Top 10 Reasons Why Hitlerjunge Quex is Better Propaganda than Kuhle Wampe

10. Continuity Editing, enough said.
9. Younger cast.
8. Heini is much cuter than Fritz.
7. “Quex” also sounds cooler than “Comrade”
6. The death of the mother is always a good plot element (watch Disney’s Bambi if you don’t believe me)
5. In a country that is being forced to pay reparations to the rest of the continent, internationalism is probably not going to be very popular.
4. Big budgets > Small budgets
3. Fairs are great scenes for movies (watch James Dean in East of Eden).
2. Heinrich George
1. Heini and Ulla’s steamy onscreen kiss.

All joking aside, Hanz Steinhoff’s film Hitlerjunge Quex is an excellent example of how the Nazi party was able to gain the support of the German youth through various forms of propaganda. The film, unlike Kuhle Wampe, was made as a feature film and was meant to be entertaining. The plot of Hitlerjunge Quex is certainly more compelling, and the characters are easier to relate to. Propaganda like this film (and even more egregious forms too) were very successful with the younger generation of German citizens. As Alice Hamilton writes about in her article, the support of the youth was unquestionable. As she says, the Nazi government paid exacting attention to details that were very adolescent in character. Newspapers, for instance, gave more coverage to the upcoming Olympic games than to the upcoming Economic Conference, and instead of focusing on policies for helping unemployment, the Party cared more about reorganizing the sport clubs so as to debar Jews and Social Democrats. The Nazi party’s message to the youth was also much more positive (also more twisted, admittedly) than that offered by the Communists. “Hitler,” as Hamilton writes, “made each insignificant, poverty-stricken, jobless youth of the slums feel himself one of the great of the earth, since the youth was a German...". Additionally, although both the Nazis and the Communists published a great deal of propaganda, the Nazis were ultimately more effective because their message was simpler and more explicit. One barely needs to see more of the movie than the opening credit “Hitlerjunge Quex,” to know that the movie was pro-Nazi. Kuhle Wampe, on the other hand, was more subtle and was filmed so as to prompt the audience to ask questions pertinent to real issues. A nice idea, to be sure, but for the masses of discouraged German youth who knew little about politics or economics, all they wanted was a little hope and entertainment.

Alexis Tabak post on readings

A summary of Hamilton’s Key points
Hamilton’s article describes Hitler’s Nazi regime as one which all of its power lies in the youth. The focus on the youth was key to the regime’s success as the programs implemented a sense of belonging and self worth in a time when children felt lost, useless and unimportant. The propaganda strategies that the Nazis used to attract young men and women were so powerful that Hitler’s Germany was all about the promotion of the youth and the notion that the youth was the most important factor in order to carry on the messages of nationalism and Germany’s strong character to the following generations. The regime was all about promoting the minds of the youth and not about real world factors that were affecting the mass citizen in Germany. There was no mention of economic crises or that there was a significant growth in unemployment. The concentration of the youth turned Nazi Germany into a somewhat false reality, because the government was not focusing on political issues, the only cared about marginalizing and ostracizing the social democrats and the Jews. The youth after the world war was a some what lost generation, the children were somewhat useless yet had options of joining the communists or the Nazi’s. Hamilton’s news article explains that the Nazi’s had a smarter strategy of attracting the youth. The strategy was a simpler less international plan that that of the communists. The plan was to draw together the youth with the simple notion of a United Germany and a hatred of the Jews. The plan was simple, easy to follow and made the youth feel important with a sense of purpose in the community and as Germans. The Germans rid of voluntary programs in order to solidify the youth’s commitment to party ideals. Hamilton analyzes that the Germans felt that voluntary programs were “the germ of an undisciplined spirit”. The Nazi youth gave them a purpose and a sense of belonging, and made them feel passionate about doing something for the “good” of their country. What was particularly disturbing was the revolt against modern education. The focus was on physical strength and good military performance instead of academic excellence. The bind of the Hitler youth was that of a revolt against the development of the individual character. Hitler felt in order for the Nazi regime to be successful, the youth should value physical strength and German national unity above all. The restructuring of the education system focused on History and the dominance of Germany as a country and its power and prestige above all others. The Hitler Youth was key to the success of the continuing German regime to promote the ideals of German nationalism and to ensure that Hitler’s vision would outlive him for generations.

The Dangers of Oversimplification : Robert Gibson

Several times in her article, Alice Hamilton implicitly implies that a movement like the Nazi youth movement would not be possible in the United States. While I do not see an imminent danger of a totalitarian movement becoming popular on American soil, one should always guard against the idea that such a thing could never happen here. For someone (and I forget who at the moment) famously said that the tragedy of National Socialism was not the tragedy of Germany, but of Humankind.

Hamilton mentions that the posting of the twelve theses in an American university would be met with vigorous discussion, certainly not the muted acceptance characteristic of the German university of which she speaks. The sweeping implicit generalization that Germans are by nature accepting of racism is as potentially dangerous as any propaganda method in Hitlerjugend Quex as it encourages the reader not to think about his or her own potential for the acceptance of hate. The effect is for the reader to think: “those Germans are so easily duped” rather than “I wonder if, in a similarly politically hostile environment, American students would be able to make a courageous stand against widely accepted beliefs.”

A similar situation arises in Hamilton’s comment about book capturing and burning. Of course these things are “stupid, ugly and primitive,” but they do not look so to all Americans inherently. Yes it is true that such hostility to learning is not traditional in the United States, but it should be noted that while Hamilton was writing, the US Post Office was routinely seizing copies of James Joyce’s Ulysees because it was deemed ‘obscene’. Thus while her argument about youths taking power in Germany may be valid, Hamilton’s ill-advised writings about American superiority are not that different from certain elements of Nazi propaganda, since they discourage critical thought.

Hamilton's Americentrism

While the idea of a first hand account of the assumption of Nazi power of the youth is compelling, the most interesting aspect to the Hamilton article lies in the filter through which she views it. The general tenor of the article comes from a persepctive of seemingly omnisceint understanding of the failings of the German nation, failings which would never occur in the United States. Hamilton presents the German youth as prey for the fodder of the Nazi government; eliciting compassion from readers through a portrayal of youth as having no understanding of the connection "between work and food". The universality of Hamilton's assumptions serve only to veil the americentristic ideas inherent to her worldview. The atrocities are clear to all who read, but she colors them all with the sentiment that no American would fall prey to the rouse, she states, "All this seemed simply stupid and ugly and primitive to an American". While I would like to see Hamilton's worldview as anachronistic and indicative of a by gone era, the sad truth is that she is but an echo of the same sentiments gratuitously espoused by the American people today. The ever present, ever omniscient, American voice of freedom.

the audience is the thing.

Alice Hamilton makes note of the overwhelming powerlessness felt by much of the youth after World War I, and cites the lack of direction as the main reason that the youth were so susceptible to the propagandistic endeavors of both the Communists and the Nazis. Both of the factions appealed to these "insignificant, poverty-stricken, jobless youth of the slums" by inviting them to be part of a larger, grander design.
Kuhle Wampe and Hitlerjunge Quex are these groups' respective invitations, in a sense. With this in mind, when Hamilton says that Hitler's propaganda was "narrower and more concrete," I cannot help but to agree. Hitler's notion of the audience that he was seducing was more developed than the Communists'. This is evidenced by the sensational but easy to follow narrative of Quex, especially when compared to the more intellectual, and perhaps baffling series of events in Kuhle Wampe. Kuhle Wampe was on the edge- an avant-garde piece of cinematic artistry, but as is often true of the avant-garde, it was relatively inaccessible to the average person. That is to say that the propaganda of Hitler was more successful because it used modes that weren't new- Nazi propaganda uses the already established vocabulary to its own end, instead of inventing new modes, like the Communists. What good is propaganda if it is not accessible by the masses?

The surpising attitude of Germany's youth in 1933

Hamilton's article begins to shed some light upon why the youth of Germany were so susceptible to Hitler's propaganda, although her description of Hitler youths' enthusiasm is still extremely surprising from this 21st century American perspective - much more in-depth study and contemplation would be required to truly get any grasp on the motivations of Nazi youth. Without any prior information about Nazi Germany, I would have expected the young people to be very resistant to Hitler; and even with some background knowledge, I found their fervent devotion to Hitler's campaign shocking. In my experience, young people are generally the ones questioning authority, fighting for "progressive" ideals (i.e. anti-racism, anti-authoritarianism), giving the finger to censorship, rejecting harsh discipline, etc., at least far more so than their grandparents. The German youth, however, apparently had the exact opposite mentality: they were the ones burning books, turning out professors for expressing dissenting opinions, advocating that government programs be made mandatory, wanting more discipline, discriminating against Jews. This entire picture of the young people of a society seems completely counter-intuitive and topsy-turvy to me.

The article gave some explanation for this bizarre phenomenon by commenting on the German youths' sense of purposelessness and their extremely impoverished conditions. American youth of the 21st century, by and large, come from a very different set of circumstances - starvation is not seen as a norm, for example - and perhaps that is one underlying reason for these diverging tendencies between these two groups of young people. There are also some similarities: both groups of young people seem more likely to advocate idealistically for change than their older counterparts, and perhaps the fact that they advocate for two very different types of society is a result of the immediate social circumstances. That is to say, youth often like to rebel against the status quo, but the direction of their rebellion can be shaped - this challenge of tradition is not always progressive, as seems to be the dominant case here. Another similarity seems to be the overwhelming need in both the Nazi youth and 21st century American youth to belong. This need was obviously exploited by the Nazi party in Germany, whereas currently American youth have the less sinister outlets of informal social cliques.

The influence of the Nazis seems all the more frightening to me because it reached even and especially the young people, who seem like they should be the ones naturally questioning authority. I find the need for more enlightenment on what causes led to that mindset, how easily that occurs, and whether the youth of the 21st century are really so far removed from this attitude or if that is just an illusion.

Persuasive Propaganda

Alice Hamilton presents an interesting comment in her article which emphasized what we have witnessed the past few weeks with Hitler Youth Quex and Kuhle Wampe. She wrote, "Both [Communists and Nazis] appealed to hatred, both held out an ideal of a changed Germany, but Hitler's propaganda was cleverer than the Communists', because his program [was] narrower, more concrete" (1). Hitler Youth Quex and Kuhle Wampe were great depictions of this idea. In Hitler Youth Quex, you left the movie humming the Nazi Youth song, understanding what needed to be done, and in many ways feeling for Heini after witnessing the destruction that was brought on to him by the Communists. However in Kuhle Wampe, I left the theater feeling extremely confused - not only about the plot but about what I was supposed to feel. The "wonderful" thing about Hitler Youth Quex was that you didn't have to think about what you were supposed to feel, you just felt it. Hitler's propaganda was so precise and persuasive that you didn't have to think about where you should align yourself and who you should support. I think this is why Hitler Youth Quex resonated with our class and with the youth during that time period and why Kuhle Wampe left us feeling uncertain and unsure of where to go next.

Why the Nazis where more successful than the Communists

Alice Hamilton shows in the article „The Youth Are the Strength of Hitler” the situation of the youth in postwar Germany. Most of them had never been working and did not even know “the connection between work and food”. They were hopeless, having no perspective for the future. Both, the Nazis and the Communists tried to get these youth to either side by offering ways to become active. But the propaganda the Nazis used to attract people was much more effective. Not only was Hitler’s program more attractive (he declared the Germans superior to any other people and therewith created a strong national feeling whereas the Communists were in favor of internationalism in which everybody values the same), but also the way the Nazis made propaganda was much better.
Comparing “Hitlerjunge Quex” and “Kuhle Wampa” this circumstance becomes obvious. Kuhle Wampa is indeed propaganda for the Communists but the propaganda is so sub textual that many “simple” people probably didn’t even understand it. The message is conveyed in a very artistic way and leaves a lot of room for interpretation. The plot actually is very short and simple but nevertheless confusing and it is not really a pleasure to watch the movie, at least for the average man of that time. In contrast in “Hitlerjunge Quex” the propaganda is very obvious. The audience knows exactly that the Nazis are the “good” and the Communists the “bad”. The plot is very clear and it is a pleasure for everyone to watch it. These two movies show why the Nazi propaganda was much more successful: because it was simpler and more transparent and therewith more accessible to the normal man.

The Bit Between its Teeth and [...] Running Amuck

The observation that strikes me the most is Hamilton's explanation that throwing intellectualism, because it was supposedly a "Jewish ideal," out the window was a significant item on the Nazi agenda. This is ultimately, of course, the dominant idea that led the student rebellions at the German universities. For the sake of leveling all the playing fields and obliterating social class differences to the utmost possible, the Nazi party was willing to sacrifice higher education and further intellectual enlightenment for the cause. Is this meant to be progressive? This seems to be sacrificing brains for brawn, reinforcing the great beast of society towards structural stability and strength but lopping off the head for fear that it may become too top-heavy for the ultimate purpose. This indeed seems to echo a child-like process of thought, where the practical, more sensible and long-term aspect is lost for want of instant gratification to the single-minded goal.

The German Youth

Alice Hamilton’s article shows how Hitler and the Nazis manipulated the German youth into believing in the Nazi agenda. Hamilton claims that although both the communist and Nazi movements were based on hatred, Hitler was more successful in indoctrinating the youth because he was able to use national pride and “the ideal of a united Germany without class hatred.” The communists were international, while the Nazis were focused on the superior German people.

This distinction can be seen in the films Hitlerjunge Quex and Kuhle Wampe. In Hitlerjunge Quex, Heini chooses to be a part of the Nazi party because of their structured belief in the strength of the German people. When the Nazi officer makes an appeal to Heini’s father, he does so by showing him that it is their Germany that they should believe in, which is national pride at work. On the other hand, Kuhle Wampe does not focus on national pride but instead on the working class and communism. It does not show young people choosing to be a part of their youth movement as opposed to the Nazi youth movement. The film instead shows the bad working conditions, lack of job opportunities and suicide to convey the message that they need to change. This is not as effective as an expression of national pride, which is why it does not surprise me that Hitlerjunge Quex was more popular than Kuhle Wampe.

The Appeal of the Nazis for the Youth of Germany

For this week's post, consider the Alice Hamilton reading (on OAK between weeks 2 and 3 in the "Course Readings" folder) in relation to Hitlerjunge Quex and Kuhle Wampe. Use either the films or the reading as your focus.

The Alice Hamilton article was an excellent article that I am sure (or at least hope) received much praise when it was written. I appreciated reading it as it gave very important insight into what was taking place in Germany when the Nazis came into power. Although I could certainly comment on many parts of the article, I found one part, towards the beginning, to be incredibly helpful and insightful. That part is when Hamilton begins her discussion of when the youth generation of Germany grew up. She begins this exploration by stating that "To understand Hitler's enormous success with the young we must understand what life has meant to the post-war generation in Germany, not only the children of the poor but of the middle class as well." From there, Hamilton goes on to explain how these children grew up in a time of great food shortage and unemployment, never having a chance to connect food and work. Given the fact that they grew up and began coming to age under these conditions, it is no surprise that the two organizations fighting for "them," the Communists and the Nazis, became so appealing. As Hamilton goes on to begin the next section of her article, she remarks that "Hitler made each insignificant, poverty-stricken, jobless youth of the slums feel himself on of the great of the earth..." Given the messages that Hitler was pushing, it is no surprise why so many youths joined the ranks of the Nazis and became so zealous. Whereas in their childhood they grew up in a world they was plagued by despair, Hitler gave these youth a place in the world, an essence for being.

Reading these key observations by Hamilton, I found that the information presented in this article helped me to understand Hitler Youth Quex much better. If life was as bad for these youths as Hamilton lays out, then one can understand the appeal to joining the Nazi ranks that the movie presents. Heine is a boy who has grown up in this type of condition, one where money was short, work was scarce, and food was anything but certain. Watching this film, many youths, not to mention their parents, would have found the Nazis a welcomed organization that could get the youth out of their helpless existence and into one that mattered. If these youth needed not only food and work, but most importantly a meaning for their very existence, then the Nazis were the ones who could give them just that. If Heine could find comfort in the ranks of the Nazis, then so could you.

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.

Hamilton: Background Information

The Alice Hamilton article in the New York Times provided a first-hand description of the Nazi youth that makes the movies Hitlerjunge Quex and Kuhle Wampe even more accessible to the viewer. One of the diffculties the modern viewer faces when watching Nazi propaganda films is the disbelief at the numbers of people that fell under the spell of the Nazi party. Hamilton is able to reveal to the public the key to Hitler’s recruitment of German youth. Hitler made them feel like “the great of the earth” and put “the fate of Germany” in their hands. While Heini clearly feels the need to work for the Nazi leaders, it is not always clear why he feels that way.

The other important aspect of the Hamilton article is the background information on events at universities. The Hitler youth became so powerful they basically had greater control than the university presidents. The movies we have seen thus far do not focus on any form of academia, most likely because the Nazi party promotes the idea of one Germany, with intellectuals falling on the same level as factory workers. Hamilton even relays the statement “students, show the peasant and worker you are not intellectuals”. There is no room for University in the Nazi party; the focus is entirely on manual labor and the unification of a people that will bring Germany out of ruin.

September 22-24: Alice Hamilton, Hitlerjunge Quex, and Kuhle Wampe

For this week's post, consider the Alice Hamilton reading (on OAK between weeks 2 and 3 in the "Course Readings" folder) in relation to Hitlerjunge Quex and Kuhle Wampe. Use either the films or the reading as your focus.