The Nazi Party came to power in January of 1933. Adolf Hitler was appointed chancellor, the second highest position in Germany at the time. By March, Hitler imposed the Enabling Act which disbanded the parliament and gave himself dictatorial control over the entire country. This period of martial law lasted until his death in 1945. Hitler accomplished all of this with only 30% of the voting German's approval. Imagine the impact that those 13,400,000 voters had on the face of Germany, Europe, and the world. This is not a session on the Holocaust, nor will you be barraged by any more numbers and statistics than these. Through exploration of photographs and first hand accounts, this workshop will focus on individuals, particularly the children and teens impacted by Hitler's Germany. Susan Campbell Bartoletti's book, Hitler Youth: Growing Up in Hitler's Shadow is our focal point. Through it, Bartoletti follows the lives of 12 teenagers directly impacted by Hitler's dictatorship whether as Hitler Youth, Jews or resisters. Utilizing this, with other teen-focused texts and a variety of internet sources, we will explore these multiple perspectives to begin to create our own knowledge and meaning of one of the darkest moments in history.
