Life for young people in Nazi Germany

The Nazi regime made significant changes to the educational system to align it with their ideologies.
Right from a young age, children were imbued with Nazi ideologies, such as anti-Semitism, fanatical nationalism, obedience to authority, and Aryan racial superiority.
Textbooks were rewritten to include Nazi ideas and beliefs. Maths problems often used real-world contexts that promoted military and racial themes.
Teachers who did not align with the Nazi ideology or refused to join the Nazi Teachers’ Association were dismissed or heavily scrutinised.

The Hitler Youth (Hitlerjugend) for boys and the League of German Girls (Bund Deutscher Mädel) were essential organisations directed at moulding the youth according to Nazi principles.
Membership to these organisations was initially voluntary, but by 1939 it had become, in effect, mandatory.
The Hitler Youth focused on physical fitness and military training, while the League of German Girls emphasised home economics and motherhood to prepare girls for their future roles as homemakers and mothers.
Both organisations also instilled a strong sense of loyalty and obedience to Hitler and the Nazi Party.
Participation in these organisations also served as a pathway to acceptance into elite Nazi groups like the SS or opportunities career-wise within the Party structure.

Young people found life under the Nazi regime to be restrictive and rigid. There were rules governing almost every aspect of their lives, from what they learned at school to how they spent their free time.
Some young people embraced the changes, drawn to the sense of community, shared purpose, and exciting activities that the Hitler Youth and the League of German Girls offered.
However, others resisted, forming youth opposition groups, such as the Edelweiss Pirates and the Swing Youth, where they could enjoy activities and music banned by the Nazis, and occasionally, engage in more serious acts of resistance.
Overall, the pressure to conform was intense, with the regime going to great lengths to win the loyalty of the young and mold them into compliant citizens who would serve the needs of the Nazi state.