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The Hitler Youth: How Germany Indoctrinated a New Generation
The Hitler Youth was founded in 1922 as the youth organisation of the German Nazi Party in Germany. After Hitler became Chancellor in 1933, the organisation gained importance as a route to indoctrinating German youth with the ideals espoused by the Nazis. As war approached it became partially a paramilitary organisation and as war broke out and Germany came under greater pressure, many very young boys saw military action, fighting and dying for the country.
Featuring contemporary photographs, The Hitler Youth tells the story of the origins of the movement in more innocent aims, and how its aims morphed over time to become a powerful way to disseminate Nazi ideas to an undiscerning audience.
Featuring contemporary photographs, The Hitler Youth tells the story of the origins of the movement in more innocent aims, and how its aims morphed over time to become a powerful way to disseminate Nazi ideas to an undiscerning audience.
256 pages, Paperback
Published November 5, 2024
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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
September 6, 2024
THE HITLER YOUTH: HOW GERMANY INDOCTRINATED A NEW GENERATION provides a new-old answer to the complicated question of why ordinary Germans participated in discriminate killings of the undesirables.
Julian Flanders traces the origins of youth movements in general and Hitlerjugend in particular, showing how, with time, idyllic ideas of comradeship took a paramilitary turn under the supervision of SA. After Hitler's ascension to power in 1933, the Nazi Party quickly reformed the education system to indoctrinate children as young as 3 with racial theory, and by the time children turned 18, they were fully trained as soldiers and demonstrated fanaticism more fierce than adults. Since all other youth organizations were banned, Hitlerjugend and its girls' counterpart Bund Deutscher Mädel were the only opportunities to socialize in Nazi Germany. Ideologically prepared youngsters replenished the ranks of Wehrmacht - and even SS and Einsatzgruppen - during WW2. The most horrible photo in the book shows Hitler giving medals to children, some aged 10, on the 20th of April 1945, for the defense of Berlin.
My precise rating of THE HITLER YOUTH is 3.5 stars rounded to 4. The story looks a little bit hectic. I got lost in time while reading the first two chapters, where the narrative jumped from one youth movement to another. Some events like the filming of the movie 'Triumph to the Will' or SA leadership's annihilation are shown twice, with different wordings, to illustrate various aspects of the time. A history of youth resistance movements in the 1930s divides the story of the 12th Panzer Division, 'The Baby Division,' into two parts. The stories of individual children are distributed within several chapters, thus they are hard to follow (the same problem I had with PROMISE ME YOU'LL SHOOT YOURSELF: THE DOWNFALL OF ORDINARY GERMANS, 1945 by Florian Huber).
Still, the book got four stars since it's a compelling, very readable summary of Germany's 1920-40s. Most of THE HITLER YOUTH, describing Nazi policy and events on different fronts, would be familiar to history buffs. But is it possible to dissect Hitlerjugend's history separately from the Third Reich? To me, revisiting well-known facts felt like coming home without realizing I had been homesick all this time.
I received an advanced review copy through Netgalley, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
Julian Flanders traces the origins of youth movements in general and Hitlerjugend in particular, showing how, with time, idyllic ideas of comradeship took a paramilitary turn under the supervision of SA. After Hitler's ascension to power in 1933, the Nazi Party quickly reformed the education system to indoctrinate children as young as 3 with racial theory, and by the time children turned 18, they were fully trained as soldiers and demonstrated fanaticism more fierce than adults. Since all other youth organizations were banned, Hitlerjugend and its girls' counterpart Bund Deutscher Mädel were the only opportunities to socialize in Nazi Germany. Ideologically prepared youngsters replenished the ranks of Wehrmacht - and even SS and Einsatzgruppen - during WW2. The most horrible photo in the book shows Hitler giving medals to children, some aged 10, on the 20th of April 1945, for the defense of Berlin.
My precise rating of THE HITLER YOUTH is 3.5 stars rounded to 4. The story looks a little bit hectic. I got lost in time while reading the first two chapters, where the narrative jumped from one youth movement to another. Some events like the filming of the movie 'Triumph to the Will' or SA leadership's annihilation are shown twice, with different wordings, to illustrate various aspects of the time. A history of youth resistance movements in the 1930s divides the story of the 12th Panzer Division, 'The Baby Division,' into two parts. The stories of individual children are distributed within several chapters, thus they are hard to follow (the same problem I had with PROMISE ME YOU'LL SHOOT YOURSELF: THE DOWNFALL OF ORDINARY GERMANS, 1945 by Florian Huber).
Still, the book got four stars since it's a compelling, very readable summary of Germany's 1920-40s. Most of THE HITLER YOUTH, describing Nazi policy and events on different fronts, would be familiar to history buffs. But is it possible to dissect Hitlerjugend's history separately from the Third Reich? To me, revisiting well-known facts felt like coming home without realizing I had been homesick all this time.
I received an advanced review copy through Netgalley, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
September 2, 2024
A look at how & why the Nazis were successful in raising a generation of children whom, in many cases, were far more intense in their belief in Hitler & his aims than the older generations. The early groups of young people which grew in popularity from the end of the 19th century, such as the Wandervögel (Wandering Birds) who wanted to return to nature by going on woodland hikes etc were gradually taken over by the Nazis for their own purposes.
The focus on physical fitness was twisted into the belief that this was crucial as the 'superior race' & uniforms were introduced which soon became more militaristic. Even the initial greeting of a raised arm & 'Heil' was repurposed. Soon no other groups except the Hitler Youth (Hitlerjugend) were allowed & at their high point, 90% of German children were enrolled in this & the girls' equivalent, the BDM.
If one has wondered how German soldiers could carry out such orders & cruelty as the Holocaust, then look no further than the example of the Hitler Youth who were indoctrinated from a very young age via school & the propaganda at their group meetings. Towards the end of the war, children as young as 10-12 years of age were manning anti-aircraft guns & committing acts of sabotage against the Allies. There is also information about those who stood up against the Nazis such as the group of young people known as the White Rose.
It's a fascinating read. The first two chapters, which cover the political situation before the outbreak of WWII, are a little harder to follow but the rest of the book is well-written & keeps the reader's attention. The photographs included were also interesting & were a nice addition. I recommend this to anyone who has an interest in military history.
My thanks to NetGalley & publishers, Arcturus Publishing, for the opportunity to read an ARC.
The focus on physical fitness was twisted into the belief that this was crucial as the 'superior race' & uniforms were introduced which soon became more militaristic. Even the initial greeting of a raised arm & 'Heil' was repurposed. Soon no other groups except the Hitler Youth (Hitlerjugend) were allowed & at their high point, 90% of German children were enrolled in this & the girls' equivalent, the BDM.
If one has wondered how German soldiers could carry out such orders & cruelty as the Holocaust, then look no further than the example of the Hitler Youth who were indoctrinated from a very young age via school & the propaganda at their group meetings. Towards the end of the war, children as young as 10-12 years of age were manning anti-aircraft guns & committing acts of sabotage against the Allies. There is also information about those who stood up against the Nazis such as the group of young people known as the White Rose.
It's a fascinating read. The first two chapters, which cover the political situation before the outbreak of WWII, are a little harder to follow but the rest of the book is well-written & keeps the reader's attention. The photographs included were also interesting & were a nice addition. I recommend this to anyone who has an interest in military history.
My thanks to NetGalley & publishers, Arcturus Publishing, for the opportunity to read an ARC.
October 22, 2024
Julian Flanders is the author of three books. The Hitler Youth was published last month. It is the 77th book I completed reading in 2024.
I received an ARC of this book through https://www.netgalley.com with the expectation of a fair and honest review. Opinions expressed here are unbiased and entirely my own! I categorize this book as G.
The Hitler Youth was formed in 1926, and by 1940 the organization boasted nearly 9 million members. The author begins the book with a detailed description of how Germany evolved in the late 19th century as it unified. A substantial part of the book looks at the rise to power of the Nazi party.
While a youth movement was begun in 1922, it was not until July 1926 that a Nazi-associated youth group was formed. In 1933, all other youth groups were outlawed in Germany. The Hitler Youth appealed to most students. There were weekday meetings, but most of the youth looked forward to the outdoor activities on the weekend. The camping trips and sports events appealed to most of the youth.
Hitler had been a poor student, so he thought little of the education system. Hitler Youth activities interfered with schooling, but Hitler saw those activities as being more important than a formal education. By December of 1936, participation in Hitler Youth had become mandatory for all children 10 to 18. Boys were trained in skills that would facilitate their transition into the military. For girls, the focus was on child-rearing and homemaking.
The Hitler Youth divided families, with their activities taking precedence over parental wishes. Meetings and activities pulled youth away from home. If parents opposed participation in the Hitler Youth, they might be reported, sometimes by their own children. This could result in their imprisonment.
Towards the end of the war, as Germany struggled against the onslaught of the Russians from the east and British and American forces from the west, Hitler Youth of 13 (or younger) were absorbed into the military.
I enjoyed the 7+ hours I spent reading this 271-page WWII history. The book spent far more time describing the conditions in Germany and the growth of the Nazis than I expected. While there was material about the Hitler Youth, it was not as extensive as I had expected. I like the chosen cover art. I give this book a rating of 3.8 out of 5.
You can access more of my book reviews on my Blog ( https://johnpurvis.wordpress.com/blog/).
I received an ARC of this book through https://www.netgalley.com with the expectation of a fair and honest review. Opinions expressed here are unbiased and entirely my own! I categorize this book as G.
The Hitler Youth was formed in 1926, and by 1940 the organization boasted nearly 9 million members. The author begins the book with a detailed description of how Germany evolved in the late 19th century as it unified. A substantial part of the book looks at the rise to power of the Nazi party.
While a youth movement was begun in 1922, it was not until July 1926 that a Nazi-associated youth group was formed. In 1933, all other youth groups were outlawed in Germany. The Hitler Youth appealed to most students. There were weekday meetings, but most of the youth looked forward to the outdoor activities on the weekend. The camping trips and sports events appealed to most of the youth.
Hitler had been a poor student, so he thought little of the education system. Hitler Youth activities interfered with schooling, but Hitler saw those activities as being more important than a formal education. By December of 1936, participation in Hitler Youth had become mandatory for all children 10 to 18. Boys were trained in skills that would facilitate their transition into the military. For girls, the focus was on child-rearing and homemaking.
The Hitler Youth divided families, with their activities taking precedence over parental wishes. Meetings and activities pulled youth away from home. If parents opposed participation in the Hitler Youth, they might be reported, sometimes by their own children. This could result in their imprisonment.
Towards the end of the war, as Germany struggled against the onslaught of the Russians from the east and British and American forces from the west, Hitler Youth of 13 (or younger) were absorbed into the military.
I enjoyed the 7+ hours I spent reading this 271-page WWII history. The book spent far more time describing the conditions in Germany and the growth of the Nazis than I expected. While there was material about the Hitler Youth, it was not as extensive as I had expected. I like the chosen cover art. I give this book a rating of 3.8 out of 5.
You can access more of my book reviews on my Blog ( https://johnpurvis.wordpress.com/blog/).
October 12, 2024
The German Youth Movement (German: Die deutsche Jugendbewegung) is a collective term for a cultural and educational movement that started in 1896. It consists of numerous associations of young people that focus on outdoor activities.
In 1896 the Wandervogel, a popular movement of youth groups who protested against industrialization, was founded in Berlin, and its members soon derived many vital concepts from the ideas of earlier social critics and Romantics, ideas that had extensive influence on many fields at the onset of the 20th century.To escape the repressive and authoritarian German society at the end of the 19th century, its values increasingly transformed by industrialism, imperial militarism, as well as by British and Victorian influence, groups of young people searched for free space to develop a healthy life of their own away from the expanding cities. Expressing a romantic longing for a pristine state of things and older diverse cultural traditions, they turned to nature, confraternity, and adventure. Soon, the groups split, and ever more organisations were founded.
After the WWI, the leaders returned disillusioned from the war. The same was true for leaders of German Scouting. So both movements started to influence each other heavily in Germany. From the Wandervogel came a stronger culture of hiking, adventure, bigger tours to farther places, romanticism, and a younger leadership structure. Scouting brought uniforms, flags, more organisations, more camps, and a clearer, more rational ideology. Together, this led to the emergence of the Bündische Jugend, a movement of many different youth associations.New styles and groups developed.
During the Nazi regime, the notion of a 'Volksgemeinschaft', a people's community, was popular. The Nazi state did not allow any youth groups separate from the Hitler Youth, since they wanted to indoctrinate them on Nazi ideals.The groups remaining outside the Hitler Youth were outlawed and pursued,while some of them, tried to carry on.The Youth Movement was very idealistic, romantic and moral. Therefore, its members tended to take greater risks in following and acting upon their beliefs and persuasions.
In 1896 the Wandervogel, a popular movement of youth groups who protested against industrialization, was founded in Berlin, and its members soon derived many vital concepts from the ideas of earlier social critics and Romantics, ideas that had extensive influence on many fields at the onset of the 20th century.To escape the repressive and authoritarian German society at the end of the 19th century, its values increasingly transformed by industrialism, imperial militarism, as well as by British and Victorian influence, groups of young people searched for free space to develop a healthy life of their own away from the expanding cities. Expressing a romantic longing for a pristine state of things and older diverse cultural traditions, they turned to nature, confraternity, and adventure. Soon, the groups split, and ever more organisations were founded.
After the WWI, the leaders returned disillusioned from the war. The same was true for leaders of German Scouting. So both movements started to influence each other heavily in Germany. From the Wandervogel came a stronger culture of hiking, adventure, bigger tours to farther places, romanticism, and a younger leadership structure. Scouting brought uniforms, flags, more organisations, more camps, and a clearer, more rational ideology. Together, this led to the emergence of the Bündische Jugend, a movement of many different youth associations.New styles and groups developed.
During the Nazi regime, the notion of a 'Volksgemeinschaft', a people's community, was popular. The Nazi state did not allow any youth groups separate from the Hitler Youth, since they wanted to indoctrinate them on Nazi ideals.The groups remaining outside the Hitler Youth were outlawed and pursued,while some of them, tried to carry on.The Youth Movement was very idealistic, romantic and moral. Therefore, its members tended to take greater risks in following and acting upon their beliefs and persuasions.
August 29, 2024
I found The Hitler Youth, by Julian Flanders, to present an intriguing picture of how an organization for kids can basically start off with fairly good intentions but gradually morph into somehting much more disturbing. Hitler's youth organizations eventually took over from all other organizations for kids, which were then banned, and while at first they offered boys and girls companionship, learning, etc., as other places had, they came to resemble boot camps, where both boys--and girls, in their own Hitler organizations--were enrolled from an early age, and if parents didn't voluntarily enroll their kids, they placed their jobs, friends, and family units at risk. Boys became skilled in paramilitary tasks, while girls were made to concentrate of exercise and learning to become good Nazi mothers and wives, and were discouraged from working outside the home after having kids.
It is amazing how the Hitler Youth basically took over the lives of most children from an early age, and so many of these children, mainly boys, went into the military straight out of Hitler youth at 18, though by the end of the war, they were being recruited to fight at 10-12 years of age. These boys still fanatically believed in Hitler and his 1000 year Reich, and denazification had to be done for those kids as well as millions of adults in Germany after the war.
This was a good read, though a scary one showing how the good can gradually be overcome by a few evil people.
It is amazing how the Hitler Youth basically took over the lives of most children from an early age, and so many of these children, mainly boys, went into the military straight out of Hitler youth at 18, though by the end of the war, they were being recruited to fight at 10-12 years of age. These boys still fanatically believed in Hitler and his 1000 year Reich, and denazification had to be done for those kids as well as millions of adults in Germany after the war.
This was a good read, though a scary one showing how the good can gradually be overcome by a few evil people.
August 10, 2024
3.75 (rounded to 4)/5
The Hitler Youth by Julian Flanders is a well-written account of how Hitler and the Nazi Party swayed and indoctrinated the German population, particularly the youth. Flanders explored the shocking ease of manipulating an entire people through strategic political movement, strong propaganda, and focusing heavily on influencing the youth (beginning as young as age 3) through new education systems and youth organizations.
I found the first two chapters a bit hard to follow, as they highlighted a large chunk of German and European history jumping back and forth between different time periods and conflicts. Nonetheless, I thought this was a great book, with a well-written breakdown of the rise of Hitler and the Nazi party from the 1920s-1940s heavily focusing on the Hitlerjugend and its girls' counterpart Bund Deutscher Madel. I would recommend this book to anyone interested in learning more about this period of history.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this advanced copy, all thoughts are my own!
(The book will be published on September 1, 2024.)
The Hitler Youth by Julian Flanders is a well-written account of how Hitler and the Nazi Party swayed and indoctrinated the German population, particularly the youth. Flanders explored the shocking ease of manipulating an entire people through strategic political movement, strong propaganda, and focusing heavily on influencing the youth (beginning as young as age 3) through new education systems and youth organizations.
I found the first two chapters a bit hard to follow, as they highlighted a large chunk of German and European history jumping back and forth between different time periods and conflicts. Nonetheless, I thought this was a great book, with a well-written breakdown of the rise of Hitler and the Nazi party from the 1920s-1940s heavily focusing on the Hitlerjugend and its girls' counterpart Bund Deutscher Madel. I would recommend this book to anyone interested in learning more about this period of history.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this advanced copy, all thoughts are my own!
(The book will be published on September 1, 2024.)
February 16, 2025
I have read many books from WW2 but this was far too descriptive about the Hitler youth as a matter of fact this is the first book that I read bout the youth.
this is the story of how the Hitler Youth started and the consequences of such a group, can you believe that at only such a young age these kids were already dividing and destroying families, friends, and even towns?
the evilness was always present since the very beginning of the formation of these groups, families didn't know where they were sending their children to learn but also didn't have much choice with the rules that were taking place.
this was a very informative but also hard book to read and learn about the beginnings of this evilness and how the children were indoctrinated to believe in such evil acts.
Thank you, Netgalley and Arcturus Publishing, for the advanced copy of The Hitler Youth in exchange for my honest review
this is the story of how the Hitler Youth started and the consequences of such a group, can you believe that at only such a young age these kids were already dividing and destroying families, friends, and even towns?
the evilness was always present since the very beginning of the formation of these groups, families didn't know where they were sending their children to learn but also didn't have much choice with the rules that were taking place.
this was a very informative but also hard book to read and learn about the beginnings of this evilness and how the children were indoctrinated to believe in such evil acts.
Thank you, Netgalley and Arcturus Publishing, for the advanced copy of The Hitler Youth in exchange for my honest review
May 12, 2025
Good information for the history it seeks to detail. Dry, textbook-esque language and structure; not at all a historical narrative type. Starts at beginning, ends at end, even the afterword is very cut-and-dried without much sentimentality or interpretation of the phenomenon.
For some reason it seems that the final publication missed a step in the editing process and as a result there are occasional sentence fragments or questionable phrasing. ("What price their youthful optimism afterwards?" is a strange end to a paragraph in chapter 9, for example.)
So, IMO a book better suited to research than to provide a compelling story or inspire the reader.
For some reason it seems that the final publication missed a step in the editing process and as a result there are occasional sentence fragments or questionable phrasing. ("What price their youthful optimism afterwards?" is a strange end to a paragraph in chapter 9, for example.)
So, IMO a book better suited to research than to provide a compelling story or inspire the reader.
June 1, 2025
As someone who has not read a lot of military history, I found it useful that the author weaved the story of the Hitler Youth into their role in the military in WWII. I had no idea that some young Germans were child soldiers towards the desperate end of the war. I also had no idea how important the Hitler Youth were in allowing the Nazis to have the power they had.
July 6, 2025
First 4 chapters have nothing (or little) to do with Hitler's Youth. Didn't quite go into as much detail for what I would of liked. A bit to surface level, and it's mostly a general history on the Nazi's rise to power little to do with the name of the book. Good bibliography however for further reading.
January 28, 2025
There isn’t a lot of books I’ve seen about the Hitler Youth and as a parent, I wanted to know more about the indoctrination of the children in Germany. Excellent reference material and excellent historically
March 4, 2025
I was hoping for a book that really delved deep into the Hitler Youth. While this book talked about the Hitler Youth, it had more basic German history in it. I was disappointed in the HJ content or lack thereof.
August 18, 2025
This book is terrible. I couldn’t finish it. It wanders, it rambles, and it contradicts itself. The author constantly repeats himself in successive chapters, even adjusting statistics from one chapter to the next. Awful. A waste of time and money.
January 29, 2025
Truly eye-opening, due in part to the connections made to particular political groups and ideals.
August 6, 2025
Rating: 2.75/5
The Hitler Youth by Julian Flanders takes us through an in depth exploration of Nazi Germany, and how they utilized the indoctrination of the youth to scarily forward their attempts at Nazi regime domination. While this book has some merits, it is ultimately flawed by some major issues that are hard to look past.
A notable strength of this piece is that has an impressive ability to provide a wealth of fascinating facts about the development and execution of the Hitler Youth. The facts, though sobering, are compelling, and readers with an interest in World War II history will find these insights valuable. Flanders also provides the reader with cleanly labeled subsections that makes it easy to follow along with the direction that the book takes, as it hops across varying topics and time periods.
Unfortunately, Flanders faults and struggles to remain on topic through a strong portion of his work. With the consistent veering off topic, it leaves you forgetting what book you’re reading in general, as it begins to feel like any average history book. I mean, there was one whole portion on Napoleon Bonaparte, a without any mention of youth indoctrination. As someone who purchased this book for a concentrated look at the titled-topic, I was let down. The subsections also have a short stature, and it leaves more to be desired. Bouncing so quickly through a multitude of topics makes it hard to really take in the complexity of Nazi Germany.
In the end, this book does work as a useful starting point for learning some important historical information on what occurred during Nazi Germany. But if you’re purchasing it solely for the lessons on indoctrination, you will be let down.
The Hitler Youth by Julian Flanders takes us through an in depth exploration of Nazi Germany, and how they utilized the indoctrination of the youth to scarily forward their attempts at Nazi regime domination. While this book has some merits, it is ultimately flawed by some major issues that are hard to look past.
A notable strength of this piece is that has an impressive ability to provide a wealth of fascinating facts about the development and execution of the Hitler Youth. The facts, though sobering, are compelling, and readers with an interest in World War II history will find these insights valuable. Flanders also provides the reader with cleanly labeled subsections that makes it easy to follow along with the direction that the book takes, as it hops across varying topics and time periods.
Unfortunately, Flanders faults and struggles to remain on topic through a strong portion of his work. With the consistent veering off topic, it leaves you forgetting what book you’re reading in general, as it begins to feel like any average history book. I mean, there was one whole portion on Napoleon Bonaparte, a without any mention of youth indoctrination. As someone who purchased this book for a concentrated look at the titled-topic, I was let down. The subsections also have a short stature, and it leaves more to be desired. Bouncing so quickly through a multitude of topics makes it hard to really take in the complexity of Nazi Germany.
In the end, this book does work as a useful starting point for learning some important historical information on what occurred during Nazi Germany. But if you’re purchasing it solely for the lessons on indoctrination, you will be let down.
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