GCSE History: Nazi Germany

Smashing your History Target:

Getting Ahead in Year 11
Getting ahead to smash your target!
 Nazi Source Paper: How to answer each question

1a) What do sources A and B above suggest about…? [4]

Source A tells me that… It also suggests…
Source B tells me that …. It also suggests that…

1b) Use the information in Source C and your own knowledge to explain why… [6]
There were several reasons why…
Source C states… It also says…
From my own knowledge I know…

1c) How useful are Sources D and E to an historian studying… ? [8]

Source D is useful because it tells me that… It is also useful because… However, it is less
useful because…
Source E is useful because it tells me that… It is also useful because… However, it is less
useful because…
Overall, Source .. is most useful because…

2a) Describe… [4] Write a description!

2b) Why was Source F produced…? [6]

One reason Source F was produced was…because…
Another reason it was produced was… because
Finally, …

2c) One interpretation is that… How far do you agree with this interpretation? [10]
On the one hand, some people interpreted that... Evidence… tells me… Also… From my own
knowledge, I know…
However, other people disagree and argue the opposite. Evidence… tells me… Also,… From
my own knowledge I know…
Overall, I agree/disagree because….

3) To what extent did…? [12 + 3 SPAG]

On the one hand, ... For example, …
However, on the other hand, there were also reasons/examples. For example, … Also, …
Finally, …
Overall, I think….
 You are going to have a lot of content to revise at the end of Year 11
including Nazi Germany, US Civil Rights Movement, US Foreign Policy and
South Africa. It will have been more than 2 years since you covered Nazi
Germany by then so if you revise it again now, it will come back to you so
much easier at the end of Year 11!

This booklet contains a summary of the content you need to memorise

as well as the all-important exam practice questions and model answers.

For each section, work through the content summary and then go to
your Year 9 History exercise book to improve your understanding and
add more details.

You might like to turn the content summaries into mindmaps of cue
cards. You could also get someone at home to test you to see what you
can remember.

Then, once you have memorised the content, have a go at the exam
question activities. Do these to the best of your ability using the
prompts provided.

Good Luck! Practice makes perfect! Smash that target!

 GERMANY IN TRANSITION 1929-1947: REVISION CHECKLIST!

The rise of the Nazi Party and its consolidation of power,1929 -1934
What was the impact The political and economic problems of Weimar (weaknesses of Weimar govt &
of the Weimar period Treaty of Versailles)
on the rise of the The early development of Nazi Party (Munich Putsch, Mein Kampf, impact of
Nazis? Depression on support)

How and why did Political scheming, 1929 -1932 (end of democracy, Von Papen & Von
Hitler get appointed Schleicher’s power struggle)
Chancellor in January The reasons for Nazi electoral success(Depression, Nazi promises, fear of
1933? communism, SA, propaganda)

How did the Nazis Hitler as Chancellor (Reichstag Fire, March Elections, Enabling Law, suppression
consolidate their of civil liberties)
power during 1933 - The move to dictatorship (Night of Long Knives, death of Hindenburg, Hitler as
1934? fuhrer)

Changing life for the German people, 1933 -1939

How did Nazi Tackling economic problems (measures to reduce unemployment; trade unions
economic and social and the DAF; the Strength through Joy Movement [KdF])
policy The treatment of women and young people (the Three Ks; women and work;
affect life in controlling education; the Hitler Youth Movement)
Germany?

How did Nazi political Extending political control (the use of the SS and the Gestapo; control of the
policy affect life in legal system; control over central and regional government)
Germany? The use of propaganda and censorship (Goebbels and propaganda; the use of
rallies, radio and cinema; censorship of newspapers and the arts)
How did Nazi racial Nazi racial policy (the Aryan Master Race and ideas of Aryan superiority; the
and religious policy increasing persecution of the Jews between 1933 -1939)
affect life in The treatment of religion (Nazi views on religion; relations with the Catholic and
Germany? Protestant churches; the National Reich Church)

War and its impact on life in Germany, 1939-1947

How was life affected Life during the early years, 1939-1941 (initial impact; changing role of women;
during the war years? use of propaganda on the home front)
Life during the latter years, 1942-1945 (organisation for Total War; shortages &
the black market; effects of Allied bombing; People's Home Guard)
The treatment of Jews during the war years (development of ghettos; special
action squads; reasons for& implementation of the Final Solution
How much opposition Opposition from civilians (young people eg: the Edelweiss Pirates; the Swing
was there to the Youth; the White Rose group; religious groups eg: actions of Niemoller, von
Nazis within Germany Galen, Bonhoeffer)
during the war years? Opposition from the military (causes and effects of the July Bomb Plot)

What was the The defeat of Germany (Allied invasion of Germany; the fall of Berlin and the
situation in Germany death of Hitler; the division of Germany)
following total defeat The punishment of Germany (arrest and trial of Nazi leaders for war crimes; the
in the war? Nuremberg trials; denazification)
 KEY TERMS AND SPELLINGS

Weimar Republic unemployment

government Chancellor

reparations Putsch

Versailles Mein Kampf

Nazi Reichstag

Hitler Hyperinflation

democracy anti-semitism

dictatorship Add your own!

Fuhrer

propaganda

economy
 TOPIC AREA 1: a) How did developments in Germany from 1919-1929
affect the rise of the Nazis?

THE IMPACT OF THE TREATY OF VERSAILLES 1919

Germany lost World War One. Many Germans were angered by the ‘shameful diktat’ which were
forced upon Germany as the losing side. Some of the terms meant:
 War Guilt – Germany had to take all the blame for the war
 Reparations – Germany had to pay £6600 million to the allies but 10% of its industry and
15% of agricultural land were taken away.
 Military Restriction – Germany’s army was limited to 100,000 soldiers, navy to 15,000
sailors, only six battleships and no submarines, Rhineland (land bordering France) was
occupied by the allies for 15 years and no German troops were allowed in the area.
 Territorial losses – Alsace-Lorraine was returned to France, lost overseas colonies which
became mandates run by the Allies

WEAKENESSES OF THE WEIMAR GOVERNMENT

As part of the Treaty of Versailles Germany had to become a democratic republic ending its long
tradition of autocratic rule of the Kaiser (emperor).

President

German Parliament voted in The President chooses who

by Proportional should be Chancellor (based
Chancellor
Representation – same on Reichstag agreement).
percentage of seats as votes
in election
Reichstag (Parliament)

German People

WEIMAR CONSTITUTION

The key weaknesses of the constitution were:

 Article 48 – allowed dictatorial power should a state of emergency arise so that democracy
could be suspended.
 Proportional Representation – there many small parties and with none gaining a majority
vote coalitions formed which made decision making slow.
 Democracy - Many Germans were unfamiliar with democracy and many saw it as a direct
result of the hated Treaty of Versailles
 The Weimar Government would always be associated with the Treaty of Versailles and the
economic crisis it led to.

ECONOMIC PROBLEMS IN EARLY 1920s – INVASION OF THE RUHR, 1923

 Germany failed to meet reparation payments  France and Belgium invaded the Ruhr to
seize coal instead of reparations (industrial area of Germany)  German workers went on
 strike (passive resistance)  HYPERINFLATION  money lost its value and prices increased
leading to an ECONOMIC CRISIS

 Gustav Stresemann (Chancellor) ended passive resistance in the Ruhr and gave into France
Nazis launch an attempted revolution as they see this as an act of betrayal 

EARLY NAZI PARTY AND MUNICH BEER HALL PUTSCH, 1923

 Trigger: Stresemann called off passive resistance in the Ruhr

 What: Nazi attempted revolution – Hitler and the Nazi party (3000) marched on Munich 
Hitler dislocated his shoulder and was arrested two days after the march

 Failure: easily crushed, showed how weak the Nazis were, Hitler was arrested and
imprisoneD
 Success: launched the Nazis onto the national scene, Hitler pleaded guilty at his trial and
used it as a podium for his speeches, a great propaganda opportunity, while in prison Hitler
wrote ‘Mein Kampf’ (My Struggle)

ECONOMIC RECOVERY, 1924-1929

GUSTAV STRESEMANN: Chancellor 1923-1929 – organised the recovery of the Weimar Republic

FOREIGN POLICY
Locarno Treaty – guaranteeD borders with France and Belgium
League of Nations – Germany joined the league recognising it as a great power

ECONOMY
1924 Dawes Plan – loan from the USA to be able to pay back reparations (but this meant Germany
depended on the USA)
POLITICAL
Germany still unstable – 25 different governments in 14 years!

IMPACT OF THE WALL STREET CRASH 1929

The USA’s economy crashed and so she called back all her foreign loans, including all the money
she had lent Germany after World War One. This plunged the Weimar Republic into economic
depression.
How did the depression weaken the Weimar government?
 Unpopular economic policies – raised taxes, cut wages, reduced unemployment benefit (to
avoid hyperinflation)
  Presidential rule – Article 48 was put into action to the keep the government stable but
President Hindenburg was an 84-year-old war hero who seemed to be controlled by
businessmen and the army
 Rise of extremism

AS A RESULT… NAZI ELECTORAL SUCCESS (seats in the Reichstag)/Unemployment:

Year Nazi Seats Unemployed
1928 12 1,391,000
1930 107 3,076,000
Jul 1932 230 5,603,000
Nov 1932 196
1933 288 4,804,000

b) HOW ANY WHY DID HITLER GET ELECTED CHANCELLOR IN 1933?

Political Scheming – How did Hitler become Chancellor?

July 1932 elections: Nazis win 230 seats (37 % vote) – the largest party in the Reichstag.
Hitler refused to go into coalition with von Papen who had been appointed Chancellor.
November 1932 elections: thuggery of SA and money troubles loses the Nazis
popularity (33% vote) – gloomy times for the Nazis BUT! Von Schleicher decides to stop
supporting von Papen and enters a power struggle with von Papen for role of Chancellor.
Dec 1932: Hindenburg appoints von Schleicher as Chancellor.

4 Jan. 1933: Von Papen agrees to work with Hitler privately. On 22 Jan von Papen asks
Hindenburg to make Hitler Chancellor. Hindenburg refuses.
28 Jan. 1933: Von Schleicher admits defeat in trying to raise support in the Reichstag and resigns.

30 Jan. 1933: Von Papen persuades Hindenburg that Hitler will be controllable and that as long
as the number of Nazis in the cabinet is limited Nazi policies could be resisted  Hitler is
made Chancellor with von Papen as Vice-Chancellor

REASONS FOR NAZI ELECTORAL SUCCESS (LIMP PAPER)

L ong-term bitterness: Treaty of Versailles
I neffective constitution: dictatorial powers, proportional representation
M oney: Many wealthy businessmen invested in the Nazis who would boost their business in
return. (Steel, Coal, etc.)
P ropaganda: Posters and Newspapers were used to persuade German people that Hitler was
their last hope. Nazis made use of new technologies e.g. radio
P olicies: the Nazis offered something for everyone e.g. employers restored profits, farmers
higher prices etc.
A ttacks on other parties: the SA attacked Jews, Communists and other ‘enemies’
P ersonal qualities: Hitler was an excellent speaker, charismatic
E conomic depression: people turning to extremism
R ecruited by Hindenburg: Hindenburg thought he could control Hitler!
 c) HOW DID THE NAZIS CONSOLIDATE THEIR POWER AFTER HITLER WAS MADE
CHANCELLOR 1933-34?

REICHSTAG FIRE – 27th February 1933

What: Reichstag (parliament) building set on fire
Who: Inside the burnt building police found Dutch Communist, van der Lubbe
How it helped the Nazis consolidate their power:
Hitler used this against the Communists and declared a State of Emergency (using Article 48) – this
suspended freedom of speech, press and assembly – stayed in place for 12 years!

 Gave the Nazis a legal base for terror against their opponents
 Enemies of the Nazis, especially Communists, could be executed
 Nazis intimidated voters by watching over them
 Opponents driven into exile

ENABLING ACT, 25 March 1933

March Election – 288 seats (best-ever result) but NOT in the majority – Hitler needed 2/3
of the Reichstag to change the constitution and give him complete control, passing laws
without the Reichstag
 Ban the Communists
 Intimidate the Social Democrats (in spite of pressure many voted against the Enabling Act)

Enabling Act passed 444 votes to 96 Hitler in complete control, Reichstag had in effect
voted itself out of existence!

ROLE OF THE SA (led by Ernst Röhm)

The SA had loyally eliminated many of the Nazi Party’s enemies however Röhm wanted more – Röhm
wanted a revolution reducing the power of big business and taking control of the army. Hitler had to choose
between the Army or the SA.

Supporting the SA Supporting the Army

1. Rohm was an old friend of Hitler’s and was loyal. 1. Army was well-trained and disciplined.
2. SA had grown to over 2,500,000 men – much 2. Had the power to remove Hitler.
larger than the army. 3. Support of big business and conservatives.
Against supporting the SA Against Supporting the Army
1. SA was beginning to get out of hand interfering 1. Army was small – 100,000 men.
in the law courts. 2. Loyalty was questionable.
2. Hitler did not agree with the SA’s anti-capitalist 3. Some of the generals disliked Hitler and the
policies and working-class aims. Nazis.
NIGHT OF THE LONG KNIVES, 30 June 1934

This destroyed all opposition within the Nazi Party. It gave power to the brutal SS.
Röhm was executed and the SA was mostly incorporated into the German Army.

2 August 1934 – President Hindenburg died  Hitler declared himself President

becomes Fuhrer (dictator)  German army swore an oath of allegiance to Hitler

Checking Your Understanding:

WEIMAR GOVERNMENT
1. Complete the flow chart to show how the Weimar government worked .

Controlled

Elected

Members elected
every 4 years

Reichstag President Chancellor Army German People

Courts

2. Please fill in the blanks of the following sentences.

 Article ___: Allowed dictatorial powers should a state of ______________ arise.

______________ could be suspended.
  P______________ R______________ meant that many small parties would be elected
and none would have an overall ________________.
 Germans were unfamiliar with the concept of ________________________.
 The Weimar Government was associated with the T________________ __
V________________.

ECONOMIC PROBLEMS – WEIMAR REPUBLIC.

3. Define: Hyperinflation:

4. Which of the following groups of people would have benefitted or suffered due to
hyperinflation. Include the reasons why.

Benefitted Suffered

 Elderly people with savings,

 Factory workers,
 Unemployed,
 People who were in debt
 Wealthy people
 Rich businessmen
 Middle classes
 5. What event are the following pictures representing

_______________ _____________________________ ________________________

Date:

What happened?

Why?

What was the outcome?

Was the outcome positive or negative?

ECONOMIC RECOVERY:

6. Put the following events into chronological order. Then next to each event draw a picture.

Locarno Treaty League of Nations Wall St Crash Beer Hall Putsch

 Stressemann becomes chancellor Invasion of the Ruhr Dawes Plan


 

NAZI ELECTORAL SUCCESS

7. Why did the number of seats won by the Nazi party rise dramatically in 1930?
_________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________

8. Fill in the acronym:

L
I
M
P
P
A
P
E
R
Challenge: Can you think of a different acronym which has reasons for the Nazi Electoral success?

CONSOLIDATION OF POWER
9. Complete the storyboard on the following page with any extra details about the Reichstag
Fire.
 10. Complete the grid with Hitler’s reasons to support the SA or the army to demonstrate his
decision prior to The Night of the Long Knives.

Supporting the SA Supporting the Army

3. 4.

4. 5.

6.

Against supporting the SA Against Supporting the Army

3. 4.

4. 5.

6.

Highlight what you think is the main reason Hitler decided to support the Army on the Night of
Long Knives.

EXAM PRACTICE QUESTIONS:

A) Describe the Night of the Long Knives. (4)

Correct the punctuation in this paragraph to reveal a model answer:

the Night of the Long Knives was when hitler ordered the murder of 200 leaders of the SA
including close friend ernst rohm hitler took this action as the SA were growing too powerful
at 2.5million members compared with the army of 100,000 men furthermore, there were
rumours that rohm was threatening to overthrow hitler as well as rumours of Rohm’s
homosexuality which the Nazis saw as an embarrassment after the Night of the Long
Knives, Hitler gained more support from the army and wealthy businessmen who were
pleased to see the thuggish SA dismantled

Now try your own answer to the question: A) Describe the Reichstag Fire. [4]
Source A Nazi election
poster from 1932. The
words translate as 'Our
last hope: Hitler']

B) Why was the source above produced in 1932? [6]

[Use the source and your own knowledge to explain your answer.]

Use these starters to help you:

One reason why Source F was produced at this time was…

which meant that…

Another reason why Source F was produced at this time was…

because…

The source was created by…

which is important because…

C) Historians have made different interpretations about the importance of

different methods used by the Nazis in their rise to and consolidation of
power. One interpretation is that the Nazis gained power due to
their use of violence.
The following pieces of evidence can be used to interpret Nazi methods in rising and consolidating
power. Study these and answer the question that follows.
Evidence 1

[A photograph of Hitler addressing a mass rally of

Nazi Party members in 1932]

Evidence 2

Several of my meetings have been disrupted and a considerable section of the

audience had to be taken away badly injured. I urgently request the cancellation of the
meeting with me as speaker. As things are, there is obviously no longer any police
protection able to stop the aggressive actions of the SA.

[A report written by a member of the Social Democratic Party in Berlin (February 1932)]

Evidence 3

The Depression created the political and economic problems that caused millions of
Germans to vote for the Nazi Party in the elections of the early 1930s. People were
worried about the worsening economic conditions and many feared a Communist
revolution.

[From a school textbook written in 2003]

C)One interpretation is that the use of violence was the main factor in
the Nazis rising and consolidating their power. How far do you agree
with this interpretation? [10]
In your answer you should use the evidence above and your own knowledge of how and why
there are different interpretations of Nazi methods in their rise to power.

C) Use these starters to help you:

On the one hand, some people may agree that violence was the main factor in the Nazis
rising and consolidating their power. Source .. supports this because…

From my own knowledge, I know that the Nazis also used violence to…
Another area where the Nazis used violence to rise to power was…

However, on the other hand, some people will disagree and say that the Nazis used other
things to rise and consolidate their power. For example, evidence .. says….

Also, evidence .. states that…

From my own knowledge, I know that the Nazis also used….

Overall, I think that…

 TOPIC AREA 2 – HOW DID NAZI POLICY AFFECT LIFE IN
GERMANY 1933-1939?

Aims of the Nazi Regime

1. A strong Germany: End the Treaty of Versailles, develop Germany’s industry – sought
Autarky (self-sufficiency)
2. A racial Germany: Remove racial minorities (e.g. Jews) from positions of power, isolating
them from pure Aryans (the “master race”) – increase the role of women as mothers and
guardians of the race.
3. The Volk or People’s Community: All other loyalties would be removed from people’s
lives. Churches, schools, workplaces would all have to come under control of the Nazis to
ensure loyalty. Freedom of speech was banished.

How would the Nazis take control?

1. Dictatorship
2. One-party state – all other political parties banned
3. Economic success – they would make sure that German people had jobs and food and give
them incentives to work harder and as rewards for loyalty.
4. Police State – SS and the police have absolute power to arrest, punish and execute
“enemies”.
5. Propaganda state – controlled what was heard, seen and read with Josef Goebbels as
Propaganda Minister.

The Nazi Regime and the Terror State

SS: Originally Hitler’s bodyguard – now organised body of State terror – unlimited power to arrest
without trial, search houses, confiscate property. They also ran the concentration camps. Head of
the SS: Heinrich Himmler
Concentration Camps: initially temporary prisons, increasingly places of forced labour and ‘re-
education’. By 1939 massive businesses and later scenes of mass genocide.
The Gestapo: tapped telephones, intercepted mail, spied on people, network of informers
throughout Germany. Led by: Goering and then Reinhard Heydrich (a key figure in devising the
Final Solution)
Police, law and courts: Judges swore an oath of loyalty and the police were under the authority of
the SS.
 Increasing Persecution of the Jews, 1933-1939
April 1933: One day boycott of Jewish shops

September 1935: Nuremberg Laws

Law for the Protection of German Blood and Honour: banned marriages between Jews and Aryans.
Reich Citizenship Law: Jews no longer ‘citizens’
1936: Lull in persecution due to Olympic Games
Sept 1937: Hitler makes an outspoken attack on Jews – Aryanisation of businesses stepped up
April 1938: Jews have to register their property making it easier to confiscate
June –July 1938: Jewish doctors, dentists and lawyers forbidden to treat Aryans

9-10 November 1938: KRISTALLNACHT – 400 synagogues and 7500 shops destroyed, 91
Jews killed and 30,000 sent to concentration camps

The Nazi Regime and the Economy

Effect of Nazi regime:
Small Businesses – competing Jewish businesses closed down, ban on new department stores,
trade doubled between1933-37.
Farmers – debts written off but many resenting the meddling of the Nazis and suffered from labour
shortages as workers left for better-paid jobs in the cities.
Big Business – Rearmaments and abolition of trade unions helped large firms, industrial profits
rose, working conditions improved but industrialists had to pay for these benefits.

Unskilled workers – immediately put to work in government programmes, wages kept low, some
benefited and saw it as a lifeline for their families.

The Nazi Regime and the Economy

Workers had to join the DAF (German Worker’s Front) led by Robert Ley: put them to work
making Autobahns, hospitals, schools etc. The DAF became a big organisation to control workers.
Beauty of Labour: persuaded employers to improve working conditions
Strength through Joy: incentives e.g. holidays to get workers to work harder (for lower pay) –
proved popular.
Reich Labour Service (RAD): 18-25 year old men to do 6 months work service – unpopular – hard
labour for poor pay. Tried to use it to indoctrinate young adults. Attitude of workers varied –
some thankful for a job, some felt the work was back-breaking for poor pay and little benefits.
 Nazi regime and the Youth

Aim: loyal Nazis for the 1000-year Reich

Hitler Youth: formed in the 1920s. All other youth organisations shut down. Girls were
encouraged to join the League of German Maidens. Both movements offered popular
activities such as hiking, singing folk-songs, camping and sport. By 1936 almost impossible not to
join the Hitler Youth.

Education: 97% of teachers joined the Nazi Teachers’ Association.

P.E.: 15% of school time.

History: focused on injustices of the T. of V. And the evils of Communists and Jews.

Biology: focused on race and population control. German taught the children to be aware of
their national identity.
Geography: taught about the lands which were once part of Germany and the need for
Lebensraum (living space). Girls also studied domestic sciences and eugenics (how to produce
the perfect offspring).

Napola and Adolf Hitler Schools: Military-style education.

The Nazi regime and Women

During the 1920s many women had attained well-paid jobs, were liberated by Jazz and Cabaret
movements but the Nazi regime felt this was degenerate...

Three Ks: Kinder, Küche, Kirche (Children, Kitchen, Church)

In 1936 over 30% more births than in 1933!
Restrictions: not to go to work, no make-up, flat heels, always used left-overs in cooking, dressed in
German cloth, posters were put up forbidding women to smoke, must bring up children to worship
the Führer.
But… Rearmament needed workers! German men were joining the army and so women were
required to work more contradicting the regime’s early policies. Abolished the marriage loans and
introduced a compulsory ‘duty year’: Women worked on farms or in family homes for bed
and board but no pay. More women did get jobs but not as many as the regime needed and there
were still labour shortages. Need for babies... In 1938 the divorce law (prevented divorce)
was changed allowing divorce if a man and woman could not have children. Lebensborn
programme was set whereby unmarried women could donate a baby to the Fuhrer by becoming
pregnant with ‘racially pure’ SS men.
 The Nazi Regime and Religion
Destroy the Churches Use the Churches
Nearly all Germans were Christians. Many Church members had voted for Hitler,
Religious beliefs powerful rival. Protestants in particular.
Church meetings could spread anti-Nazi ideas. Common ground – traditional values.
Could the Nazi’s build on the common ground?

Agreements with the Church:

 23 March 1933: Hitler said Christianity ‘the unshakeable foundation of moral life’
 June 1933: CONCORDAT WITH POPE – Catholics to be left alone in Germany and the Catholic
Church not to interfere with Nazi politics

Protestants united into REICH CHURCH (German Christians).

German Faith Movement: Nazi alternative to Christianity based on pagan ritual.

Confessional Church: Protestant anti-Nazi organisation – key figures included Martin

Niemöller and Dietrich Bonhoeffer.

Cardinal Clemens von Galen: Catholic bishop who opposed the Nazis and publicly attacked
their Euthanasia campaign (killing of mentally and physically handicapped people). No
action was taken against him as the Nazis feared he would become a martyr.

Nazi Regime and Propaganda

Newspapers: took over most publishers, censorship, some Nazi newspapers threatened
people who cancelled subscription
Films: cinema very popular, mostly love stories, comedies or adventure films, some political
e.g. Trimuph of the Will about the 1934 Nuremberg Rally or De Ewige Jude (The Eternal Jew)

Radio: ‘People’s Receivers’ were cheap radios that could not pick up foreign broadcasts – by 1939
70% population had a radio. There were 6000 loudspeakers erected all over German cities.
Festivals and Celebrations: Hitler’s Birthday, Anniversary of the Munich Putsch made public
holidays. Nuremberg Rallies were a week-long rally with thousands involved.
Culture - Music: Jazz and Blues were banned. German composers e.g. Wagner were encouraged.
Theatre: Concentrated on German history and political drama. Cheap tickets.
Literature: May 1933 Book Burning of ‘Un-German’ and Jewish books. Focus of literature was on
war heroes and dying for the Fatherland.
Architecture and Art: Architecture for public buildings was grand and imperialist, often copies of
buildings of ancient Rome or Greece. Alternatively traditional family homes were folk-style
buildings made of wood and stone. In art classical styles were key.
 Check your understanding:
HOW DID NAZI POLICY AFFECT LIFE IN GERMANY 1933-1939?

1. Fill in the table to show how the Nazis would take control of Germany.

How did this compare to the Weimar

Nazi Aim What did this mean?
Government?

A dictatorship

A one-party
state

Economic
success

A police state

A propaganda
state

2. Define each of the following key terms and explain how the Nazi party used it to create
terror.
SS:

Henrich Himmler:

Concentration Camps:

The Gestapo:

Police, law and courts:

Goering:

Reinhard Heydrich:
INCREASING PERSECUTION OF THE JEWS
3. Plot the increasing persecution of the Jews in Nazi Germany between 1933-1938 onto
your graph. The more severe the restrictions/actions the higher on the y axis is should go.

Most severe
THE NAZI REGIEME AND THE ECONOMY
4. For each of the following key terms, draw a picture which shows the definition of the key
term.

DAF (German Worker’s Front) led by Robert Ley:

Beauty of Labour:

Strength through Joy:

Reich Labour Service (RAD):

THE NAZI REGIEME AND THE YOUTH

5. Highlight to show: Which of the following activities would have been most likely
undertaken by the:
 League of German Maidens (BDM)
 Hitler Youth (HJ)
 Both

 Preparation for Motherhood

 Domestic and Health Care
 Hiking and Rifle Practice
 Singing Practice – Folk and Nazi Party Songs
 Sporting Activities – e.g. gymnastics, javelin throwing
 Camping, Orienteering and Military Drill
 Leadership Qualities (including Courage and Public Speaking)
 Tasks involving high levels of Discipline and Obedience
 War Games e.g. Hunting the Enemy
 Needlework and Cookery
THE NAZI REGIEME AND WOMEN
6. Fill in the table to show what life was like for women in Nazi Germany between 1933-1936
and 1937 onwards.

Life for women in Nazi Germany 1933- Life for women in Nazi Germany 1937
1936 onwards

THE NAZI REGIEME AND THE CHURCH AND PROPAGANDA

7. Complete the factual quiz about the Nazi Regime and propaganda.

a) Give two arguments for the Nazis working with churches.

b) What was agreed at the Concordat with the pope 1933?

c) Name three religious leaders who publicly disagreed with the Nazi regime.

d) What were the ‘people’s receivers’?

e) What percentage of people had ‘people’s receivers’?

f) Name one Nazi propaganda film.

g) What types of music were banned by the Nazis?

h) What style were public buildings created in? Why?

 i) What was the date of the Book Burning of ‘Un-German’ and Jewish books?

j) What were the Nuremburg rallies?

EXAM PRACTICE SOURCE QUESTIONS

Source A - A photograph of the
altar inside a National Reich Source B - Hitler Greets Reich Bishop Ludwig
Church which was set up in 1933. Müller and Abbott Albanus Schachleitner as
Honorary Guests at the "Reich Party Rally for
Unity and Strength", September 4-10, 1934

(a) What do Sources A and B above suggest about the treatment of the
church in the Nazi regime? [4]

Use these sentence starters:

 Both sources suggest that…

 Source A shows that… It also shows…

 Source B shows that …. It also shows….

Now add the correct punctuation to the following paragraph to reveal a model answer:

both sources suggest that the nazi regime made a significant impact on the church in
germany source A shows that religious symbols in christianity such as the cross and the
altar were changed to nazi symbols such as the swastika and images of hitler it also shows
that services may have been strictly controlled by members of the SS source B shows that
the nazis made deals with the catholic church such as the concordat it shows that the nazis
didn’t just use force to change the church
Think! Did you make 4 good points in your answer? What could you add from the model
answer?
Source C

Once in power, the Nazis made widespread use of propaganda. Poster campaigns and
mass rallies were common methods of persuasion. The radio and the cinema were also
used to control public opinion. All forms of culture such as art, literature and music were
controlled.
[From a school textbook]

b) Use the information in Source C and your own knowledge to

explain why propaganda was used by the Nazis after they gained
power. [6]

Use these sentence starters:

 There were several reasons why…

 Source C states that… Source C also says that…

 From my own knowledge, another reason was… Also…

Now add the correct punctuation to the following paragraph to reveal a model answer:

there were several reasons why propaganda was used by the Nazis from Source C it is
clear that it was used to ‘control public opinion’ as well as ‘all forms of culture’ and as such
were successful methods of ‘persuasion’ in order for the Nazis to gain and maintain support
from my own knowledge, other reasons why the Nazis used propaganda was to build the
hatred of Jews through anti-Semitic messages they also promoted Hitler as the saviour of
Germany and encouraged everyone to work towards his ideals ideals such as women
working in the home and Aryan families were also promoted as well as Nazi organisations
such as the Hitler Youth propaganda was important in ensuring there would be little
opposition to the Nazis as it always presented the benefits of the regime such as the
holidays provided by the Strength through Joy programme

Think! Did you make points from the source? Did you bring in points from your own
knowledge? Anything you want to add to your answer?
 Source D - [Official Nazi
Government statistics
showing the fall in
unemployment in Germany
between 1933 and 1939]

Source E - Norman Thomas, an American journalist, writing in an article called Work under the
Nazis. It was published in an American magazine called Foreign Affairs in April 1936]
Under the Nazis there has been much ‘invisible’ unemployment. The number of
unemployed Jews is great and is increasing: but these are not counted as being
unemployed. Another source of ‘invisible’ unemployment has been the sacking of women
from their jobs. None of these people are included among the unemployed in the official
statistics. Part-time workers are counted as fully employed.

(c) How useful are Sources D and E to an historian studying how the
Nazis tackled the economic crisis? [8]

Use this structure to help you write your answer:

Sources D and E are useful to an historian studying… because of their content.

Source D tells me that…
Also … (think who created it? When? Why useful?)
Source E is also useful because …
Also … (think who created it? When? Why useful?)

However, Source D and E have their limitations. For example, … (think what doesn’t it tell
you? Who created it, when and why?)

Overall, Sources D and E are very/quite/less useful and would be most useful if examined
alongside other sources to get a fuller picture.
 TOPIC AREA 3: WAR AND ITS IMPACT ON LIFE IN NAZI GERMANY 1939-1947

1) How was life affected during the war years? LIFE DURING THE EARLY WAR YEARS
1939-1941:

INITIAL IMPACT:

 No initial enthusiasm as people remembered the horrors of WW1

 As first year of the war went very well for Hitler as the Nazi army swept through eastern &
western Europe, extra food and riches brought back to Germany
 However, food rationing was introduced in September 1939 – vegetables and bread mainly
with small amounts of meat, butter & 1 egg. No milk for adults.
 Clothes rationed in November 1939. Hot water allowed on 2 days week. Soap also
rationed. Toilet paper no available and tobacco hard to find. Black market developed.

CHANGING ROLE OF WOMEN:

 Nazis had wanted women to take traditional roles as wives & mothers, but as the country
got ready for war, they encouraged women to work again in the war factories as well.
 When war broke out, there was even more need for women to work to replace men who
were fighting. Some served refreshments to servicemen, others helped in the Red Cross
and some helped to collect scrap metal.
 They were also encouraged to have even more children, regardless of whether their
husbands were home or not!

USE OF PROPAGANDA ON THE HOME FRONT:

 Posters, radio broadcasts, films and leaflets were used to encourage people to support the
war effort, tell of the Nazis early victories, encourage rationing and warn people about
following the blackout rules.
 Nazi Josef Goebbels was in charge of propaganda.

LIFE DURING THE LATTER WAR YEARS 1942-45:

ORGANISATION FOR TOTAL WAR:

 After Hitler decided to invade the USSR in 1941 (Operation Barbarossa), his army got
bogged down and by the end of 1942, the war was going very badly. Wounded soldiers
were returning to Germany.
 Hitler and Goebbels began preparations for TOTAL WAR – where every part of German
society would be geared to the war effort – making arms, growing food, caring for the sick
or fighting.
 Propaganda was used to try to keep up morale; new films were commissioned.
 All women (except those with very young children) were mobilised into the war factories –
many refused and only 1 million took jobs.
  Political prisoners, Jews and PoWs were forced to work for the war effort in the
labour/concentration camps.
SHORTAGES AND THE BLACK MARKET:

 Anything that did not contribute to war was stopped e.g. professional sport, hair dyeing,
sweet shops, civilian clothing manufacturing etc.
 People began to buy more and more on the black market, often swapping goods.

EFFECTS OF ALLIED BOMBING:

 First allied air raid on Berlin was in August 1940. By 1942, the raids were more frequent and
intense.
 Lack of doctors on the home front (at war or Jewish so banned) did not help
 Many people left the cities or were evacuated.
 Particularly bad air raids happened in Hamburg in 1943 which led to a fire storm – 30,000
died – and in Dresden in 1945, where in two nights of bombing 70% of city buildings were
destroyed with 150,000 dying.
 By the end of the war, almost as many German civilians had died as soldiers involved in the
fighting.

PEOPLE’S HOME GUARD:

 Called the Volkssturm – mobilised any boys/men left on the home front in 1944.
 Called ‘the last round-up of the old and the lame, the children and the idiots’
 They marched through the streets with borrowed weapons

TREATMENT OF THE JEWS DURING THE WAR YEARS:

DEVELOPMENT OF GHETTOS:

 After Nazi invasion of Poland in 1939, 3 million more Jews came under Nazi control. The
Nazis decided to herd all Jews (Polish and those moved from Germany) into ghettos (walled
off areas of towns)
 They were given starvation rations and disease was rife as people lived in very crowded,
cold conditions

SPECIAL ACTION SQUADS:

 Treatment of the Jews got worse in 1941 after the Nazis invaded the USSR – special groups
of SS soldiers called the Einsatzgruppen – were sent to murder any Jews they could find.
 By the end of 1941, half a million had been shot in the USSR

REASONS FOR AND THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE ‘FINAL SOLUTION’:

  Due to the fact that millions more Jews were now under Nazi control, they decided on ‘the
Final Solution to the Jewish problem’
 In 1942, Nazi leaders met at Wansee to work out the details of the Holocaust – Death
Camps were built in Poland were Jews were to be worked or gassed to death
 A massive operation got under way to move millions of Jews from occupied Europe to these
camps by train
 Conditions in the camps were unimaginably terrible – 6 million Jews were murdered as well
as Nazi opponents, Jehovah’s Witnesses, PoWs, Gypsies and homosexuals.

2) How much opposition was there to the Nazis within Germany during the war
years?

OPPOSITION FROM CIVILIANS – YOUNG PEOPLE:

 Edelweiss Pirates – went hiking and camping, hoping to beat up Hitler Youth groups; both
boys and girls involved. Many got involved in direct opposition – sheltering army deserters
and concentration camp escapees. A group killed the head of the Cologne Gestapo and
were caught and executed.
 Swing – wanted to listen to black American swing music & dance; they met in cafes during
the ar, wore English-style clothes and allowed Jews to be members. The Nazis tried to
stamp them out and many were harshly punished.
 White Rose Group – led by Munich students. Distributed leaflets attacked the Nazis and
urged Germans not to help with the war. Many leaders captured and executed.
RELIGIOUS GROUPS:

 Martin Niemoller – Protestant Pastor who helped to set up the Confessional Church against
the Nazis in the 1930s. Arrested in 1937 and imprisoned in a concentration camp until
1945.
 Von Galen – Catholic priest who publically spoke out against Hitler’s euthanasia campaign
 Dietrich Bonhoeffer – Protestant Pastor who spoke out about the Nuremberg Laws. Banned
from preaching. During the war, he joined the underground resistance to gather evidence
of Nazi crimes. Helped to devise a plan to help small numbers of Jews escape Germany.
Planned to help assassinate Hitler. Arrested by the Gestapo and sent to a Concentration
Camp in 1944 – continued to speak out and write against the Nazis. Put on trial and hanged
in 1945.

MILITARY OPPOSITION:
CAUSES OF THE JULY BOMB PLOT 1944:

 The plotting of General Beck, Dr Goerdeler and Count von Stauffenberg – called Operation
Valkyrie. Plan was to use 2 bombs in a brief case to assassinate Hitler and then seize control
of Berlin.
 Von Stauffenberg had been wounded fighting in 1942 and lost his left eye and his right arm
 He hated the brutality of the SS and the suffering of the German army in the USSR
EFFECTS OF THE JULY BOMB PLOT:
  Plot failed on 20th July 1944. Von Stauffenberg had taken the bombs in a briefcase to a
military conference at Rastenburg. He left the room to make an urgent call to Berlin leaving
the briefcase under the table. However, the briefcase was kicked over and moved to the
other side of the table. It exploded, killing 4, but Hitler escaped.
 Leading plotters were arrested and executed; another 5,000 opponents killed
 Hitler became increasingly paranoid

3) What was the situation in Germany following total defeat in the war? THE
DEFEAT OF GERMANY:

ALLIED INVASION OF GERMANY:

 After the USSR (Barbarossa) and USA (Pearl Harbor) joined the war in 1941, the tide began
to turn against Germany, particularly after the D-Day landings in France in 1944.
 The Allied forces pushed the Nazi armies back towards Germany from the East and West.
Refugees flooded back to Germany.
 Goebbels was made Reich Trustee for Total War and made one last effort to win the war,
forcing anyone who was able bodied into the armament factories, closing all places of
entertainment etc.
 Ration cards no longer worked – people relied completely on the black market
 Some cities made an attempt to stop the Allied advance (some Hitler Youth groups) but
most surrendered

FALL OF BERLIN AND THE DEATH OF HITLER:

 May 1945: Hitler, Goebbels and other leading Nazis committed suicide in a bunker in Berlin.

DIVISION OF BERLIN:

 At the end of the war in Europe at the Yalta Conference, the Allies agreed to divide Germany
in two – the Western Allies would keep control of West Germany and the USSR would keep
control over East Germany. Berlin, in East Germany, was divided into 4 zones – French,
British, American and Russia.

PUNISHMENT OF GERMANY:
ARREST AND TRIAL OF NAZI LEADERS FOR WAR CRIMES – THE NUREMBERG TRIALS:

 24 senior Nazis were put on trial between 1945 and 1946. Nuremberg was chosen as it had
been the site of many of the Nazi Rallies so it was symbolic that Nazi rule was over. They
were charged with planning wars of aggression, crimes against humanity and war crimes.
Lesser Nazi officials were tried later up until 1949.
 Many Senior Nazis were sentenced to death e.g. Goering and others were given lengthy
prison sentences e.g. Speer
DENAZIFICATION:

 A significant part of the German population had been brainwashed/indoctrinated into

believing Nazi propaganda
 After the war, education programmes and groups were put together to rid all traces of
Nazism from German society

Check your understanding;

TOPIC AREA 3: WAR AND ITS IMPACT ON LIFE IN NAZI GERMANY 1939-1947

LIFE DURING WW2

1. Complete the table below about what life was like in early war and in the later years of the
war.

Date Events in the war Affect on the home front (food, goods, propaganda,
luxuries, women, air raids)

1939-
1941
 1942-
1945

2. What was ‘Total War’?

3. List three ways Total War affected life in Germany.



TREATMENT OF THE JEWS DURING THE WAR YEARS

4. What were ghettos?

5. What were Special Action Squads?

6. What was the Final Solution?

OPPOSITION TO THE NAZIS

7. Draw a picture to show the three different youth groups that opposed the Nazis.

8. Which group posed the strongest threat to the Nazis? Why?

9. Fill in the blanks in the following passage…

CAUSES OF THE JULY BOMB PLOT 1944:

 The plotting of General _____, Dr _________ and Count von ___________________ – called
Operation ____________. Plan was to use 2 bombs in a brief case to assassinate Hitler and
then seize control of Berlin.
 Von Stauffenberg hated___________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
EFFECTS OF THE JULY BOMB PLOT:

 Plot failed on 20th ______ 19__. Von Stauffenberg had taken the bombs in a briefcase to a
military conference at Rastenburg. He left the room to make an urgent call to Berlin leaving
the briefcase under the table. However the plan failed because
__________________________________________________________________.
 Leading plotters were arrested and ___________; another ________ opponents killed

THE DEFEAT OF GERMANY:

10. Complete the following factual quiz:
a) What event during WW2 led America to join the war?

b) What did Goebbels, as the Reich Trustee for Total War, do as a last attempt to win the
war?

c) In May 1945, what did: Hitler, Goebbels and other leading Nazis do in a bunker in Berlin?

d) What was decided at the Yalta conference?

e) What were the Nuremburg trials?

f) What was denazification and why was it important?

 NAZI MOCK ON IMPACT OF WW2 ON NAZI GERMANY 1939-1947

QUESTION 1: 18 marks

Study the sources below and then answer the question which follows:

Source A: Observations of an American radio reporter in Germany in 1941

In the underground, you smell the people. There is not enough time for the train coaches to be cleaned and
aired every day, so the odour of stale sweat from bodies that work hard, and have only a cube of soap as big as a
penny box of matches to wash with, lingers. In the summer, dozens of people whose stomachs and bodies are
not strong anyhow, faint every day due to the smell.

Source B: A humorous rhyme overheard in Germany in 1940

“No butter with our eats.

Our pants have no seats.

Not even paper in the loo.

Yet Fuhrer, we follow you.”

a)What do sources A and B above suggest about rationing in Nazi Germany? [4]

Study the Source below and then answer the question which follows:

Source C:

“We are carrying out my idea of Total War. We are stopping the production of anything that does not
help us in the war. The means another 8 million workers can go into making things for the war and
300,000 other workers can join the army. All factories will soon be making war materials.”

[Josef Goebbels writing in his diary in

1943]

b) Use the information in Source C and your own knowledge to explain why the Nazis began Total
War in 1943. [6]
Study the sources below and answer
the question which follows:
Source D:

[A Nazi painting called ‘Hitler at the front made in 1942-43]

Source E:

In 1943, it was clear the war was not going Germany’s way any longer. Her armies were bogged down in
the USSR on the Eastern Front and morale on the home front was low. Air raids were more frequent and
intense.

[From a school textbook written in 1994]

c) How useful are Sources D and E to an historian studying Nazi war efforts in 1943? [8]

QUESTION 2: 10 marks (real exam another 10 marks)

a) Describe the role of women in Nazi Germany during World War II. [4]

Study the source below and then answer the question which
follows:

Source
F

[A poster produced by the Nazis during World

War II]

b) Why was Source F produced during World War II? [6]

QUESTION 3: 15 marks

To what extent did the most serious opposition to the Nazis in Germany during the war come from young
people? [12 + 3 SPAG]
 TEST YOURSELF! Nazi Source Paper: How do I answer each question?

1a) What do sources A and B above suggest about…? [4]

1b) Use the information in Source C and your own knowledge to explain why… [6]

1c) How useful are Sources D and E to an historian studying… ? [8]

2a) Describe… [4]

2b) Why was Source F produced…? [6]

2c) One interpretation is that… How far do you agree with this interpretation? [10]

3) To what extent did…? [12 + 3 SPAG]