Burdette--Hitler took control of education to support his regime

The problem with dictatorships is that once power is attained, it can be difficult to maintain unless drastic measures are taken. From the very start, dictatorship is exactly what Adolph Hitler offered Germany. In order to maintain his power and support his regime, Hitler had to use all resources available to him, one of which was education. Hitler used book burnings, put education in the hands of the state, expelled all Jewish students, and created the Hitler Youth organizations to take control of education and support his regime.

One of Hitler's first orders of business was to destroy books that were inappropriate in his eyes (2). The Nazis and sympathetic students together held giant book burnings where these "inappropriate" books were burned (2). These of course included all books by a Jewish author, with communist ideas or sympathy towards Jews (2). Any book that was centered around themes that opposed Hitler and his ideas had to go. In order to maintain power, opposition had to be destroyed. And that is what Hitler did with the mass book burnings. This shows the bias he created in education. He eliminated opposing ideology so that only his was left. Media affects everyone in the culture (particularly the youth); by destroying books that opposed him, Hitler was also destroying possible future uprisings from youth who read those books and got ideas. Books could not affect Germany in ways that Hitler did not want. Books are a huge source of education and by censoring books (in an extreme way), Hitler was taking absolute control over education in Germany. This complete control helped him in supporting his regime because he was ensuring that the only education people got from books was the education he wanted them to get (and nothing else: no communist ideas, no sympathy for the Jews, nothing that opposed him and his beliefs).

One of Adolph Hitler's 25 points was that education must be put in the hands of the state (3). In 1934, that was exactly what happened. The Reich Ministry for Education and Science was granted "centralized control over education" (4). They decided what was being taught in German schools. They decided where the focus was. About 15% of school time was dedicated to physical education under their ruling with most of the rest of the time focused on German, biology, and history (4). These subjects supported Hitler's ideology to the letter. Hitler put great emphasis on the social Darwinism and the super race (the Aryan race). Biology was a big part of that super race; the glass human sculpture exemplified this emphasis on biology and anatomy (2). German literature went back to Hitler's idea that Germany should always be first. History and physical education were crucial to the militaristic state that Germany was quickly becoming. But more than this, the state controlling education was totalitarianism. It was the dictatorship promised to the German people. What Hitler wanted taught was taught. He was hand-designing an army: giving the children the information they needed to become the best German citizen possible under Nazi rule. Some would go so far as to say Hitler was brainwashing the students. It was undeniably biased education though. And that shows that Hitler took control of education to support his regime.

As anti-Semitic feelings spread and increased from the end of WWI and into the start of Hitler's rule, the laws limiting rights for Jews became much stricter. Roughly three years after the Nuremburg Race Laws were implemented, in 1938, all Jewish students were expelled (4). They could not be part of the army that Hitler was hand-creating as I mentioned earlier. This was just another way to get rid of the opposition, a necessary act for any dictator. By expelling all Jews from all schools, Hitler was destroying their chances of ever making it in Germany (without even considering the extermination camps most were later sent to). Perhaps in Hitler's mind, uneducated Jews meant that it was less likely that they would rise up against him. If the Jews got smart, they might realize they had the power to overthrow them. In expelling them from school, Hitler was trying to prevent that realization. This shows that by taking control of education in the mass expulsion of Jewish students, Hitler was supporting his regime.

Under Hitler's rule, the Hitler youth organizations were created. This was just another way of education the youth in the way that Hitler wanted them to be educated. There were groups for girls where they learned domestic and maternal skills as well as groups for boys where they learned military skills (4). Through these organizations, Hitler taught the skills that he believed were best. Hitler thought women should work in the home and that men should be out defending their country and doing what is best for their country. This was just further implementation of his biased education. He was practically creating an army of young people who were Germany's future (because Germany comes first). Hitler did not foresee that it would all be over soon. Not all youth were required to join but these organizations created a wave of peer pressure that swept up even those who weren't a part (2). This shows Hitler influencing the youth of Germany to support him and his regime. Their education and extracurricular activities were in his hands. The biased education that was forced upon Germany under Hitler's reign most certainly supported his regime.

Without aggressive action, it is hard for a dictatorship to remain in place. Hitler used book burnings, put education in the hands of the state (which essentially meant HIS hands), expelled Jewish students, and created the Hitler youth organizations to bias the education and support his regime.