Hitler Youth

 

I think the “Hitler youth” thing was horrific. In the beginning of the book, Hitler youth, it talked about a boy named Herbert Norkus, who was killed campaigning for the Nazis. He was beaten and stabbed and he died before anything could be done. There was a memorial put up for him, in honor of “the sacrifice he made for his country”. I personally think that is horrible. He didn’t do ANYTHING for his country by dying, never mind help it. Nearly all of the children in Germany at the time Hitler came to power were stupid and naïve. If they had any sense at all, they would have looked at Hitler and seen past his charisma.

In the Hitler youth, boys were trained to become soldiers. They were sent to a camp where they were trained to use guns, and put through hours of physical training each day. It was no better in the schools. Any teachers that were Jewish or would not teach the new “Nazi” curriculum were fired and tortured and eventually emigrated. Soon, children were to taught about Nazi socialism instead of normal subjects, and instead of a “Good morning, children!” each day, every child had to stand up, do the Nazi salute and say, “Heil, Hitler!” (Hail Hitler).

Some children in the Hitler youth eventually become leaders of their weekly meetings and gained authority adults. One girl, Elizabeth Vetter, reported her parents to her leader, saying that they refused to be Nazis, and they were arrested and imprisoned. She and her parents hardly spoke after that.

Then, the holocaust started. Hitler’s secret police, the SS, painted signs and strung them up on Jewish stores, saying not to go in. Then Jews were sent to concentration camps, where they were either murdered or worked to death. Hitler started invasions. Wherever he went, the people were forced to salute him even while they watched his tanks roll in to their town.

So-called “treason” against Hitler was punishable by death. If anyone rallied against Hitler, or protested his worldview in any way, they would almost certainly be executed or sent to a concentration camp. A brother and sister, former Hitler youth Sophie and Hans Scholl, and some of their friends started a rally they called “The White Rose”. Once, they stood at the top of a dormitory in a college, and threw many leaflets in the air, so that they rained down on the students. One student in particular saw them, and reported them for distributing “anti-Nazi” leaflets, and they were arrested and later beheaded.

Suddenly, World war II started, and the Allies came on strong. Hitler knew that Germany was going to be defeated, so he had a broadcast sent out that he had been killed courageously, and like the coward he was, he committed suicide by shooting himself in the head. The Allies won, and unfortunately, many Jews were killed off in the concentration camps that day.

 

Tags: Katie, Pre World War II, World War II, Book reports
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