Customer Reviews

Young Germany: A History of the German Youth Movement (Social Science Classics)

Walter Z. Laqueur accomplished an important task in his book, Young Germany: A History of the German Youth Movement. This book, written in 1962, was the first to examine the German youth movements in the first half of the 20th century. Laqueur is a prolific writer, authored dozens of books, and has held faculty positions at numerous prestigious institutions. Laqueur has written on a range of subjects from the Middle East and Russia to his native Germany. Rarely does Laqueur fall short of his mark, he was in prime form for this book as well. His meticulous research goes the distance and provides insight for the reader with thought provoking analysis that is seldom less than thorough.
Laqueur grew up in Germany after the advent and pinnacle of the German youth movements. But through intricate detail and appropriate research Laqueur has accomplished the formidable task of mapping the German youth movement throughout the first half of the 20th century. Possibly the most outstanding characteristic of this book is the succinct, yet concise last pages of each chapter. Laqueur places events in their proper context to reiterate the objectives of each chapter, highlighting key points and contrasting specific youth movements. From simply reading the last one or two pages in each chapter one could learn a great deal about the German youth movement.
The German youth movement was never overbearing; peaking in membership at just fewer than 60,000 youngsters during its prime. The youth groups were not exclusive to any socio-economic class, but there was little diversity. Many of these organizations played a prominent role in cultivating German nationalism, fomenting a sense of community that was not always readily available, and creating a distinctly German middle-class identity. This last attribute was more of a byproduct than a tenet. The youth movements, "came into being as, and remained, an exclusively middle-class phenomenon (12)," which impeded its goal of "deepening the community of the people."
Laqueur spares few details in discussing the Wandervogel youth movement. This movement stressed a connection with nature through excursions into the wilderness of Germany, a revival of folk music, and a simplified philosophy of life. The youth movements gained popularity through charismatic leaders. There was no philosophical, political, or cultural bend to any of the groups. The groups thrived exactly because of this lack of specificity. They were universal, allowing people of any race, creed, or religion; there were debates over the Jews and women, but there were women youth movements and for some time Jews were allowed to participate in many of the German youth movements. The ensuing proliferation of youth movements is a credit to these factors, but also because of the autonomy of each group. Despite the political apathy of most youth movement groups, individuals were supposed to become more realized, independent individuals.
Laqueur recapitulates the reason why youth movements were successful in building their base,
"They (students) certainly felt some deep disquiet about the society in which they found themselves-the society of Wilhelmian Germany at the dawn of the century. They were depressed by its conventions, its artificiality and materialism; they felt an absence of human warmth and sincerity; and it was in response to these conditions that their groups were formed, and developed into social centers where they could find the qualities of life to which they aspired. (232)"
These same qualities that made the youth movement so enticing never realized their full potential. The discomfort with "artificiality and materialism" was often substituted by a romanticized view of the past; exploration of the present environment to affirm the individual was sacrificed to history past, and identification with the group hindered the maturity of many youth group members. Youth groups shaped the experiences of youths; even though they were not intellectual (in fact, many were anti-intellectual) the experiences of being out in nature, comradeship with other middle-class youngsters, and shared memories structured relationships and community.
The only place where Laqueur misses the mark is in the discussion of youth groups after 1933. Leading up to WWI and then WWII there is extensive citations and details on the functioning of the groups, but his study of post-1933 leaves something to be desired. It seems like another writer, the thoughts are disconnected, points not emphasized, and at times it appears that there are caesuras in the manuscript. Laqueur does an adequate job of explaining the circumstances that allowed the proliferation of the German youth movement. He explains the lacunae that the youth groups fulfilled in middle-class youths lives, the shortcomings of the generic youth movement, and details the popularity of more prominent youth groups that garnered attention during the first half of the 20th century. Anyone curious about the middle-class youths life in Germany prior to WWI up until the 1950s must read this book.