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Baldur SchirachGerman party and youth leader, leader of the Hitler Youth.
Date of Birth: 09.03.1907
Country:  Germany |
Content:
- Biography of Baldur von Schirach
- Involvement in Politics
- Leadership in the Hitler Youth
- Role in Nazi Germany
- Later Years and Legacy
Biography of Baldur von Schirach
Early Life and EducationBaldur von Schirach was a German party and youth leader, known for being the head of the Hitler Youth. He was born in Berlin to an officer in the guard regiment of Wilhelm II and a mother who was an American from Philadelphia. Schirach began learning German at the age of five, as his parents only spoke English at home. He showed an early interest in music and writing, often composing poems and playing the violin. At the age of ten, he was sent to a boarding school in Bad Berka, Thuringia, where he received a well-rounded education.
Involvement in Politics
After World War I, Schirach's older brother Karl, who was deeply patriotic, committed suicide, which greatly affected Schirach's views. In the aftermath, his parents removed him from boarding school and he received education at home. In 1918, he joined the German Youth Union, and in 1924, after graduating from the Weimar Gymnasium, he moved to Munich to study art history and German studies. There, he became involved with the armed league "Olympia," which was led by former officers from the illegal organization "Black Reichswehr." It was during this time that Schirach personally met Adolf Hitler, who had recently been released from prison.
Leadership in the Hitler Youth
Schirach actively engaged in propaganda and agitated among youth and students. In 1928, he was elected as the Reich Youth Leader of the National Socialist German Students' League, successfully organizing various activities. He also traveled to America in the same year, where he met his uncle Alfred Norris, a successful banker on Wall Street, who offered him a prominent position in his firm. However, Schirach declined the offer. In 1929, he started his efforts to diminish the influence of his rival, Gerhard Gruber, the leader of the Hitler Youth. In 1931, Schirach openly criticized Gruber and built a close relationship with the head of the Storm Troopers, Ernst Röhm, and directly appealed to Hitler to create a larger youth organization under the control of the Nazi Party. Eventually, on October 30, 1931, Hitler appointed Baldur von Schirach as the Reich Youth Leader of the NSDAP and granted him control over the Hitler Youth.
Role in Nazi Germany
Under Schirach's leadership, the Hitler Youth became a mass youth organization, with 97% of eligible young men joining by 1940. He played a crucial role in promoting the cult of Hitler, fostering anti-Semitism and Nazism among German youth, and overseeing military training and field exercises. In 1936, he made an agreement with Heinrich Himmler, where members of the Hitler Youth who met the requirements of the SS were considered the main source of recruitment. Schirach became a member of the Imperial Cabinet in 1936 and was recognized as the leader of the German youth. However, due to intrigues and allegations of his involvement in scandalous affairs, Hitler reassigned him to a less important position as Gauleiter of Vienna in 1940.
Later Years and Legacy
In Vienna, Schirach continued his role as an imperial defense commissioner and implemented plans to transform the city into a "German city" by expelling Czechs and Jews. After World War II, Schirach was found guilty of crimes against humanity and sentenced to 20 years in prison during the Nuremberg Trials. He served his full sentence in Berlin's Spandau Prison and was released on September 30, 1966. In 1967, he published his memoir "I Believed in Hitler" in Hamburg. Baldur von Schirach passed away in Kröv on August 8, 1974.
