Hamilton: Insights on German Youth and Vulnerabilities

What is most intriguing to me about Hamilton’s article is the fact that she attempts to pinpoint the origin of both the extreme Communist and Fascist post war movements. She believes that the origins of these movements as well as the reasons they are so vehemently geared towards young people lie within the confines of Germany’s history. She says that the postwar generation was so deficient in their economic knowledge and so emotionally unstable due to their recent loss in World War I that they became extremely vulnerable to extreme political parties, especially those based on hatred. She identifies that both parties addressed these deficiencies within the youth generation which is what made them so appealing. However, fascism was the one that made the youth feel that they had the power to change and advance within society. Fascism also gave the youth the structure and discipline that they had lacked within society in the postwar years. I think this is an interesting insight into the roots and motive power behind the Nazi movement and also offers an explanation for the motives behind the thematic motives (economy, discipline, youth) in both Hitler Youth Quex and Kuhle Wampe.