Download “Youth serves the Führer "This hand guides the Reich: 12 year old

Hitler Youth
“Youth serves the Führer
All 10 year olds into the Hitler Youth”
"This hand guides the Reich:
German youth
follow it in the ranks of the Hitler Youth."
12 year old boy in the German Army
Hitler Youth routinely practiced war games and trained for combat.
Hitler Youth Song Sheets
“The Gray Sky” (Der himmel grau)
“Young People, Start” (Junges Volk, tritt an)
“We Boys Carry the Flag” (Wir Jungen tragen die Fahne).
“Hitler Youth” was an organization originally founded in 1922 in an effort to teach young children about
patriotism and loyalty to the Führer (Hitler). Children were often encouraged to conduct their lives as
spies and constantly keep a watchful eye on their parents and neighbors who could be potential harmful to
the movement of the Nazi Party. Hitler used many forms of propaganda including posters and music to
appeal to the youth of Germany. By 1940, Hitler Youth had over eight million members
Please read Part 1, Chapter II (pp. 20-29) of 1984 about Mrs. Parsons and her children. Once
you have completed the reading, answer the questions on the back as related to the story and
draw connections between the events occurring in the novel, and Orwell’s inspiration as he
constructed this book during World War II.
Please answer the following questions regarding “Hitler Youth” compared to the Party’s Youth.
1. How is the world that Winston Smith lives in similar to what it may have been like to grow up
in Nazi Germany during the 1920s and 1930s? (Hint: Think back to what we discussed about
living conditions in Germany after WW I).
2. Who does Winston discover was knocking at his door? What does this person want?
3. Describe the Parsons home when compared to that of Winston’s home? How is it similar to
what you read about regarding “Hitler Youth?”
4. What do the children do to Winston that makes him feel very uncomfortable? What is the
irony of this scene?
5. According to Mrs. Parsons, why are the children so upset to begin with? What does this tell
you about the society in which the children are brought up?
6. How is the idea of the “child hero” conveyed by “The Party?” What do the children have to
do in order to receive this status?
7. Compare the ways in which “The Party” tries to motivate the children when compared to that
of the Nazi party with “Hitler Youth.” What is the same about each of their respective methods?
What is different about their methods?