The Hitler Youth- Hitler's Second Army at War

World War II... One war we will not soon forget. The Holocaust, Pearl Harbor, the Atom Bomb, Iwo Jima, and the mass extermination of Jews were all atrocities this brutal war has left embedded in our minds. But now I think it is of utmost importance that another aspect of the war, the Hitler Youth, should be exposed to the public. What may not seem as severe as Auschwitz or Hiroshima, the Hitler Youth was, in fact, another one of Adolf Hitler's clever plans to turn innocent youth into monsters... Please take the time to read this and just think about those children...

 

The Hitler Youth

The Nazi Regime was recognized as what could have been the worst time in world history. Endless killing, unnecessary deaths, living in fear; Nazi leader Adolf Hitler instilled fear in all who followed him, and all who dared to oppose him. His Nazi party slowly grew in size and power as they carefully domineered Germany and, eventually, the world. Hitler used tools at his aid including politics, the receding economy, and, most importantly, Germany’s youth. Adolf Hitler quickly found a method to manipulate the youth in Germany and train them to benefit the Nazi cause. Over the years, the Hitler Youth was born. Through rigorous training and disciplined lifestyles, weakness was hammered away as the fresh Hitler Youth members were transformed into brutal, fearless machines. The history of youth in Germany, the interactions of prior youth groups with the Nazi party and life in the Hitler Youth lead to a new regime in our world and a completely revolutionized definition of European youth. During World War II in struggling Germany, a monstrous youth was created before which the world would tremble.

Although Hitler Youth may have been the largest and most powerful Youth group in Germany history, its formation was preceded by several other youth groups for both boys and girls. Youth movement had always been a popular phenomenon in Germany in the 1900’s. Youth groups gave the helpless youth of Germany an opportunity to gain importance in community and serve a purpose in life. German youth assemblies became especially popular post World War I while Germany was suffering from an economic standstill. The sudden drop in living standards, due to the effects of the Treaty of Versailles, triggered a frustrated population with especially frustrated adolescents. Frustration from what exactly? Frustration from the lack of hope for a promising future in their beloved country of Germany. One of the earliest youth groups formed in the country was established in 1922 under the name “Hitler Jugend.” Due to the fact that this group was explicitly for young boys, its establishment was quickly followed by the formation of “Bund Deutscher Mädel,” or German League of Girls. Those who chose to join these youth leagues typically were of rebellious nature and solely valued youth control as opposed to the value their parents tried to pass down to them. The rebellious nature of several of these groups made its members all the more passionate towards the youth cause its league was working for. However, many youth joined groups like Hitler Jugend and Bund Deutscher Mädel simply for a time-passing leisurely activity. After school, students and parents alike were fond of the youth group concept because it provided a safe haven to keep children out of trouble. Of course, all of them remained oblivious of the concept’s potential until Hitler came into the picture and worked his magic.

Youth and political groups may have been great in numbers in Germany during the 1920’s, but none compared to the size and wrath of the Nazi Party. When leader Adolf Hitler slowly manipulated his way to the topmost seat in the German government, the Nazi party matured both in size and tactic rapidly. In this process, more and more teenagers were attracted to the political success of the Nazis and wanted to become a part of the Nazi revolution. Thereafter, the Nazi Youth League was founded in 1922. Regardless of the group’s name, the Nazi Youth League (henceforth the NYL) was not affiliated or officially labeled as the youth group of the Nazi party at the time. In fact, the NYL’s popularity was so scarce that a mere 17 youth showed up for the first official meeting in 1922. The NYL’s size grew very steadily for the next year until it finally had acquired sufficient attendance to potentially assist the Nazi party. At this point in time, the NYL was lead by a confident and witty man, Gustav Lenk. As the year of 1923 slowly settled upon Germany, the NYL devised its first major act of protest against the German government. On November 9^th, 1923, three thousand NYL members accompanied by Nazi party radicals marched down the streets of Munich revolting proudly and confidently. They drummed, played their instruments, and broke out singing Nazi songs to impose terror upon the city. Immediately, the Munich police set up blockades and prevented the Nazis and youth from moving any farther. Their march may have been a failure in means of protest, but greatly benefitted the NYL when it came to publicity. After the Munich march, the German government banned the NYL. Outraged, Gustav Lenk founded a new league by the name of the “Patriotic Youth Association of Greater Germany.” This was still, essentially, a masked name for the Nazi Youth League. Flattered by the league’s determination and passion, the Nazi party quickly recognized the NYL’s efforts and named the NYL the official youth league of the Nazi Party in April of 1929. With new inspiration, Adolf Hitler and his Nazi party quickly took advantage of the concept of youth involvement in the Nazi party and set up leadership schools around Germany. As the values, ethics, and opinions of the Nazi party were taught at this school, the Nazi Youth League (now official and more publicized that ever before) grew in size rapidly from its previous 3 thousand to a new record of about 80 thousand by 1932. Holding a new name, Hitler Youth, the NYL had achieved heights no other youth league had ever acquired before. With massive increase in numbers, renowned political success, and Nazi influence, the Nazi party was very near ready for warfare.

Subsequent to the rise in power of the Hitler Youth, the youth group’s functionality and basis of the league changed drastically as the Nazi Party (especially Hitler) saw the group’s true potential. In 1931, the Nazi Party tightened its grip on Hitler Youth to alter the group’s very purpose from youth involvement to serving the Fuhrer, Hitler. By the time the Hitler Youth had an attendance of 120,000 in 1933, the members of the group were discreetly being trained for warfare. Life in the Hitler Youth changed its participants from a body of power thirsty youth to a menagerie of blood thirsty killing machines. Of course, youth in the group had no idea of the Nazi’s intentions. All training was integrated into the children’s daily routines and brought across as “leisurely activities.” Uniforms in the Hitler Youth, for both boys and girls, consisted of a br own shirt and an armband swastika, similar to those worn by Hitler’s Storm Troopers and Nazi soldiers. In 1936, the government, now completely controlled by Nazis, passed a law making it compulsory for any child over the age of 10 to be a part of Hitler Youth. With new force, parents enrolled children in the Hitler Youth purely out of fear and to protect their children from the horrors of the outside world. Contrary to what parents wanted, children in the Hitler youth were slowly trained to become the ones causing these atrocities in the outside world. Daily, teens were kept busy through painstaking physical training. Activities for physical conditioning and keeping the youth in topmost physical condition included track, hiking, gymnastics, war games, and marksmanship. In the process of entertaining the youth with these pastimes, the Nazi party was slowly conditioning the boys and girls in Hitler Youth to be prepared for war. A storm was coming, and the Nazis were planning to encounter it head-on. In a time of peril such as the 1930’s, German children in Hitler Youth accepted these toiling, laborious activities in exchange for benefits reserved solely for the youth of Hitler. For example, the members of Hitler Youth received extra food rations in comparison to prisoners and other Nazi soldiers. With nothing better to do, the Hitler Youth program provided a convenient pastime for many through activities that seemed pleasurable. But most importantly, those in the Hitler Youth received respect beyond that which any other Nazi received: they were hailed by Adolf Hitler, the Fuhrer, himself. Through all this, a previously calm and naïve youth body was converted into a fearless youth who demanded respect, instilled fear, never thought twice about killing, and were devoted to benefitting the Nazi cause regardless of the price. By brainwashing teens & children and captivating them through leadership and purpose, Adolf Hitler was ready for war in 1939 with a Hitler Youth program of 8.8 million youth standing proudly behind him. Cleverly, Hitler had created the Hitler Youth as a program to educate youth and then eventually use them as a well-trained army to further promote Nazi politics and ethics throughout the world.

The year of 1939 finally came and the Nazis were equipped for a brutal fight in their pursuit to conquer the world. With a mighty 8.8 million youth fighting beside their full grown men in the invasion of Poland, the initiation of World War II was most successful. Using early youth groups in Germany, taking advantage of youth relations with the Nazi party, and by creating a disciplined life in Hitler Youth, Adolf Hitler slowly and carefully built a foundation of able- bodied boys and girls, men and women to devote their lives to turning our peaceful world into a Nazi fearful world. Be it from fear, protection, or utter passion, what started as a dwindling youth group of 17 members slowly grew into what became the monstrous Hitler Youth: Hitler’s second army in war. Oblivious children were snatched from their families and childhoods to serve the Fuhrer and the “greater good.” Some were brainwashed, some overwhelmed with power; what used to be a young and ambitious youth generation fell victim to the pressure of war and the thirst for power. To achieve what exactly? Forced murder, unthinkable atrocities, flowing rivers of blood, and a legacy of youth who helplessly did the unthinkable to demand reverence and leave their mark in what we now know as the Hitler Youth…

Why I'm An American Patriot

Here is a short essay I wrote for a contest. It expresses my feeling on the topic of patriotism. More specifically, it addresses the reasons why I'm and American patriot. I hope you enjoy it!

“Ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country.” John F. Kennedy, our nation’s 35th president, spoke these words with a great sense of patriotism; a patriotism far beyond just support for our country. President Kennedy felt something for his country that made him so devoted to what he did. This certain something, my friends, is love. A love for the land, its people, and all that it has to share. I believe that love for one’s country is a sign of deep patriotism and is the very emotion that reveals my patriotism towards the USA.

Demonstrating love for our country starts with simple steps that can spark the rest of our society to do the same. For example, as a patriot, I consider it my duty to keep myself aware of where our troops are and what condition they’re in. It’s simply a matter of listening to what our soldiers have to say. Just by knowing where they are and how the soldiers are doing shows empathy and a deep appreciation for what those men and women risk their lives to do every day. Be it in Iraq, Afghanistan, Israel, even in our very own country, I take it upon myself to support our troops every step of the way and give them the respect and the honor they deserve. The first step to loving our country is to love those who toil endlessly to defend it.

Loving my country is to love everything that is right in front of and all around me. I show true patriotism by stepping up to make a difference in my community regardless of how small my town may be. I live to empower others and live to bring a feel of patriotism to my community. This starts with small acts of kindness and extending love to everyone I meet. As a patriot of America, I make this my goal every day of my life.

According to the dictionary, patriotism is “a person who loves, supports, and defends his or her country and its interests.” The one word that stands out to me is loves. Patriotism is in fact as simple as a single word: love. Extending that love to those who serve, those I meet, those I care for, and to our grand country altogether is what makes me an American patriot.

Plutonium: Pros and Cons

Well, the title explains itself. Here is, honestly, an essay on the positives and negatives of plutonium. Don't really bother reading it unless you, like me, had/have an assignment on plutonium due in school:

It seems that whenever mankind discovers a substance that can change the way humans live for the better, something about the substance’s property is discovered making it more destructive than it is useful. Plutonium is no exception to this pattern. Plutonium is a substance that was first prepared in a useable form in 1940 by an American chemist: Glenn T. Seaborg. His achievement was seen as a breakthrough is the history of science while his discoveries were put to use in the years to come. As the world soon discovered, plutonium was doubtlessly a chemical with many pros and many cons.

A substance with such a large historical significance had to have some scientific value. Sure enough, plutonium was and still is used for the better in many different ways. The first and foremost of these uses is for nuclear energy. This form of power is very common amongst today’s society and is a highly effective alternative energy source. If handled properly, plutonium/nuclear energy is a very environmental-friendly form of energy, as well. For example, plutonium-238 (a form of plutonium) was used several times by NASA to power equipment on the moon. Another useful property of plutonium is its ability to give off heat. Although the manner in which it gives off heat is highly unsafe, this property of the substance can be used to heat non-living objects or places. Due to plutonium’s energy potential, it is considered the most economically important transurainium element known to date.

Of course, alongside the many pros of plutonium are the many more cons. Plutonium’s relevance to historic disasters is unforgettable. The most famous use of plutonium was during WWII in the “Atom Bomb.” Americans used the radioactive properties of plutonium to develop a bomb and drop it on the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The rubble they left behind was embedded there for many years to come and was seen as an unforgivable crime. When plutonium was used in this “atom bomb,” its intense radioactive property spread a great amount of heat around a large radius of the impact point of the bomb. Henceforth, any inhabitants died immediately and any life-form that entered the impact zone for several years experienced great internal and external damage. This historic fiasco alone illustrates the very reason plutonium is handled with great care today and is forbidden to be used as a weapon. This substance becomes a yellowish color through oxidation in its solid or liquid form but has a terrible effect on the environment in any of its states. Plutonium is an extremely hazardous poison due to how radioactive it is as a substance. In regards to plutonium’s use for energy, the substance is a very fragile element and can cause an immense amount of destruction if handled in even a slightly wrong way.

Plutonium is a good and bad part of our lives today. The society’s view on this element all depends on how it is used. However, used in a beneficial or destructive manner, plutonium remains a highly hazardous and poisonous substance for organisms and the environment alike. Just a few pros and cons of this element can never change that fact.