Mass Meetings in Nazi Germany
Mass Meetings in Nazi Germany
Propaganda and mass rallies were two of the chief instruments that Adolf Hitler used to prepare the German people for the tasks he set before them. In the first excerpt that follows, which is taken from Hitler's book Mein Kampf, Hitler explain the psychological importance of mass meetings. In the second excerpt, which is taken from Hitler's speech to a crowd at Nuremberg, he describes the mystical bond he hoped to create through his mass rallies.
Adolf Hitler, Mein Kampf
The mass meeting is also necessary for the reason that in it the individual...for the first time gets the picture of a larger community....When from his little workshop or big factory, in which he feels very small, he steps for the first time into a mass meeting and has thousands and thousands of people of the same opinions around him, when, as a seeker, he is swept away by three or four thousand others into the mighty effect of suggestive intoxication, when the visible successand agreement of thousands confirm to him the rightness of the new doctrine and for the first time arouse doubt in the truth of his previous conviction--then he himself has succumbed to the magic influence of what we designate as "mass suggestion." The will, the longing, and also the power of thousands are accumulated in every individual. The man who enters such a meeting doubting and wavering leaves it inwardly reinforced: he has become a link in the community.
Hitler's Speech at Nuremberg
Do we not feel once again in this hour the miracle that brought us together? Once you heard the voice of a man, and it struck deep into your hearts; it awakened you, and you followed this voice. Year after year you went after it, though him who had spoken you never even saw. You heard only a voice, and you followed it. When we meet each other here, the wonder of our coming and I do not see everyone of you. But I feel you, and you feel me. It is the belief in our people that had made us small men great, that has made us poor men rich, that has made brave and courageous men out of us wavering, spiritless, timid folk; this belief made us see our road when we were astray; it joined us together into one whole!...You come, that...you may, once in a while, gain the feeling that now we are together; we are with him and he is with us, and we are now Germany!
Questions:
1. Why did Hitler say the mass meetings were necessary?
2. How did Hitler try to maximize the effects of the meetings?
The Hitler Youth
Text Reference, World History, The Human Odyssey.
In setting up a total state, the Nazis recognized the importance of winning the youth over to their ideas. The Hitler Youth, an organization for young people between the ages of ten and eighteen, was formed in 1926. By 1939, all German young people were expected to join the Hitler Youth. Upon entering, each took an oath" "In the prescence of this blood banner, which represents our Fuehrer, I swear to devote all my energies and my strength to the savior of our country, Adolf Hitler. I am willing and ready to give up my life for him, so help me God."
Members of the Hitler Youth had their own uniforms and took part in a number of activities. For males, these included camping and hiking trips, sports activities, and evenings together in special youth "homes." Almost all activities were competitive and meant to encourage fighting and heroic deeds.
Above all, the Hitler Youth organization worked to foster military values and virtues, such as duty, obedience, strength, and ruthlessness. Uniforms and drilling became a way of life. By 1938, training in the military arts also became part of the routine. Even boys ten to fourteen years old were given small-arms drill and practice with dummy hand grenades. Those who were fourteen to eighteen years old bore army packs and rifles while on camping trips in the countryside.
The Hitler Youth had a female division, known as the League of German Girls, for girls aged ten to eighteen. They, too, had uniforms: white blouses, blue ankle-length skirts, and sturdy hiking shoes. Camping and hiking were also part of the girls' activities. More important, however, girls were taught domestic skills--how to cook, clean houses, and take care of children. In Nazi Germany, women were expected to be faithful wives and dutiful mothers.
Questions:
1. Explain the ideals and values that Nazi leaders tried to instill in the young people of Germany through the Hitler Youth organization.
2. Use your own perspective to evaluate these virtues and ideals.
Flag of the Hitler Youth
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