Nazi Policies Towards Women, Youth & Education (Edexcel IGCSE History: Paper 1: Depth Studies): Revision Note
Exam code: 4HI1
Summary
The Nazis had traditional ideas about the roles of women, young people and education
They aimed at building a healthy, obedient, "racially pure" population
Women were pushed out of careers and politics
They were encouraged, through propaganda, loans and medals, to marry young and have large families
However, rearmament later forced the Nazis to bring women back into work
Nazi youth organisations grew from a small movement in 1926 to nearly 9 million members by 1939, when membership became compulsory
They combined popular activities with military drills, racial indoctrination and pressure to inform on parents
Schools taught Nazi beliefs in almost every subject, from 'Race Studies' to biology
Teachers were forced to join a Nazi association or lose their jobs
Nazi policies towards women
Reversing the position of women
During the 1920s, women had played an increasingly important role in German society
Many worked as teachers, doctors and civil servants
10% of Reichstag members were women
The Nazis wanted to stop this and, worried by a falling birth rate, wanted women to focus on home and family
The Nazis summed up a woman's role as the three Ks: Kinder, Küche, Kirche (children, kitchen, church)
From 1933, women were pushed out of professional jobs
Nearly all 19,000 female civil servants and 15% of women teachers lost their jobs
From 1936 women could no longer be judges
Encouraging motherhood
A huge propaganda campaign encouraged large families
Contraception and abortion were banned
The 1933 Law for the Encouragement of Marriage offered loans of 1,000 marks to young couples, as long as the wife gave up paid work
Medals, later called the Mother's Crosses, were awarded for large families
The German Women's Enterprise Organisation trained women in household skills
Bringing women back to the workplace
As rearmament grew, Germany needed more workers, especially once more men joined the army
The Nazis relaxed limits on women working
By 1939, the number of women working was 50% higher than in 1933
Examiner Tips and Tricks
When judging how far the Nazis changed life for women, keep these two periods in mind.
Between 1933 and 1936, the Nazis reversed many of the advances that women had made in the Weimar Republic.
From 1937, rearmament created a shortage of workers, so the Nazis had to reverse their policy and bring women back into work. This undermined much of their earlier propaganda about women.
Nazi policies towards the young
Nazi beliefs about the youth
Before 1933, many youth groups existed
Churches or political parties often ran them
Hitler and the Nazis wanted to create a Third Reich that would last a thousand years
Hitler was aware that adults in Nazi Germany had mixed opinions of the Nazi Party
Adults were more difficult to influence and change than young people
Control of the youth and future generations would ensure that the Nazi Party would always be supported
Nazi youth organisations
The Nazis had founded the Hitler Youth in 1926
Membership was small
The Nazis decided to ban all rival youth groups, except for those linked to the Catholic Church
The Hitler Youth Law of 1936 made the Hitler Youth the only legal youth organisation and put strong pressure on young people to join
From 1939, the law was stricter and membership became compulsory
By 1939, nine million young people were members, in four organisations:
Young German Folk (boys 10–14)
German Young Girls (girls 10–14)
Hitler Youth (boys 14–18)
The League of German Maidens (girls 14–18)
Activities of the Hitler Youth and League of German Maidens
Nazi policies towards education
Hitler knew that control of children’s education would allow him to create a generation of Nazis loyal to him
Bernhard Rust was made Education Minister in 1934 and made several changes to teachers and schools
Teachers
Those not loyal to the Nazi regime were sacked
They swore an oath of loyalty to Hitler and joined the Nazi Teachers’ League
Membership of the Nazi Party was also heavily encouraged
Teachers had several responsibilities at school
Taught students the Nazi salute
Began and ended each lesson with ‘Heil Hitler’
Placed posters, Nazi flags and a picture of Hitler in each classroom
Curriculum
Boys and girls were educated separately
The Nazis took control of the curriculum so that they could influence children’s beliefs
Changes to the curriculum in Nazi Germany
After 1935, all textbooks had to be approved by the Nazis
All books contained pictures of Hitler
Mein Kampf became a compulsory text
Events like the First World War were reworded to blame Jewish people and the "November Criminals"
Napolas
Napolas were schools for the most ‘gifted’ and racially pure children
SS members replaced the traditional teachers
The emphasis was on sport and physical training
Students went on to join the SS or police services
By 1939, there were 16 Napolas
Examiner Tips and Tricks
Notice that almost every subject was reshaped, not just the obviously political ones. Even mathematics and biology carried a Nazi message.
Pick two or three specific subjects or examples to add to your answers to show a depth of knowledge
How successful were Nazi policies towards women and the young?
Evidence of success
Nazi policies on women initially succeeded in raising the marriage rate and the birth rate, and in reducing the number of women in paid work
Nazi youth policy reached almost an entire generation
By 1939, nine million young people belonged to a Nazi youth organisation
Many young people genuinely enjoyed the activities with Nazi youth organisations
The policy of encouraging young people to report disloyal parents shows that Nazi control reached inside the family
Evidence of limits and failure
By 1939, Nazi policy towards women largely failed
Because rearmament created a shortage of workers, more women were in paid work in 1939 than in 1933
This is the opposite of what the Nazis originally wanted
A modern historian has judged that Nazi youth training produced young people who were "duller and stupider, though healthier individuals"
This suggests a lack of quality of education even where physical fitness improved
Not every young German was won over by Nazi youth organisations
Some young people joined rival groups, such as the Swing Youth, to rebel against Nazi control
Academic standards fell, as time for PE and Nazi ideology replaced academic lessons and "politically unreliable" and Jewish teachers were dismissed
Conclusions
Judged against the Nazis' own aims, the youth policy mostly succeeded
Many young people conformed and were indoctrinated with Nazi ideals
Judged the same way, the women's policy mostly failed
Its central aim of pushing women out of the workforce had to be abandoned once rearmament created a need for additional workers
Judged by their impact on German people
Education and youth policy reached almost every family, while women's policy changed women's lives less than the Nazis intended because rearmament came first
Worked Example
Explain two effects of Nazi policies on young people in Germany in the years 1933–1939.
(8)
Partial answer:
One effect of Nazi policies was that young people came under constant Nazi influence, both at school and in their free time. The curriculum was rewritten so that subjects such as eugenics, biology and history taught Nazi beliefs directly. Outside school, young people were expected to attend Nazi youth groups such as the Hitler Youth as it was compulsory by 1939. This meant a whole generation of German children grew up almost never encountering ideas that challenged Nazi beliefs. This helped build a generation of loyal, convinced supporters by the outbreak of war.
Examiner Tips and Tricks
Effects can be positive or negative.
A second effect might be that young people felt a sense of belonging or that a small number of children judged "racially pure" received elite training in Napolas.
Whether you decide to pursue a positive or negative effect, always ensure you create a chain of consequences, explaining fully what impact that effect had on the German youth.
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