The elimination of free intellectualism and the integration of the way of thinking of the "pure German spirit" were achieved by burning all texts deemed "non-German" . But what makes a text non-German? Simply anything that questioned, threatened or was simply different from what the Führer and the Reich believed. The burning of thousands of books was caused by the "Action against the anti-German spirit", by will of the German student association. The horrific event took place during the Wartburg festival in 1933. (Evans, 2005, p. 327) Hitler's infamous hatred of Jews is no secret. He hated everything about them. He even went so far as to crush Jewish intellectualism and purge German public opinion, eradicating every trace and link with Jewish culture. Hitler knew that if he could prevent free thought it would be easier to oppress his enemies and tame his own people at the same time. Free thought was prevented by burning all texts that were not pro-German and further controlling conscious thought through propaganda. German students led the major book burning in May 1933, but many small-scale book burnings were occurring throughout Germany. As Geroge L. Mosse says, “The book burnings constituted a spectacular act on the public stage and were undertaken by a regime that relied on myths, symbols, representational art and human stereotypes.” (Mosse & Jones, n.d., p. 143) The Nazi way of thinking spread throughout Germany. The youth of the nation now called the “Hitler Youth” have formed many groups. One of these groups is called the National Socialist League of German Students, also formally known as the Nationalsozialistischer Deutscher Studentenbund (NSDStB). Their sole purpose was to supplement the Nat...... middle of paper ......, G., & Jones, J. (n.d.). New German Criticism, n. 31 The burning of books and the betrayal of German intellectuals (Winter, 1984), pp. 143-155. Duke University Press. Retrieved from http://www.cnm.edu:2146/stable/487893?&Search=yes&searchText=burnings&searchText=book&searchText=nazi&list=hide&searchUri=%2Faction%2FdoBasicSearch%3FQuery%3Dnazi%2Bbook%2Bburnings%26gw%3Djtx%26acc%3Don %26prq%3Dnazi%2Bbookburnings%26Search%3DSearch%26hp%3D25%26wc%3Don&prevSearch=&item=18&ttl=80&returnArticleService=showFullTextSantayana, G. (1905). The Life of Reason: Or, The Stages of Human Progress. C. Scribner's Sons. Retrieved from http://books.google.com/books?id=GT48AAAAIAAJTillich, P., Stone, R.H., & Weaver, M.L. (1998). Against the Third Reich: Paul Tillich's wartime speeches to Nazi Germany. Westminster John Knox Press. Retrieved from http://books.google.com/books?id=R2m0G14BPJoC