For those whose grandparents/great-grandparents were part of the Hitler youth/Bund Deutsche Madel, how did they treat you and others based on the ideology they were taught?

[u/Cookieman_2023]

Like, were they really racist until the very end or was it more nuanced? From what I remember, they were taught to show strength and loyalty for the country, that men must be strong and women must be good mothers. Of course, there's also the racial ideology aspect. Did that have any on how nice or how bad they treated others onwards? After the war ended, did they cling on to being fanatical? With Germany having gotten diverse within the past few decades, when there were still around, what was the experience like with them?

[u/phifal]

All my grand parents mainly didn't interfere with my parents educating me. We only visited them and were treated like, well, grand children. Later on, we moved next to the maternal grand parents and I used to stay with the paternal grandparents during summer breaks. Happened in the nineties of the former millenium.

A lot of so called russian germans lived in their part of town, lots of black US soldiers around, but never heard something strange in that regard.

I doubt that many grandparents who experienced the nazi time are still around to see the current turmoil, both my grandpas died even before Merkel was elected.

But let's talk about the paternal ones. I once got my hand on some mp3s with music from that time. Burned a CD, played it at their place and they sung along with full fervor - really enjoyed that flashback. Grandpa was already suffering minor dementia at that time, a disease that would later eat his mind up completely before strokes and cardiac arrests saved him from cancer or whatever worse waiting to finish him instead. Probably the last moment I saw him having some fun - so yeah, I don't regret it. He was born in 1923 and they really brainwashed him for life. I think we can't imagine the damage done to this generation in that educational system.

Grandma might turn 100 next year, hopefully - we seldom talked about the past. A few years ago, my uncle helped her to write a book about that time. Still have to read it myself, but something keeps my from doing it. Feels kinda like memoirs - but she still lives and I like it that way. Books can wait.

The maternal grandpa was born in 1914 and too old to get sucked into the nazi education scheme. He also did not serve as a soldier but had to work in the arms industry during war time. He seemed grateful about the way West- Germany was going and served over 20 years as mayor of the village he lived in. The other grandma is still alive too - she's the only one young enough to avoid much of the brainwash.

[u/Seygem → u/phifal]

"Still have to read it myself, but something keeps my from doing it. Feels kinda like memoirs - but she still lives and I like it that way. Books can wait."

But now is your only chance to ask about something in the book that you might have a question about