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The Hitler Youth, and the Children Who Defied Hitler

Khalid Elhassan March 7, 2025 15 min

Hitlerjugend - Enthusiastic indoctrinated children at a Nazi rally — Enthusiastic indoctrinated children at a Nazi rally. K-Pics

12. Keeping the Kids Constantly Busy With Nazi Activities

Hitlerjugend - Members of the League of German Girls perform gymnastics — Members of the League of German Girls perform gymnastics. Wikimedia

Nazi youth group activities were numerous – and deliberately so, in order to dominate the lives of Germany’s children. Membership entailed a significant time commitment. Among other things, the constant activities were intended to leave as little free time as possible for kids to even think about things that might challenge the Nazi world view. The end goal was do away with existing traditions and social structures, and replace them with new mores calculated to better serve the Third Reich. German youngsters were taught Nazi doctrine, and encouraged to report those who went against it – including their own parents, if they criticized Hitler or the Nazi Party. Children were also taught to link those designated enemies by the state – such as Jews – with societal decline, and with Germany’s defeat in World War I.

Written by

Khalid Elhassan

A lifelong history buff, I developed a particular passion for WW2 history as a child, when I spent hours listening to my grandfather, enraptured, as he recounted his wartime experiences in the British East African Campaign and with the British 8th Army in North Africa.

I graduated with a history BA from George Mason University, then went on to get a JD from the University of Virginia School of Law. After lawyering for a decade, I moved to sunny Rio de Janeiro and a less demanding career, opening a tourism agency in Copacabana.

A big chunk of my free time is spent blogging (you can follow me on Quora https://www.quora.com/profile/Khalid-Elhassan ) or freelance writing, mostly about my favorite subject, history.