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Modern History

Home > Modern History > National Studies > C Germany 1918-1939 > Germany 1918 - 1939: education in Nazi Germany

 

• Outcomes
• Key feature
• Education
• Teachers
• Subject content changes
• Effects on girls
• Conclusion

Outcomes

A student:

H2.1	Explains forces and ideas and assesses their significance in contributing to change and continuity during the twentieth century
H3.2	Locates, selects and organises relevant information from different types of sources

Extract from Modern History Stage 6 Syllabus © Board of Studies NSW 2004.

Principal Focus:

Students investigate the key features and issues of the history of Germany 1918 – 1939.

Key features

• changes in society
• the nature and impact of Nazism
• nature and role of nationalism

From this tutorial you will learn about the transformation of German social and cultural life in the Nazi state and the role of Hitler Youth . The use of propaganda in education is included as are aspects of the Nazi policies in respect to racism and anti-Semitism practice and promotion in schools and the narrowing of opportunities for young women.

The notes following are on the transformation of German social life under Nazism. The information is based on a summary of an excellent and detailed account of social life in Germany between 1933 and 1945 by Grunberger, R 1987, Social Life in the Third Reich. Pelican Books, and Koch, W 1975 , The Hitler Youth, Origins and Development 1922–1945. MacDonald and Jane's.

Education

The schools during the Weimar Republic had "acted as incubators of nationalism" (Grunberger). Apparently anti-Semitism was encouraged during this period. Grunberger's opinion was that there was "little surface disturbance of the routine of education" after 1933 because educators were already strongly nationalistic. (However, only a small minority were dedicated National Socialists.) The game of "Cowboys and Indians" was sometimes called "Aryans and Jews" by schoolboys. Jewish papers, by 1931, published lists of schools where anti-Semitism was minimal.

Education became much more ideologically driven during the Nazi years than in the past. Essays became not much more than a rewriting of propaganda handouts e.g. the theme of an essay set for school leavers , The educational value of the Reich Labour Service. The overall emphasis was on Nazi racial doctrines and physical education with far less emphasis on intellectual pursuits. This had a dramatic effect on standards. There was a combination of a severe reduction of opportunities for girls, the distraction of the Hitler Youth, a shortage of trained teachers and the radical removal of standard educational practices that were replaced by coloured political views of the world. All this reduced education in Nazi Germany to an elementary level.

Teachers

"The teaching profession represented one of the most reliable sections of the population." Ninety-seven percent of all teachers were enrolled in the Nazi Teachers' Association. This was twice as high as civil servants.

Teachers who gave low marks or adverse comments on essays lifted verbatim from articles in the Nazi Press could be denounced and arrested.

Many teachers were members of the Nazi Party, some of these had been members of the Social Democrats. This led to jokes about how quickly they had changed sides. For example, "What is the shortest measurable unit of time? The time it takes a grade-school teacher to change his political allegiance."

By 1938, two-thirds of the entire teaching force had been to compulsory one month training courses.

A few teachers were dismissed. Some of these were reinstated later when there was a shortage. The exception to this was German teachers of Jewish background.

Subject content changes

Sport became increasingly important. Two periods per week increased to five in 1938. Boxing was made compulsory in upper school. Physical training (PT) became an examination subject for grammar school entry and a persistently unsatisfactory performance constituted grounds for expulsion. The Nazis believed that a strong and healthy intellect can only be found in a healthy body.

History, biology and German language were essential tools in the Nazification of education. The importance of biology came from the special emphasis on race and heredity. Pupils were trained to measure their skulls and to classify each other's racial types. The Nazi state was obsessed with race and Hitler made the point time and time again that education's primary task was to instil a racial consciousness into every student.

Mathematics focused on problems related to artillery trajectories, fighter-to-bomber ratios and budget deficits that came from helping hereditarily diseased families.

There was a large-scale pulping of Weimar textbooks in 1933. These were not adequately replaced until early in the war.

Effects on girls

Girls staying on at high schools were put into either domestic science or language streams.

In 1931 girls made up 35% of students at grammar schools but by 1940 this was reduced to 30%.

In January 1934, a law was passed limiting the number of female places in universities to 10%. Competition was so intense that sixth formers were prepared to denounce classmates to the Gestapo.

In the Napolas (National Political Educational Establishments) set up to train the future Nazi elite only two out of 39 catered for young women.

Conclusion

Baldar von Schirach, the head of the Hitler Youth from 1931 until the war, said the aim of the Hitler Youth was to provide the "youth leader and educator of the future" who would become the "priest of the national socialist faith". This caused problems in the classroom however as Hitler Youth leaders, who were used to throwing their weight around in that organisation, found it hard to settle down to the discipline of the classroom. Special classes were sometimes organised to help them cram so that they could keep up with their peers. This was symptomatic of the general decline in education standards during this period. Hitler Youth intruded so much that a decline was inevitable. The Wehrmacht (German Army) said of its low standard of recruits that, "Many of the candidates applying for commissions display a simply inconceivable lack of elementary knowledge". Such was education in the Third Reich.