Reichsjugendführer

The Reich Youth Leadership was established after the takeover of the Nazi Party in March 1933, to ensure the ideological orientation of German youth and so secure the future rule of the NSDAP. The Reich Youth Leader was at the head of the Hitler Youth (HJ, including young people and BDM) and was in personal union " Youth Leader of the German Reich" and Reich Youth Leader of the NSDAP.

Baldur von Schirach was the first Reich Youth Leader and was replaced on August 8, 1940, by his deputy Artur Axmann.

Tasks

Tasks of the Reich Youth Leadership were the direct connection of the existing youth associations, the political and ideological indoctrination of German youth with the aim of education to staunch Nazi and the control and suppression of deviating from the Nazi ideal of youth cultures.

After the seizure of power, the Nazi regime did not tolerate other youth organizations in addition to the Hitler Youth. The other groups were, if they eingliederten not voluntarily dissolved. One of the largest of these groups was the " bündische youth " - a perfect set in the 1920s, influenced by collective term for the youth movement youth leagues. The young people were mainly from the middle classes. Together, the groups, the idea of ​​self-determination was ( "Youth educates youth " ), as well as joint actions such as hiking and camping, playing music and singing. A strong attachment to homeland and nature revealed in particular the two dominant directions, migrant bird movement and the Boy Scouts. From each of these societies was created in 1927, the German volunteer corps, the early 1933 joined forces with other youth organizations in large German Confederation, hoping to escape the resolution. Parts of the Federal cooperated with the HJ, which it promised a strengthening, but the competition then wanted to get rid of.

The Reich Youth Leadership came to power demands of the Hitler Youth against and banned the Greater German Federal Government in June 1933. The remaining groups of the " Bund Youth " suffered this fate in the years up to 1936. Many of its members were transferred to the Hitler Youth, in particular as these on mandatory " State Youth" was and still was able to exert more pressure. The HJ took over some of the confederate forms and methods, including uniforms and camp. Only the Catholic Youth and the Protestant youth a low degree of freedom of movement could be obtained.

In order to justify the suppression of the youth movement, they accused you of cooperation with communists. The RJF functionary Gerhard Mögling referred to them as "carriers of Bolshevism " and "the fiercest opponents of the Hitler Youth ." Also, as the latter had stabilized and gained members, the Reich Youth Leadership retained this assertion constructed " bündisch = communist ' in and followed all the the inclusion withdrawn until the final stages of the Third Reich.

Dual position as the party structure and authorities of the Reich

Formal Politically, the Reich Youth Leadership had the status of a Supreme Reich Authority (roughly equivalent to a ministry ) and was also a part of the party apparatus of the Nazi Party. It was rebuilt after the leader principle. It was headed from 1933 to 1940 Baldur von Schirach, who had been since 1931, Reich Youth Leader of the NSDAP. 1940-1945 his longtime deputy and Hitler Youth leader Arthur Axmann followed him.

Party Internally, the Reich Youth Leader was responsible for the guidelines according to which the German in the Hitler Youth and the Bund girl captured children and young people were cared for and educated. The HJ which was initially a youth organization of the party, received in 1936 the status of a state youth. Even before this began the Reich Youth Leadership, the HJ through strict obedience to education, extreme discipline and aggressive physical build to the counterweight of school education.

The Reich Youth Leadership was next to this Directive competence also a direct factor of power because they perceived the police -like design of HJ inserts. Feared was particularly the Hitler Youth patrols.