862.42/91
The Consul at Leipzig (Busser) to the Secretary of State
[Received November 12.]
Meeting of the National Socialist Teachers Union of Saxony at Leipzig, October 5–7, 1934
From October 5 to 7, 1934, the National Socialist Teachers Union, State of Saxony section, held its annual meeting at Leipzig.
The National Socialist Teachers Union was founded in Hof, Bavaria, in 1929. Its aim was to propagate National Socialist ideas among teachers, particularly public school teachers. After the National Socialist Revolution in March, 1933, the National Socialist Teachers Union was made the exclusive head organization of all German teachers associations. On April 8 and 9, 1933, a national meeting was held at Leipzig attended by delegates representing 250,000 German school [Page 289] teachers. The numerous formerly independent teachers’ associations were nazified (gleichgeschaltet) at that time, and these associations were reorganized as sub-sections of the National Socialist Teachers Union. The National Socialist Party members in the National Socialist Teachers Union were installed in the “office for teachers” (Amt fuer Erzieher), which forms part of the Political Organization (P. O.) of the National Socialist Party. Many of the former independent teachers associations had maintained insurance and welfare funds of their own for the support of their respective members. All these organizations were taken over by the National Socialist Teachers Union, which established a special section: “Economy and Law (Wirtschaft und Recht)” for the management of the funds of these associations.
At this convention of the State of Saxony section of the National Socialist Teachers Union the principal addresses were delivered by Alfred Rosenberg, the National Socialist Party leader for political education in the Reich; by Hans Schemm, Minister of Education for the State of Bavaria; and by Arthur Göpfert, President of the State of Saxony section of the National Socialist Teachers Union. About 8000 teachers of public schools from all parts of Saxony attended the daily sessions of the convention.
In his speech Alfred Rosenberg stated that the teaching of science and classics must be conducted in intimate relation with the history and traditions of the German people. It must be “volksverbunden”. “The school teacher must abandon ‘international theories’ and return to ‘blood and soil’ (Blut und Boden). He has to teach his pupils about the development and history of their town, village or particular region. He must know about the political struggles in Germany and about the great historical destiny of the German people.” The speaker also repeated the familiar Nazi slogans, adding a new one to the category, namely: “Masters of school have to be masters of life”!
While Alfred Rosenberg set forth his philosophy or principles for governing the education of German youth, Arthur Göpfert in his speech on October 7, 1934, laid greater emphasis upon the political character of the teacher’s work. Thus he said:
“Every teacher has to be a propagator of National-Socialism. The teachers are entrusted by the Leader (Hitler) with the important task of communicating to their pupils the National-Socialist ideas of the State. Accordingly teachers can no longer be unpolitical. Every teacher is a civilian soldier in the Reich of Adolf Hitler. In order to reach these aims the National Socialist Teachers Union forms now, as “office for teachers” (Amt fur Erzieher) part of the political organization of the National Socialist Party. Particular care must [be] devoted to the lower public school (Volksschule), which is the real school of the people. As the teacher has to bring the spirit of [Page 290] National Socialism into the school room, every teacher has to be a National Socialist. Education must promote the life of the people. Genuine teaching is nothing else than practical National Socialism. The National Socialist goal of education has been determined by the National Socialist revolution. The public school system and education must be based upon the principle of race.”
The meeting of the National Socialist Teachers Union was concluded in the evening of October 7, 1934, by a speech of Hans Schemm, Minister of Education for the State of Bavaria, who again emphasized that “education in German schools has to be based upon the principle of soil, race, and the conception of the German people. German history must have predominance over the history of ancient Greece and Rome. For us Walhalla comes first and then the Olympus”.
While the public speeches delivered during the convention consisted mostly of generalities and developed the often repeated idea that education, first of all, has political significance, more concrete and concise information was furnished by the two exhibitions held at the same time in Leipzig. The first, which was held in one of the large exhibition halls in the Leipzig Technical Fair Grounds, consisted of a very interesting display of modern educational apparatus and material. About 75 manufacturers of educational equipment, the production of which is centered in Leipzig itself, exhibited their products. This exhibition comprised maps and charts, posters illustrating German history and genealogy, biological models, apparatus for lessons in physics and chemistry, motion picture machines and equipment, school furniture, school pianos, etc. The aim of this exhibition was not only to make the teachers familiar with modern school equipment, but also to promote the industry itself. The president of the Teachers Union, in appealing to the school administrations to provide funds for the purchase of uptodate equipment, stated that the city of Leipzig had already appropriated BM 50,000 for the purchase of new school equipment for the municipal schools.
The other exhibition, which was called “Schools of Saxony—German Efficiency Schools”, was a survey of the work actually accomplished in the schools (mostly public) in the State of Saxony. It embraced artistic and scientific work of the teachers of Saxony, artcraft goods and drawings made by pupils, pictures and statistical charts of school gardens. A special section was devoted to the method of teaching physically and mentally defective children.
Sources of information:
- Leipziger Neueste Nachrichten, October 6–8, 1934.
- Leipziger Tageszeitung, October 6–8, 1934.
- Neue Leipziger Zeitung, October 6–8, 1934.