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How Did Hitler's Red Guards Affect Their Success?

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Abstract
The youth are plentiful and easily manipulated. Throughout history, they have been targeted by all political groups from the far left to the far right wings. Two of the most notorious and successful youth groups were branches of the Nazi group and communist China. To what extent did the similarities and differences between Nazi Germany’s Hitler Youth and Mao Zedong’s Red Guards affect their success?
In order to understand the differences and similarities, research must be conducted on the development of these organizations, their effects on the youth involved, and how these groups benefitted their overall government situation. The main sources that will be used will be A Hitler Youth in Poland by Jost Hermand, a memoir of a young …show more content…

The youth group was started off small and had to compete with the other groups in the country ran by the different churches. In 1923, the group only had about 1000 members. Within only 10 years, the group increased to 2.3 million members. By the time of Hitler’s chancellorship, it became a required part of every German youth’s life; all other youth programs were prohibited and the membership number grew to 5.4 million members. In 1939 when Germany officially entered war, there were almost 8 million Hitler Youth …show more content…

Unlike the males, the females were taught to be the perfect German mother and wife, to teach their children proper German ideals. Unlike the men, they were expected to be able to cook and clean properly. Their activities included learning about German culture and history. The girls were also allowed to go out and explore nature. The formation of the group changed how girls were seen; they were now allowed to go out without their parents, as long as they were with the group. They were also allowed to go hiking and camping, as well as playing

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