The Saber and Scroll Journal Volume 8, Number 3, Spring 2020 | Page 136

The Hitler Youth & Communism Generation in Post-War Po the Hitler Youth from 1929 until 1945 affected young men and women for decades to come, and following the fall of Berlin in 1945, it was the Hitler Youth that led to increased communist ideals in Eastern and Western Germany. The early beginnings of the Hitler Youth were not seen by the outside world; only citizens within Germany’s borders were privy to its evolution. The organization of the Hitler Youth began in 1920 when Hitler approved the formation of a Youth League that would fall under part of the National Socialist Workers Party (NSDAP). 1 This new youth organization was based off an already established German youth group known as the Wandervogel. 2 This new youth group of the NSDAP had been slowly growing in its earlier years and was eventually banned in 1923 following the Beer Hall Putsch and Hitler’s arrest. 3 Hitler began running into issues because other youth groups were already formed and thriving in Germany, and the establishment of another youth group did not guarantee interest or membership. With the many social issues surrounding the NSDAP, many people were reluctant to let their children join. Hitler soon realized that desperate measures were needed that would force not only children to join the NSDAP youth organization, but would also coerce parents into accepting the idea and wanting their children to join. This change occurred following Hitler’s release from prison in 1924. 4 The NSDAP had grown exponentially upon Hitler’s release, and following the publishing of Mein Kampf (“My Struggle”), parents began to lean towards 6