26. The Growth of Nazi Youth Organizations
The Nazis divided their youth organization into the Hitler Youth proper for boys aged fourteen to eighteen, plus a junior branch for boys aged ten to fourteen. Girls from ages ten to eighteen had a parallel organization, the League of German Girls. Youngsters were taught Nazi doctrine, and were encouraged to snitch on those who criticized Hitler or the Party. There were tragic situations in which children turned in their own parents for statements or acts deemed disloyal to the Fuhrer. Nazi propaganda praised and lionized such youngsters.
German children were also taught to link those designated as enemies by the state – such as Jews – with societal decline, and with Germany’s defeat in World War I. Membership in the Hitler Youth was voluntary in the Third Reich’s early years, but it eventually became obligatory. The parents of children who had not signed up fell under suspicion, and were often brought in for questioning or otherwise harassed by the authorities. Children not enrolled were subjected to peer pressure and ostracism from their schoolmates and teachers.