Hitler's Youth
Brief Synopsis
Cast & Crew
Peter Hartl
Roger Mudd
David Ritchie
Alastair Duncan
Renate Bardong
Stefan Brauburger
Film Details
Technical Specs
Synopsis
Hitler achieved almost complete control over a generation. By mandating that boys and girls had to be members of the Hitler Youth, the state gained power over the young. "Seduction" examines how the Nazi's lured young people into their camp by promising adventure and a sense of belonging. By making military training seem fun, the Hitler Youth were enthusiastic participants in the war. "Molded" reveals that Nazi leaders stressed the Nazi ideology as the norm for a whole generation. By being the sole influence over the young, they were able to drive all compassion and humanitarian attitudes out of them in order to follow Hitler to the bitter end. "Delusion" shows how young Germans were placed under immense pressure to accept as self-evident the concepts that Germany had the right to extend its territory and that war was the elixir of eternal life. By joining, they would be part of the elite -- and there would be consequences for those who didn't. "Deployment" chronicles how the Nazi hierarchy exploited the younger generation as a willing work force able to bring in the harvest, gather raw materials or go to war. For boys, that meant willingly becoming soldiers; for girls, producing children for the regime. "Sacrifice" reveals that, as the war drew to a close, child soldiers were sent to battles that could only end in slaughter. Following the war, the children had to confront a new reality and overcome a generation of abuse.
