Should Hitler Youth Be Held Responsible For The Holocaust?

Can you imagine the deaths of millions of people going “unnoticed”? The extermination of millions of Jews in Europe happened right in front of the eyes of civilians who did not do anything to stop this genocide. However should some of these people not be held responsible for the Holocaust? One group of people in Europe that should not be held responsible are the Hitler Youth. In 1922, the Nazi party established a youth organization called the Hitler Youth of boys and girls ages 10-18 years old. Millions of German children were part of this Nazi run program. These children should not be held responsible for the actions they have taken during the Holocaust because they were easily manipulated.

Hitler had believed, from the beginning of his

The White Rose movement, The Edelweiss Pirates, swing groups, and much more went against the Hitler Youth. These groups tormented Hitler Youth groups and would not allow Hitler Youth children into their neighborhoods. Some of these movements danced dances that were banned by the Nazis like swing dance and played Jazz and blues that was forbidden. These children would be arrested and put in special youth concentration camps. However those who publicly created the opposite of the Hitler Youth would face greater consequences, “At least five of those Edelweisspiraten were publicly hanged...The most important case is that of the Scholl siblings…They posted massive anti-Hitler slogans in Munich and surroundings and were caught and beheaded. There were about ten of them, all told. Most had been active HJ members before, some even as leaders, Sophie and Hans in particular.” ( Michael H. Kater). Some of these Hitler Youth broke off from the organization and decided to go against what it idealized and also Hitler, however, it was a very dangerous decision because there were deadly consequences going against the Hitler Youth. The Hitler Youth should not be held responsible for their actions during the Holocaust because they had no choice but to stay in the Hitler youth for their own

It is understandable for a child to believe what is told to them as a child because they are easy to manipulate. By the time children were adults they should have known right from wrong and that they were actually being trained to become Nazi soldiers. They were being used to take part in a genocide. Those old enough to be Nazi soldiers and had grown up in the Hitler Youth should have seen unspeakable horror done against the Jews and should have known it was wrong. Even though this is true they still should not be held responsible because the Hitler Youth camps and schools had taught them that they are different from Jews and by far more superior than them. They were taught the difference in physical characteristics and the atrocities Jews were accused of. All these factors that were implanted in their brains while young forced them to believe that Jews deserved everything that happened to them which is why they should not be held