1
Q
Pre-war education
A
- some Lander provided kindergarten care for an hour in the morning for kids aged 3-5
- education was compulsory aged 6-14 - expensive after 14
- upper-class children went to fee-paying schools
- working class children went to Volkesschule - large class schools which taught basic reading + writing + numeracy - most needed to work after 14 to earn money
- most schools were confessional schools
2
Q
Changes to compulsory education
A
- new compulsory Grundschule for all kids aged 6-10
- stopped clerical inspections of schools + parents could remove kids from RE
- education was a significant political issue - some wanted RE taught + for the sake of basic morality
3
Q
Education in the Constitution
A
- various parties disagreed
- education Articles were a compromise
- popular Centre Party fought to keep confessional schools + religion in the curriculum
-Articles kept the compulsory Grundschule for kids aged 6-10 - run by local Lander
4
Q
Before 1927 law
A
- non-confessional state schools set up - known as common or simultaneous schools
- confessional schools were run as private schools
- Lander provided a wide variety of education without a national law
- the gov tried to introduce a federal school law in 1921 and in 1925 but the Reichstag couldn’t agree
5
Q
1927 proposed bill of education
A
- confessional + common + secular schools must be set up on equal footing - must be requested by the parents of at least 40 children
- children in common schools would have RE in their own faith
- supported by the Reich Parent’s League
- opposed by the Volkskirche Association for Evangelical Freedom
- wasn’t passed in the end
6
Q
Number of types of schools in 1931
A
- over 29k Protestant schools
- over 15k Catholic schools
- 97 Jewish schools
- over 8k common schools
- 295 secular schools
7
Q
Education beyond the age of 10
A
- only available by paying
- Hauptschule - 5 years schooling - to go into an apprenticeship / trade
- Realschule - 6 years schooling - to go into business / technical training
- Gymnasium - nine years schooling - to go to university
- possible to study in a variety of private schools with different systems
8
Q
University
A
- must pass the Abitur exam to go to university
- 1928 survey of students’ fathers - **45% civil servants + only 2.3% working class
-the Weimar Constitution principle of freedom of choice meant that universities didn’t change - universities had their own corporations which formed nationwide associations
9
Q
University corporations
A
- duelling corporations - difference were settled by sword-fight - popular with sons of wealthy landowners
- non-duelling corporations seen as socially inferior - some excluded people by race + social class - like the German-Aryan Chambers
- membership of duelling corporations was important as it affected a person’s career
10
Q
Nazi School structure
A
- Reich Ministry of Education in charge
state school structure remained - private primary schools abolished - fee-paying secondary schools + universities only for pure Germans - emphasis on physical education
- corporations became Nazi Comradeship Houses + students had to join Nazi student union
- 20 April 1933 - Nazis opened 3 National Political Education Institutions - Napolas - free boarding schools to train elite group of Boys as gov administrators
11
Q
National Socialist Teachers League
A
- NSLB set up in April 1929 - by Jan 1933 there were 6k members
- undesirable teachers purged by April 1933 - also purged the civil service
- Sept 1935 decree gave Nazi control over teacher appointments - hard to get a job if not in the NSLB by 1937
12
Q
Role of teachers
A
- schools were places to indoctrinate children
- Nazis were anti-intellectual - knowledge is dangerous
- teachers were not given respect by the administration + student - job lost popularity
- by 1938 - 8k teaching vacancies
13
Q
Role of schools
A
- to teach loyalty + racial purity + physical fitness - made curriculum changes
- from 1935 - central directives given to cover all years of education in all subjects
- sports made up 15% of the curriculum + textbooks censored and burnt
14
Q
Main subject focus
A
- History - focus on nationalism + creating Volksgemeinschaft
- Biology - Nazi racial theory + eugenics + population policy + motherhood
- Maths - war strategy + racial theory
15
Q
Purpose of Nazi Movement
A
- pamphlets issued to teach about unfairness of Treaty of Versailles + racial purity + importance of healthy child birth
- members of Hitler Youth groups expected to report on anything against nazi teachings
- boys - military type activities = target shooting
- girls - domestic and maternal activities = cooking
16
Q
Youth groups
A
- boys 10 - 14 = German Young People - DJ
- boys 14 - 18 = Hitler Youth - HJ
- girls 10 - 14 = League of Young Girls - JM
- girls 14 - 18 = League of German Girls - BDM
17
Q
Youth conformity successes
A
- provisions of sports + camping + music excited youth
- surtout those of poorer backgrounds
- created sense of belonging
18
Q
Youth conformity problems
A
- HJ suffered from over-rapid expansion - inadequate leadership
- emphasis on military drill + discipline = resented as too regimented
- special youth section of secret police set up + youth concentration camp at Neuwied
19
Q
Resistance youth groups
A
- Swing Youth - took up music + imagery of dance-bands of UK + USA
- Edelweiss Piraten general label given to many working-class youths who formed gangs - Roving Dudes + Navajos
-members had been alienated by military emphasis + discipline of the Hitler Youth - organised own hikes + camps - during the war Pirates youth group became involved with more active resistance
20
Q
In 1945
A
- Allies closed down all schools - to de-nazify the curriculum + teachers
- focus on pre-university education
- removed Nazi teachers + books
- schools re-opened in autumn 1945
21
Q
Schools in the Allied zones
A
- class sizes of up to 85
- schools had been bombed + converted for other uses in war
- Americans brought in over 5 million textbooks
- attempt to introduce American-style system with elementary school + middle school + high school to lead to university
22
Q
School in Soviet Zone
A
- removed Nazi teachers + introduced teacher-training courses
- had over 40k working-class teachers
- system of 8 years of primary school then 4 years high school
23
Q
Attempts for school curriculum restructuring
A
- under Basic Law the Lander were responsible for education + culture policies
- lots of secular schools in north vs south
- disputes over History teaching - often taught European History instead
- attempt for school restructuring with 1971 Brandt gov but didn’t have majority to become Law
24
Q
Educational Crisis
A
- concern for University system - rise in number of students
- facilities like lecture theatres + accommodation were outdated
- still aimed at children of academics
- Federal Education Promotion Act provided mixture of state funding + state loans to encourage working-class students to go to university
