When World War II ended, Germany found itself in ruins and the Allies found themselves with a generation of young people that did not know right from wrong. The children had been taught all their lives that Hitler was the father, Germany, the father land, and the German people, the dominant race. They thought war was a good thing and were eager to be war heroes. When schools reopened in the October following the war, sixteen and seventeen year olds could be seen sitting next to nine year olds learning the same curriculum. The young people had missed out on their basic education which was replaced with Nazi morals. Now, the tables had turned and the Nazi Primers (the textbooks used during the war) were fueling the fire by which young people read their literature, science, and math textbooks. Universities, which were once top in the world, opened their doors to students who were eager to learn and educate themselves in preparation for the future. One American professor visiting Marsburg University stated the following:
To me and my colleagues these young men and women displayed unusual intellectual earnestness, characterized by a deep understanding of the problems of the time and by a burning desire to acquire reliable knowledge and instruction and information about the methods of scientific work. It may be true that very few of these students could have been described as convinced democrats. However, I do not consider this attitude in any way as a negative factor; rather it appears to me as the manifestation of a cautious attitude suitable for any serious human being who is reluctant to jump from one ideology to the other of which he knows little and which as yet he has not seen at work.
One thing the teachings of the Hitler Youth program were useful for was the survival skills the children had learned. Life in Germany after the war was rough and tumble. It was every man for himself and many of the youth did just fine. They were able to make shelter from the rubble of buildings, scavenge for food, and make a living off the black market. Some American soldiers reported that the children's favorite past times were looting for food and cigarettes in American cars.
Many young people were put to work by Allie soldiers digging mass graves for the many corpses found lying a muck in the countryside. This was a heart wrenching experience that forced them to realize the truth of their country's wrongdoings. Many felt deep regret and were unsure of who they were. Some even left the country to find who they were as a person and not as a German.
Needless to say, the teaching and lifestyle of the Hitler Jugend had great impact on many lives. It took a while for the children of Hitler to see what life was really like and for some it took a lifetime. I believe the world must be careful on influencing the younger generation. We are so adept to conforming to the ways of whoever seems to be in charge. This can be good and bad and I think the world can agree that in the rein of Hitler, the influence on young German children was nothing to be duplicated in the future.
Many young people were put to work by Allie soldiers digging mass graves for the many corpses found lying a muck in the countryside. This was a heart wrenching experience that forced them to realize the truth of their country's wrongdoings. Many felt deep regret and were unsure of who they were. Some even left the country to find who they were as a person and not as a German.
Needless to say, the teaching and lifestyle of the Hitler Jugend had great impact on many lives. It took a while for the children of Hitler to see what life was really like and for some it took a lifetime. I believe the world must be careful on influencing the younger generation. We are so adept to conforming to the ways of whoever seems to be in charge. This can be good and bad and I think the world can agree that in the rein of Hitler, the influence on young German children was nothing to be duplicated in the future.