ABSTRACT
The pedagogy of National Socialism, following that of the Weimar Republic, also was not without 'Erlebnis'. While progressive education introduced 'Erlebnis' into school, the Nazis used it to design their camps, which constituted the second pillar of education besides school. At first glance, neither adventure nor 'Erlebnis' seem to have any real significance or function for the continuity of the community or society, quite in contrast to challenges in working and family life. After the period of National Socialist rule with its singular promotion of youthful, racially pure bodies, fast as greyhounds, tough as leather and hard as Krupp steel, 'Erlebnispadagogik' in Germany had been publicly discredited, but it has been able to recover remarkably fast since the 1970s. The increasing use of 'Erlebnisse' for therapeutic ends perceives people as self-absorbed individuals focused mainly on finding, developing and extending their own selves. In its popularised form, 'Erlebnis' became a buzzword and a battle cry in the early 20th century.
