THE THIRD REICH, [Das Dritte Reich] 1933, Vol. I, pages
144-154
Nationalsocialistic League of Teachers
For years, the "Nationalsocialistic League of Teachers" [Nationalsozialistischer Lehrerbund] under party member Schemm, Gauleiter of Oberfranken, has been working on matters pertaining to nationalsocialistic education. After Adolf Hitler's accession to power the time had come to harvest the fruit of this work. Now was the tinft to bring home to the youth the significance of the tremendous historical events which they had been allowed to witness and to create in them the feeling of great responsibility that results from these events. This was also expressed in a speech by Reich Minister of the Interior, Dr. Frick, given on 9 May at a conference of Ministers of education. He said the following about the teaching of history in school:
"The last two decades of our own era are to be the main subject of history classes. The phenomenal experience of the World War and the vivid struggle of the German people against a world of enemies, the disintegration of our will to resist by subversive elements, the disgrace of our people by the dictate of Versailles and the subsequent collapse of the liberalistic-marxistic ideology are to be treated as thoroughly as the beginning of the national rebirth from the fight in the Ruhr to the breakthrough of the nationalsocialistic idea of liberty and the reestablishment of German unity on that day in Potsdam." * * *
Annihilation of the marxistic domination of schools.
The already mentioned law for the reestablishment of the civil service [Gesetz zur Wiederherstellung des Berufsbeamtentums] later on made possible a thorough check-up of all German teachers and elimination of subversive and unreliable elements. In addition, Rust already on 14 April suspended with immediate effect
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the first 16 university professors (the majority of whom were Jewish) whose political and educational activities were too subversive to be tolerated by the new state. They were joined by numerous other "scientific representatives" of liberalism and marxism during the following weeks. The resulting indignation of World Jewry and of its "Internationals" could even less impress Germany as just these pseudo-representatives of "freedom of teaching and intellect" had left no stone unturned to prevent any academic activity of Dr. Guenther, the scientific herald of the racial idea. The leadership idea [Fuehrergedanke] was now introduced into education: Teacher committees, democratic school principals, student's committees and similar "achievements" disappeared. * * *
Adolf Hitler on the school.
Adolf Hitler has summarized in his book "Mein Kampf" the fundamental principles of a new education in a few sentences: "On this basis the whole education by the national state must aim primarily not at the stuffing with mere knowledge but at building bodies which are physically healthy to the core. The development of intellectual faculties comes only after this. And here comes as the prime object the development of the character, especially training of willpower and ability to make decisions connected with an education to assume readily responsibility, only in the last place comes scientific schooling."
Nationalsocialistic principles of education.
The nationalsocialistic revolution puts down the new ideas for an education:
"The German school has to form the politically minded man whose entire thinking and activity while serving and sacrificing is anchored in his nation and who is firmly and inseparably tied in with the history and the fate of his nation."
The State as exponent of the will of the nation directs the education of the German youth to patriotism and true national unity. The absolute supremacy of the state in educational matters is just as natural as trusting cooperation with the parents. Close cooperation with the Hitler youth, the nationalsocialistic youth organization, is, of course, indispensable. The chaos of liberalistic education is being replaced by a uniform and organic shaping of German education. The mother tongue is to be cultivated as a sacred national possession and history comes first on the list of all subjects in school.
Frick's directives for teaching history.
Reich Minister of the Interior, Dr. Frick, has issued uniform directives for teaching history from a nationalpedagogical viewpoint, giving preference to early German history in order to prove
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the high standard of culture of our germanic ancestors. From prehistoric times through all the later millenniums down to the present time the fundamental importance of the race should be properly emphasized. The fate of our brethren beyond the Reich's borders deserves special attention. The reconquest of the territories east of the Elbe is to be regarded as the greatest achievement of the Middle Ages. History classes in every grade must stress the hero worship of Germanic character combining it with the leader principle of our times.
Nationalsocialistic education of teachers.
To carry out the nationalsocialistic principles of education we urgently needed those teachers who were able and willing to work in this spirit. After the elimination of subversive marxists and after the destruction of marxistic schools and teacher associations, those teachers who were consciously German have been more and more indoctrinated by the spirit of the new state and the national-socialistic national unity. But the state was uppermost interested in the education of future teachers. The Prussian Ministry for Science, Art, and education has decreed that service with the SA and labor service are prerequisities for admission to the second examination. Furthermore, for the time being those teachers up to the age of 25 who are physically fit, are to be called up for sport exercises for a period of four weeks every year.
NSDStB [Nationalsocialistic German Student's league].
The NSDStB had been created in 1925/26 by party member Tempel and soon party member Baldur von Schirach was made its chief by the Fuehrer. He started to rally the few nationalsocialistic students, to propagate national socialism in the universities and to stand up against the growing terror of the liberalistic and marxistic authorities in the universities. A good many students at that time were relegated from the universities due to their nationalsocialistic behavior. Under Schirach's leadership the NSDStB scored a tremendous success among the students of one university after the other and converted the German students into enthusiastic heralds of nationalsocialism. When Adolf Hitler appointed Baldur von Schirach in 1932 as Reich youth leader of the NSDAP (the NSDStB remained under the jurisdiction of the Reich youth leader as before), he made party member Gerd Ruehle leader of the NSDStB. At about this time the reactionaries in the "presidial cabinets" made special efforts to snatch the students from national socialism. These attempts failed due to the unity and preparedness for fight of the NSDStB, which
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smashed the reactionary attacks and saw to it, that on 30 January 1933 the students stood as one man behind the Fuehrer. After the nationalsocialistic rise to power, party member Oskar Staebel took over the NSDStB and some time later also the "Deutsche Studentenschaft" as well as the "Reichsschaft" which had been created as a professional representing body [staendische Vertretung] of all students.
The fight of the students against the alien [volksfremd] system ended victoriously with the nationalsocialistic revolution:
Prussian decree regulating the rights of students.
The already mentioned Prussian decree regulating the rights of students of 9 April replaced the "citizenship principle" of the now defeated state—a principle which opened the door to every Jew with "German citizenship" but excluded for instance the Austrian blood brother—by the national-citizen principle [volks-buergerlicher Grundsatz des Blutes] and decreed:
"The fully registered students of German origin and German mother tongue constitute the student body of the university regardless of their citizenship."
The duties of the German "Studentenschaft" were clearly defined in the following phrases:
"The 'Studentenschaft' has the following tasks:
a. To fulfill its duties towards the people, the state and the German university;
b. To represent the entirety of all students;
c. To be responsible for the autonomous administration of the students;
d. To participate in the autonomy of the universities."
The nationalsocialistic leadership principle also replaced par-liamentarianism among the students. The "Fuehrer der Studentenschaft" is appointed for a period of one year by his predecessor in agreement with the leadership of the "Deutsche Studentenschaft after consultation with the two senior members."
The. individual student is no longer the point of departure; rather it is the community of students, which is organized in the Confederate Association [Buendische Kammer]:
"Every group of students which devotes itself to the education of its members by military and labor service and physical exercise in order to fit them into the national community [Volksgemeinschaft] sends one representative. The buendische Kammer serves the purpose of giving advice and assistance to its members and is bound to educate the groups and associations belonging to it in accordance with the duties of the 'Deutsche Studentenschaft'."
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Further characteristics of the new order for the students are: Continuation of students' autonomy, but exaggeration of autonomy of universities should be avoided, integrating of the "Studentenschaft" with the university and with a greater German over-all organization.
Extracts from a book, on the application of Nazi policies in the schools, with statements on the teaching of history, the elimination of Jewish and subversive teachers, teacher training, and student groups
Authors
Constantin Frick (Reverend, Central Committee for the Internal Mission of the German Protestant Church)
Constantin Frick
German pastor
- Born: 1877-03-05 (Magdeburg)
- Died: 1949-02-19 (Bremen)
- Country of citizenship: Germany
- Occupation: pastor
- Member of political party: German People's Party
- Participant in: Nuremberg Medical Trial (date: 1947-01-27; role: affiant)
- Significant person: Oskar Schröder (role: parishioners)
- VIAF ID: https://viaf.org/viaf/45288309
Adolf Hitler (Fuehrer, Reich Chancellor, Supeme Commander of Wehrmacht)
Adolf Hitler
Austrian nationalized German politician, leader of the National Socialist party and dictator of Germany (1889-1945)
- Born: 1889-01-01 1889-04-20 (Braunau am Inn) (country: Austria-Hungary; located in the administrative territorial entity: Archduchy of Austria above the Enns; statement is subject of: Adolf-Hitler-Geburtshaus)
- Died: 1945-04-30 (Berlin Führerbunker) (country: Nazi Germany; located in the administrative territorial entity: Berlin; statement is subject of: death of Adolf Hitler)
- Country of citizenship: Cisleithania (period: 1889-04-20 through 1918-11-11); First Republic of Austria (period: 1919-01-01 through 1925-04-30); Nazi Germany (end cause: death of Adolf Hitler; period: 1933-01-30 through 1945-04-30); Republic of German-Austria (period: 1918-01-01 through 1919-01-01)
- Occupation: painter (statement is subject of: paintings by Adolf Hitler); political writer; politician (reason for preferred rank: generally used form); soldier
- Member of political party: German Workers' Party (period: 1919-09-12 through 1921-07-11); Nazi Party (series ordinal: 556)
- Member of: Nazi Party
- Participant in: Aktion T4; Beer Hall Putsch; The Holocaust; ethnic cleansing
- Significant person: Albert Speer; Benito Mussolini; Eva Braun; Joseph Stalin
Date: 1933
Literal Title: Das Dritte Reich 1933
Defendants: Wilhelm Frick, Baldur Schirach, von
Total Pages: 5
Language of Text: English
Source of Text: Nazi conspiracy and aggression (Office of United States Chief of Counsel for Prosecution of Axis Criminality. Washington, D.C. : U.S. Government Printing Office, 1946.)
Evidence Code: PS-2392
Citations: IMT (page 255), IMT (page 257)
HLSL Item No.: 450285