Youth In European Labor Camps: A Report To The American Youth Commission Of The American Council Of Education – By Kenneth Holland. Published by the American Council on Education. Washington 1941. Important publicity about labor camps set up in Europe for American youth accompanies many photographs of young people in labor camps — young Americans alongside SS men. complete copy – hardcover with the rare original dust jacket.
Following the well-known economic crisis that befell the United States in 1929, many of the youth found themselves out of work, and without an educational institution due to their parents’ inability to finance their education. It worsened in 1933 when President Roosevelt took office – at that time, the American nation was facing the greatest economic crisis in its history. In an attempt to solve the youth problem, the American Board of Education decided to promote a solution for youth in the form of setting up labor camps in various European countries, in addition to those established in the United States. The boys were sent to camps for education and employment. The author, Mr. Kenneth Holland, has twice visited these camps. For the first time in 1933, and then in 1936. He toured in labor camps set up in Nazi Germany, Sweden, England, Switzerland, Austria, Czechoslovakia and the Netherlands. During his visits to the camps, Holland covered conversations he had with the young men, impressions, experiences, as well as detailed information he received about what was happening in the camps from officials who were involved in bringing the boys. One of the unprecedented phenomena regarding these camps is the takeover of various camps by Nazi Germany, and the inclusion of American youth in the German military effort. It was the first time in history that a dictatorial state uses its internal needs in an internal initiative of a democratic state established in the first place to nurture its people. While in other European countries the camps were used for vocational and civilian training, in those controlled by Germany the camps became military training centers in the civil service.
In the book, 64 pages with dozens of photographs documenting the activities of the youth in the camps, including rare photographs of American youth alongside SS commanders.
XII, [3], 303 p. 24 cm. complete copy – hardcover with the original dust jacket with a photograph of the American youth at work. Slight tears at the top of the cover. Very good condition.
