Figure 1.--Scene in the library of an eliete NAZI school. These children would have had to have done very well in the Hitler Youth or havevimprtant parents to be accepted. |
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After the NAZIs seized power in 1933, totalitarian principles were applied to all aspects of education. Private schools were taken over or closed. Great emphasis was attached on racial "science" in NAZI education and this was quickly introduced into the ciriculum. NAZI idelogy and physical-military training became other important aspects of the school program. Many teachers embraced the new Germany, but others were fired or left teaching. It is difficult to assess the relative importance of the two groups. It is known that many teachers were fired or replaced with political hacks during 1933-35, but HBC has no details on the numbers. Some of the best educators fled abroad. The quality of German education, once the leading system in Europe, declined. Afgain, however, iyt is difficult to assess this in quantative terms.
The basis German school system continued unchanged by the NAZIs. The NAZIs did make substantil changes in the Education system, but the basic school system inherited from Inperial Germany and Weimar was left unchanged. Children began school t about age 6-7 in a primary school which was called a Volksschule (peoples' school). All children attended the Volksschule for the first four years. classes were separated by gender, except in small village schools which were not large enough to have separate classes.
Many students whose parents who could not afford to support their children or who were not interested in education attended primary school for 8 years. They then would find a position sas an aprentice to learn a trade or work as laborers. Students with more afflient parents or some academic talent could take a test in the fourt year of Volksschule. This varied somewhat by gender. Girls tokk a test to earn entrance to the middle / secondary school (6 year program). There was also a "school for higher daughters" which required a tuition fee. Boys took tests to earn a place at a secndary school, similsr to a British grammar school. These schools were called Gymnasium and it was an 8 year program. With the advent of the War, boys could leave school a year early to jointhe nilitary and were awarded a Notabitur. After the War, German universities did not recognize these diplomas. [Mostowski]
The school day began in the classroom with a "Heil Hitler" salute. Which was expected at the beginning of each lesson in secondary school. When the teacher entered the classroom, the students all stood up and saluted. Children encountering their teacher on the street were excepected to give this salute. With the War many male teachers were drafted, first the younger ones and then the middle-aged ones as the War continued. A shortahe of teachers meant that more women were brought in as well as older men. Class sizes got increasinly large. By 1944 classes of 50 or more children were not uncommon. The average was in the 40s. Childern did not normally wear their HJ and BDM uniforms, but wearing uniforms was expected on special days like Hitler's birthday (April 20) and the commemoration of the Beer Hall Putch (November 9). classrooms were very basic, even stark. Many had benches rather than desks and were often cramed full of children. Every classroom had a portrait of the Führer at the front, Many classes had a large map which was used to mark the progress of the War. The children would mark the front lines with pins. This was a first exciting forvthe children, but became frightening when in 1943 the War turned against Germany. Many children living in cities with war industries had their schooling disrupted by the Allied bombing which by 1943 had become severe. Even if their homes and schools were not hit by the bombing, chidren who spent the night in cellers or shelters arrived at school only half awake. Schools would allow children to arrive an hour late if there hd been night raids, but of course this did not make a lot of difference. As the War webnt against Germany and food became hard to get, school hildren were given vitamin lozenges. [Mostowski]
German schools during the Third Reich (NAZI era) did not normally require boys to wear school uniforms. Boys were allowed to wear the clothes parents selected for them. Despite the considerable interest of Germans in uniforms, there does not seem to have been a great interest in adopting a school uniform. Boys did on certain days wear their Hitler Youth uniforms. The NAZI also had some special Party schools where the boys wore their Hitler Youth uniforms. We have noted images where some boys are wearing their Hitler Youh uniforms toschool, but are not entirly sure about how common thus was or the the circumstances involved. We wonder if earingthe uniform told us anything about the boys or
their familes.
The German attitudes toward school uniforms did not change during the NAZI era. While it is understandable why there was no interest in school uniforms during the post War Weimar period, itis less understandable why the NAZIs did not instutute uniforms for school children. In the Nazi Germany there were uniforms for almost everybody and anyone without some kind of swastika emblazoned uniform must have felt left out. So it is curious that uniforms were not instituted forschool children. Of course all the Aryan children had their Hitler Youth uniforms and on occassion wore them to school. It is likely that the NAZI leadership understood that the German people as awhole did not want another war and that instituting school uniforms would not have proved popular.But this is just speculation on my part and would be interested in any actual historical insights visitorsto this web site might have.
After the NAZIs seized power in 1933, totalitarian principles were applied to all aspects of education. Private schools were taken over or closed. Great emphasis was attached on racial "science", often termed "racial hygine", in NAZI education and this was quickly introduced into the curiculum. NAZI idelogy and physical-military training became other important aspects of the school program. Many teachers embraced the new Germany, but others were fired or left teaching. It is difficult to assess the relative importance of the two groups. It is known that many teachers were fired or replaced with political hacks during 1933-35, but HBC has no details on the numbers. Some of the best educators fled abroad. The quality of German education, once the leading system in Europe, declined. Again, however, it is difficult to assess this in quantative terms.
The NAZIs did not significantly change the structure of German education durng their 12-years of power in Germay. The educational system remained basically unchanged from that of Imperial Germany and the Weimar Republic. There were of course changes. The NAZIs expelled Jewish children from pubic schools (1935). The staff of the schools was changed. Jewish Teachers were immediately dismissed. Teachers criticals of the NAZIs were replaced with NAZI supporters. Political reliability rather than competency became important. This of course affected educatinal standards. But these are changes that do not show up in period photographs. The photographs do show the changing fashion trends during the period, bith at the primary and secondary level. Only during World War II, especially the later part of the War do we begin to see some major changes because city children were being evacuated as aresult of the Allied bombing. There were no school uniforms at most German schools. The boys wore their own clothes. I believe that boys mostly wore short pants and kneesocks. The younger boys may have worn long stockings. Older boys wore shorts, knickers, and long pants. Many parents let the boys wear long pants during the winter. We see some children wearing theor HJ uniforms at some schools.
The NAZI Party created special secondary-level schools to train party cadres. I believe the boys at special party schools, lke the Adolf Hitler schools wore basic Hitler Youth uniforms. I do not know of special school uniforms, but I could be wrong about this. Some images show the boys in more elaborate uniforms than normally worn by Hitler Youth boys. These schools are a topic HBC has not yet been able to acquire much information about.
A German reader tells us that in 1933 the Nazis tried to establish a
uniform Schultüte. I am not sure what official and at what level this
effort was made. We notice one boy in 1933 with a Hakenkreuzschultüten--a gift cone with a swastica. This would have been done in September 1933. The NAZIs at that time had been in power only a few months. The idea apparently was not
very popular. Almost all the cones we note have animals and characters on them that apparently were more appealing to 6-year old children. Notice all the various different designs on the gift cones archived in HBC. The NAZis seem to have dropped the idea as even whenthe Party was in firm control of Germany we do not
notice Hakenkreuzschultüten. A German reader tells us they remained a rare choice for these gift cones. We rarely see such photograps. Some care, however, needs to be take in assesing popularity by the modern number of surviving images. We believe that following the German surrender in World War II (May 1945)
that many German families destroyed photographs and artifacts that had the swastica on them.
HBC has little information about school life during the NAZI era and what classrooms look like. One HBC reader tells us, "I am looking for some pictures of German students during World War II or the pre-War Nazi era. I'm looking for pictures of them doing their equivalent to our pledge of allegiance. A picture of them saluting a flag or something like that. do you have any or know a good place where I can find one." In fact, HBC knows of no German school sites. Wile the HBU site has considerable information on Hitler Youth, we have only limited information and few images of school life.
Mostowski, Marianne. "The school system", Bund Deutscher Mädel, internet site accessed May 30, 2006.
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