Student Politics and the Coming of the Third Reich

Abstract

The importance of student groups in Hitler's accession to power and the earliness of their support for him are aspects of the rise of National Socialism in Germany which have received only superficial attention from historianso It has not been emphasized enough that especially in the days after World War I, students occupied a position of political influence generally respected by the German man in the street. Without their idealistic collaboration, the National Social ism of Hitler would have lacked an important base. The teaching and furtherance of volkisch ideas by the educational institutions and their professors was important in building a spirit of support for Hitler even before he had any significant political organization to mobilize. Moreover, students eventually came to recognize Hitler as the only one whose leadership and actions could lead to the realization of German identity and unity. He provided an alternative to the hated Weimar Republic, with all its alien principles and neglect of the volkisch ideals. The purpose of this thesis will be to examine the influence of students in politics with respect to the rise of Hitler.