Indoctrination

Nazis tried to teach their children right from the beginning in only one way of
thinking.Nazi ideology of racial superiority of Germany and the greatness of Hitler
and hatred for Jews and other people. How was this done?

All boys between the ages of six and ten went through a preliminary training in
Nazi ideology. At the end of the training they had to take the following oath of
loyalty to Hitler:

‘In the presence of this blood banner which represents our Fuhrer I swear to
devote all my energies and my strength to the saviour of our country, Adolf Hitler.
I am willing and ready to give up my life for him, so help me God.’

From W. Shirer, The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich
Robert Lay, head of the
German Labour Front, said:

‘We start when the child is three years old. As soon as he even starts to think,
he is given a little flag to wave. Then comes school, the Hitler Youth, military
service. But when all this is over, we don’t let go of anyone. The labour front
takes hold of them, and keeps hold until they go to the grave, whether they like it
or not.’


Women under Nazis

In an address to women at the Nuremberg Party Rally, 8 September 1934, Hitler said:
We do not consider it correct for the woman to interfere in the world of the man, in
his main sphere. We consider it natural that these two worlds remain distinct…What
the man gives in courage on the battlefield, the woman gives in eternal
self-sacrifice, in
eternal pain and suffering. Every child that women bring to the world is a battle, a
battle waged for the existence of her people.
Hitler at the Nuremberg Party Rally, 8 September 1934, also said:

‘The woman is the most stable element in the preservation of a folk…she has the
most unerring sense of everything that is important to not let a race disappear be-
cause it is her children who would be affected by all this suffering in the first
place…That
is why we have integrated the woman in the struggle of the racial community just as
nature and providence have determined so.’

Fig 12.7: Women accused of protecting Jews being publicly punished.

  • Do you agree with the view that
    women should confine themselves to
    pain and suffering of bringing up the
    children?
  • Do you think men and women can
    participate equally in all aspects of life
    including child rearing and work in
    factories, offices, and fields?


page no 175


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