one key reason, they were
seen to be the ones who would shape the
future and continue the legacy of the
regime.
In terms of propaganda aimed at the youth
of Germany, it was ubiquitous, with aims to
promote the union of the Volkgemeinschaft
and embed the values that the Nazi regime
saw as desirable. Interestingly enough,
there were differing values for boys and
girls within the regime, designated roles
that were seen to be the “way things
should be”, and the youth were moulded to
fit these roles and not stray from them. For
boys, they were encouraged to be strong
fighters and be trained to be the soldiers of
the future, being subject to military drills
including learning how to shoot on target
as well and hand to hand combat. In
contrast, girls were expected to be the
perfect wives and mothers, doting on their
husband’s every beck and call. The way
these values were instilled into the youth
was through the various programmes the
Nazis set up, namely the Hitler Youth,
which proved to be incredibly successfully
received by children across Germany, with
82% of all children aged 10 to 18 being a
part of the youth movements by 1939. This
had a profound impact on many young
people, with some becoming more loyal to
the regime than to their own families,
resulting in conflicts within households and
children favouring the establishment to
their own families. This demonstrates that
for some, the effect of propaganda was
very significant, driving issues within their
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