Figure 1.-- |
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History was one of the subjects significantly revised once the NAZIs gained control ovr German schools. The goal of teaching history shifted from the development of history as aiscipline to impart skills on how to pursue history to a medium for building a ideological view. The sole purpose of became instill the NAZI views on race and the role of Germany in the world.
Hitler felt "The individual needs only as much history as is necessary to provide that degree of historical insight which will foster a firm ideological attitude in questions of race" (Koch, p. 164).
Hitler discussed teaching history in Mein Kampf. "A reform of particular importance is that which ought to take place in the present methods of teaching history. Scarcely any other people are made to study as much of history as the Germans, and scarcely any other people make such a bad use of their historical knowledge. If politics means history in the making, then our way of teaching history stands condemned by the way we have conducted our politics. But there would be no point in bewailing the lamentable results of our political conduct unless one is now determined to give our people a better political education. In 99 out of 100 cases the results of our present teaching of history are deplorable. Usually only a few dates, years of birth and names, remain in the memory, while a knowledge of the main and clearly defined lines of historical development is completely lacking. The essential features which are of real significance are not taught. It is left to the more or less bright intelligence of the individual to discover the inner motivating urge amid the mass of dates and chronological succession of events.
The subject matter of our historical teaching must be curtailed. The chief value of that teaching is to make the principal lines of historical development understood. The more our historical teaching is limited to this task, the more we may hope that it will turn out subsequently to be of advantage to the individual and, through the individual, to the community as a whole. For history must not be studied merely with a view to knowing what happened in the past but as a guide for the future, and to teach us what policy would be the best to follow for the preservation of our own people." [Hitler]
Hitler stated in Mein Kampf, "It is the task of the racial
state to ensure that at long last world history will be written and that within its context that racial question will be elevated to the dominant position". [Koch, p. 164.] Throughout history
texts, there was an undertone of the "life struggle" that all Germans faced (Sax 305). History books were written describing the degeneration of the world by the mixing of blood. Jews lured the Aryan race with promises of money and gold. "Many in the new Reich knew no longer any ideal for which to fight, to suffer, to die. They had only one
God: gold" [Blackburn, p. 173.] However, the German youth had nothing to fear since the National Socialists had come to power. They would "[overturn] the 'Jewish emancipation' foisted upon the world by the French Revolution". [Blackburn, p. 173.]
The NAZIs thought "The course of history must not appear to our young people as a chronicle which strings events together indiscriminately, but, as in a play, only the important events, those which have a major impact on life, should be portrayed." [Noakes and Pridham, p. 438.] History was designed to extol the glory of Germany and the German volk. A nationalistic approach to history was the only viewpoint permitted for teachers orvstudents. History focused somewhat on the great German leaders, who by coincidence believed in everything that the NAZIs believed, whether the historical figures themselves held any of those particular views. [Koch, p. 164.] The German defeat in World War I was explained as the work of Jewish and Marxist spies who had weakened the system from within. The Treaty of Versailles which has dismembered Germany was resented by most Germans and was a particular target of the NAZIs who explained the work of nations jealous of Germany's might and power. The hyperinflation of 1923 was the work of Jewish capitalists.
The NAZI attack on Christianity was not absent from historical textbooks that children studied. Historians
particularly focused on the Christianity of the German people. Here they argued that the Germanic tribes did not want
to conform to Christianity, but were coerced into finally giving in, although not without a fight (Blackburn
158). Charlemagne was one of the most controversial figures to the Nazi educators. Charlemagne himself was a
German hero, however his Christianity was a deep underlying problem that removed him from the fate of hero and into
the role of the villain who defeated the Saxon peasants (Blackburn 159).
An important fact of German history, of course, was learning the history of th National Socialist German Wokers Party (NASDP-NAZI). The beginnings of
National Socialism and Hitler's enter into the political realm were all important parts of German life that needed to be
known by German society. In the history textbooks, Hitler's Beer Hall Putsch of 1923 was a legendary attempt at
revolution, in which only bravery had been shown. [Sax, p. 75.] Needless to say, the youth did not study the persecution
of the Jews which had begun since the Party had come into office.
Many new courses were devloped in NAZI schools. Whole new fields were created. This was especially true of biology and history. Racial studies included both biological and historical aspects. Defense studies were also important and included a major historical component. Historical studies gave a great interest to pre-history. Law and political science courses were created or revised to adopt NAZI ideology. [Noakes and Pridham, p. 446.]
A study of the Greek City state, Sparta, was added to the national history curriculum under the NAZIs. Many NAZIs saw he Spatans as an ideal, especially their disciplined military prwess in service to the satate. Hitler and other NAZIs like Himmler saw conquered peoples as serving like Helots to support the German warrior caste. It was of course hoped that young Germans given historical ideals like Sparta would more willing accept and paticipate in the NAZI plans for colonizing the East and thus have fewer moral scruples hat might omplicate the effort.
The history taught under the NAZIs was not designed to stimulate a student to think and investigate. It was purely designed to instil the NAZI world view. It was designed to create mass acceptance of NAZI idels and programs so that Germany ould have a population ready to persue the New World Order. History was presented almost s dime novel story type energy that would make youth excited to read it, despite its lack of reality in many areas. The NAZIs manufactured history to fit their purposes. Great steps were taken to insure that youth were shielded from conflicting views that may cause students to ask awkward questions.
As part of an exchange agreement Kodi and Crystal have provided us access to their research.
Blackburn, Gilmer W. Education in the Third Reich: Race and History in Nazi Textbooks. State University of New
York Press: Albany 1985.
Koch, H. W. The Hitler Youth: Origins and Development 1922-1945. Stein and Day: New York, 1975.
Noakes, J. and G. Pridham, ed. Nazism: A History in Documents and
Eyewitness Accounts, 1919-1945, (Department of History and Archaeology at the University of Exeter, 1983).
Sax, Benjamin, and Kuntz, Dieter. Inside Hitler's Germany: A Documentary History of Life in the Third Reich.
"Hitler Youth and Education." D.C. Heath and Company: Lexington, Massachusetts: 1992.
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