“I swear: I will be faithful and obedient to the leader of the German Reich and people, Adolf Hitler, to observe the law, and to conscientiously fulfill my official duties, so help me God”, said the young boys and girls of the Hitler Youth. With this oath the children are sworn to be faithful and obedient, observe the law, and fulfill their duties on a daily basis, these are just the basics. The Hitler Youth program was an organization made by Adolf Hitler to train German boys and girls into becoming future soldiers and fighters for the cause of the Nazis.
The Hitler Youth organization consisted of many German boys and girls. By 1935 the organization had almost 60 percent of German boys. Most of the males there were aged from 14 to 18 years of age. By the time Hitler came to power in 1933, hundreds of thousands of kids were a part of Boy Scout programs. Boy Scouts first started in Europe in 1909 and quickly spread to Germany. According to Britannica, “By January 1933, there were 50,000 members of the Hitler Youth”. 10,000-15,000 girls were a part of the Hitler Youth group by 1932. Girl groups focused on things like rhythmic gymnastics and winter coat drives.
The purpose of the Hitler Youth organization was to train German boys and girls into becoming Nazi and military-type material. These children had to go through many different trainings and challenges. The children had to go through a lot of brainwashing. As Mark O'Neill says in his article 'Children in the Hitler Youth', “Once the children were born they were told what to do, what to say, and what to think”. Girls had to be able to run 60 meters in 14 seconds, throw a ball 12 meters, complete a 2-hour march, swim 100 meters, and know how to make a bed. They were taught that their sole purpose in life was to give birth to healthy children as many times as possible and to be loyal to their husbands. The History Place article 'Hitler Youth: Hitler's Boy Soldiers' states that “boys, when they reached the age of 10, joined the Deutsches Jungvolk, until the age of 13 when they transferred to the Hitler Jugend, until the age of 18 they then transferred to the military, unless a medical problem or other circumstances made them exempt”.
The German economy has many different opinions on the Hitler Youth organization. Some think it's good for their kids, while others think that it's a bad form of government. People would start riots and revolt, against it. The economy does many things to show that they either hate the idea or show its appreciation. The economic hardships of the Great Depression made many anti-democratic groups push into action against the Nazis and the German military. Parents tried in vain to discourage their children from talking with Hitler Youths. Another piece of information on History Place says in their text: “The Roman Catholic Church, which had its own extensive youth organization, restricted young members from joining” ('Hitler Youth: Hitler's Boy Soldiers'). On the other hand, some parents saw their children as extremely honored, proud, and blessed. This fact was said in the Facing History & Ourselves article 'Joining the Hitler Youth': “Hitler Youth members were later seen as heroes throughout the war and were the ultimate honor”. There are many different opinions on the Hitler Youth organization, it all depends on how you view it.
With the information and details above, we can all say that the Hitler Youth organization definitely had an impact on German society and the environment. We can see that just by the facts Hitler was a very strict and enforcing person. This shows a lot about who he is and what type of personality he has. The Hitler Youth organization is whatever you make it, some say it was good and some say it was bad.