ABSTRACT
National Socialism came to power as the party of youth. The establishment of a separate youth group dates back to February 1922, when Adolf Hitler demanded this in a circular letter to his Party and in a manifesto published soon afterwards in its newspaper. As time went by, the leaders of the Hitler Youth tended to assume a more and more hostile attitude towards the youth movement, even towards the Bunde whose ideology was closely related to their own. The Hitler Youth adopted many of the outward trappings of the youth movement, but differed from the Bunde in essential respects. The leaders of the Hitler Youth were greatly irritated by what they regarded as a patronizing attitude in those circles of the bundische youth which professed sympathy with National Socialism. In the eventful spring of 1933 a truncated and terrorized Reichstag voted to give Hitler unlimited power.
