German Folksongs as Nazi Propaganda in the Hitler Jugend Movement

Indianapolis, IN

The re-enculturation of Germany's youth population was central to Hitler's mission to create a "new" Germany. Hitler was well aware of the power of music to convey social, political and cultural messages, and central to his vision for a new German nation was the use of German folksongs as markers of German identity, both on the historical and cultural level. Folksongs were embedded in the activities of such Nazi youth organizations as the Hitler Jugend, and helped to spread Nazi ideology to the youngest and most impressionable members of German society. Folksongs were therefore pervasive in these youth organizations, but several questions arise regarding their utilization and purpose. How were folksongs used to shape communal identity and a new sense of German national character in the Hitler Jugend? And, how were folksongs beneficial to the advancement of Hitler's grand plan? Further, how were folksongs used to re-enculturate the German youth population? The Third Reich used folksongs of the collective German past as one of the most influential propaganda tools to manipulate and brainwash the youth in order to promote the ideals of the Nazis