Active History: Games for Kids

GCSE History: Nazi Germany


 
 
 
 

Hitler's Third Reich

The scheme of work which follows uses these interactive simulations designed to "run themselves" in a computer room.

I have also developed some materials for Holocaust Memorial Day.

1. James Spod: Undercover in Nazi Germany! [interactive]
Learn about Nazi Germany whilst on a mission to eliminate the evil dictator Adolf Hitler! The original (less comprehensive) game is still available here.
2. Head2Head Virtual Interview with Adolf Hitler! [interactive]
Interview the German dictator face to face! Type in whatever question takes your fancy, and receive a historically accurate reply courtesy of a massive database. A fantastic way of investigating Germany 1918-45.

The following worksheets accompany the TV Series The Nazis: A Warning from History (click here to buy from Amazon). They can be used at appropriate points throughout the scheme of work.

1. Chaos and Consent (The system of government in Nazi Germany)
2. The Wrong War (Foreign Policy and Appeasement)
3. The Road to Treblinka (The Holocaust)
4. Fighting to the End (Opposition to Hitler, and why it failed)


1. Hitler's Rise to Power

A comprehensive selection of activities related to Hitler's rise to power can be found on these pages. As a recap, however, students could use the following resource:

1. Helped into Power: Worksheet for the Video
A worksheet to accompany the relevant episode from "The Nazis: A Warning from History" (click here to buy from Amazon).

2. Hitler's Consolidation of Power

1. Hitler's Consolidation of Power: Introduction
An overview of the main themes and historical questions to generate student interest.
2. The Reichstag Fire Roleplay exercise
A roleplay exercise designed to take place over a one-hour lesson. Students investigate the evidence and reliability of the main witnesses after dividing into prosecution and defence teams. A separate team of judges prepare "surprise evidence" for each side. This teacher promptsheet is also necessary.
3.

The Night of the Long Knives
Information, sources and tasks outlining how and why Hitler crushed the SA. There are also more advanced worksheets for the 16-18 age range: The Nazi Consolidation of Power, 1933-4 | The Army in Nazi Germany after 1933

The Night of the Long Knives (additional resources for the 16-18 age range):
a, The Case for the Army
b. The Case for the SA
c. What happened?
d. Was there really a plot to overthrow Hitler?

4. End of Unit Test [interactive]
A paper test of 20 questions based on the information in the preceeding worksheets.
Students should be given the opportunity to revise for the test by playing this interactive quiz.

3. Hitler's Rule of Germany

A.

The Nazi Police State

1.

The Nazi Police State
Students use the Head2Head Interview with Adolf Hitler to gather key information about the way in which Nazi Germany controlled the people. There are also more advanced worksheets for the 16-18 age range: The Nazi State | The Nazi Party after 1933 | Himmler's SS Empire | How powerful was the SS?

2. Flash Interactive Template
How did the Nazis rule Germany? From ClassTools.net Interactive Whiteboard Resources
   

B.

Nazi Economic Policies

1. Nazi Economic Policies
Students use the Head2Head Interview with Adolf Hitler to organise information about Hitler's economic policies for Big Business, Small Business, Agriculture and the working classes under key headings in this worksheet. There are also more advanced worksheets for the 16-18 age range: Nazi Economic Policies | Conclusions on Nazi Economic Policies
   

C.

Nazi Social Policies

1.

Nazi Social Policies [1]: Overview
Students are divided into groups to investigate Nazi social policies towards undesirables and untermenschen. They are instructed how to organise a PowerPoint show to give to the rest of the class and the findings are recorded in a grid.

2.

Nazi Social Policies [2]: The European Dimension
A stimulating worksheet in which students are shown how many of Hitler's ideas stemmed from theories and practices in Europe and America which were popular at the time (and since). A crucial worksheet which helps students get away from the idea that Hitler was a peculiarly "German" problem.

3.

Social Policies [3]: The Moral Maze
Students are presented with a logical defence of the principles of Eugenics and Social Darwinism as they existed in Hitler's Third Reich. They are then asked how they would nevertheless challenge some of its assertions both on rational and on moral grounds. One to get them thinking and debating! There are also more advanced worksheets for the 16-18 age range: Nazi Treatment of minorities

   

D.

Nazi Youth Policies

1.

Nazi Youth Policies: [1] Schools in Hitler's Third Reich
GCSE history students match entries from Nazi School Textbooks to the subjects they describe, then each student in the class has a "Napola" school report written for them by several people in the class.

2.

Youth Policies: [2] Youth Organisations in Hitler's Third Reich
GCSE history students compare the Hitler Youth and the League of German Maidens by constructing a dialogue designed to highlight the positive and negative features about each. There are also more advanced worksheets for the 16-18 age range: Nazis and Youth; there is a worksheet to go with the information pack which should also be printed off.

3. Recommended DVDs re. Nazi Youth Policies
Sophie Scholl | Swing Kids | Europa Europa | Edelweiss Pirates
   

E.

Nazi Women's Policies

1.

Nazi Policies towards Women
In this task GCSE history students analyse one of Hitler's speeches to determine how the Third Reich justified the Nazi policy of "Kinder, Kirche, Kuche". They then categorise his actions according to whether they encouraged women to stay at home or have more babies.There are also more advanced worksheets for the 16-18 age range: In-depth assessment of women's policies; Nazi policies towards women

   

F.

Nazi Religious Policies

1.

Nazi Religious Policies
By means of a venn diagram, students investigate the various ways in which the Nazis tried to control replace and weaken the Catholic and Protestant Churches. There are also more advanced worksheets for the 16-18 age range: The Nazis and religion

   

G.

Nazi Propaganda Policies

1.

Nazi Propaganda
An in-depth analysis of a whole range of Nazi propaganda techniques including sport, posters and cinema. For each, students have to assess evidence of success and failure. There are also more advanced worksheets for the 16-18 age range: The Nazi Propaganda Machine | Propaganda in Nazi Germany

2.

Recommended DVDs re. Nazi Propaganda Policies
The Wonderful Horrible Life of Leni Riefenstahl | Triumph of the Will | Olympia

   

H.

Opposition to the Nazis

1.

Opposition to the Nazis - PowerPoint Starter
Opposition to the Nazis - Main Worksheet
Opposition to the Nazis - Factual Test
After looking at the different versions of the famous Niemoller poem in the powerpoint starter, Students use the main worksheet to compare how different social groups opposed the Nazis, and then use this information to complete one of several suggested tasks after completing a factual test. My own students produced "Hollywood Trailers" which can be found on the ActiveHistory YouTube Channel. There are also more advanced worksheets for the 16-18 age range: Opposition to the Nazi regime

2. When, How and Why should We Oppose? A lesson I designed for PSHE, but which could fit well into a consideration of opposition to the Nazis.
   

I.

The Jews and the Holocaust

1.

Why did Hitler Hate the Jews? - Main worksheet
This worksheet explains not merely why Hitler hated the Jews, but also why the Jews have been persecuted throughout the ages in countries across Europe. Students connect these factors in a flow diagram and categorise them as religious, racial, economic and social. This worksheet is supported by this antisemitic propaganda for children, and antisemitic propaganda for adults.

2.

Nazi Policies for Jews, 1933-39
Students consider whether each antisemitic policy in Hitler's Third Reich was designed to threaten, humiliate or physically weaken the Jewish people. They consider how the international community responded to Nazi policies. They then consider what the law should really be regarding the treatment of immigrants and national minorities.

3.

Nazi Policies for Jews, 1939-45
The development of the Final Solution in the Third Reich is examined and students produce their own classroom presentation.

4.

Who was Responsible for the Holocaust?
A thorny subject, but an important one: were the German people "Hitler's Willing Executioners"? GCSE History Students consider the evidence for both sides to reach their own judgement.

5.

The Legacy of the Holocaust: Israel and Palestine
This worksheet encourages students to consider how the Arab-Israeli conflict is in large part Hitler's most lasting legacy.

6.

How Should we Commemorate the Holocaust?
Students consider the purpose of commemoration and then design their own Holocaust memorial after looking at a wide range of examples from around the world.

 

Recommended DVDs re. Nazi Jewish Policies
Holocaust Box Set | Shoah Box Set | Conspiracy | The Nazis and the Final Solution
Life is Beautiful | The Pianist | Schindler's List

I have also developed some materials for Holocaust Memorial Day.


Interactive quizzes on this topic [tips]
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I also teach this topic at A-Level - click here to check out these resources.

History in the News for GCSE History: Nazi Germany

1. Did Hitler and Eva Braun flee Berlin and die (divorced) of old age in Argentina? (answer = no) #historyteacher  
2. Holocaust survivors angry that former concentration camp is charging visitors  
3. Former Nazi Camp Guard Gets Five Years Former Nazi Camp Guard Gets Five Years
4. Ten Great Holocaust Films You May Have Missed As the most barbaric event of the twentieth century, the Nazis' mass extermination of Jews during World War II has served as the basis of countless books, plays, and films over the past sixty years.
5. Controversial historian David Irving outrages Poles with death camp tour David Irving, the controversial historian, has outraged war veterans and survivors’ groups with a tour of sites related to the Nazi occupation of Poland.
6. Filmmaker Stone Apologizes for Remark on Holocaust, Jewish Media Influence  
7. Barack Obama compared to Hitler and Lenin in Tea Party billboard A roadside billboard created by a branch of the Tea Party in Iowa comparing President Barack Obama to Adolf Hitler and Vladimir Lenin has been condemned by other groups in the movement.
8. Man facing jail over Hitler ringtone A German man is facing up to six months in jail for having a speech by Adolf Hitler as his mobile phone ringtone.Every time the 54-year-old man's phone rang, it played a speech by Hitler, in which the former dictator pledged the destruction of world Jewry if Germany was dragged into war.
9. Hitler memorabilia 'attracts young Indians' Slowly but steadily, a decade-old business around the dead and universally despised dictator Adolf Hitler is emerging as a small-scale industry in India.
10. Sir Andrew Burns named as first post-Holocaust envoy A former UK ambassador to Israel has been named as the government's first envoy for post-Holocaust issues.
11. Stalin blocked two attempts to kill Hitler, Russian general says Stalin blocked two attempts to kill Hitler, Russian general says
12. Miliband's escape from The Holocaust  
13. Adolf Hitler 'did not shoot himself'  
14. Before you start mouthing off about Hitler, you'd better know your Nazis  
15. Hitler abortion poster sparks anger in Poland  
16. Legacy of Pain From 'Jew Süss' for Veit Harlan’s Family  
17. Albert Göring, Hermann's anti-Nazi brother Albert Göring, Hermann's anti-Nazi brother
18. Adolf Hitler's 'Mein Kampf' to be republished in Germany  
19. Holocaust museum shooting suspect dies | World news | guardian.co.uk Holocaust museum shooting suspect dies
20. No apology for Germany’s own Nazi sterilisation victims  
21. EasyJet Magazine Apologizes For Holocaust Memorial Fashion Shoot (PHOTOS)  
22. Swastikas and Tinsel: How the Nazis Stole Christmas  
23. As Remembrance Day approaches, one in six children think Auschwitz is a theme park and one in ten think Hitler was a football manager - IBTimes  
24. BNP protests descend into chaos at BBC Television Centre - Telegraph  
25. Thai waxworks museum apologises for Hitler billboard  
26. Sole Video Footage of Anne Frank Posted Online  
27. Manga version of Hitler's 'Mein Kampf' a hit in Japan - Telegraph  
28. Germany unites to mourn hero who braved Nazi yobs  
29. Germany's New AIDS-Awareness Ad Stars Hitler  
30. Lenin and Hitler playing chess. Yeah, right. What a load of rubbish.  
31. Survivors gather to pay tribute to 'British Schindler'  
32. Film portrays athletics gender row in Nazi Germany  
33. Unseen photographs reveal the private life of Adolf Hitler  
34. Man fined for beheading Hitler  
35. At Auschwitz, Israeli minister compares Iran to Nazis  
36. Elmbridge Council leader backs Auschwitz jibe councillor Lara Conaway  
37. Defectors expose plans of Germany's 'real' Nazis  
38. David Irving disturbs Holocaust lecture  
39. German neo-Nazis plan to build Fourth Reich on back of new economic crisis  
40. Adored by Hitler, Gay Tenor With Jewish Wife Thrived in Reich  
41. Nazis developed Thalidomide and tested it on concentration camp prisoners  
42. Germany gets go-ahead to prosecute 'Ivan the Terrible' in last Nazi trial  
43. Nazi holiday resort Prora to be opened to tourists for first time  
44. Did Hitler really only have ONE testicle?  
45. Vichy calls for Nazi past to be forgotten after 60 years  
46. Adolf Hitler 'planned propaganda cable TV'  
47. Should Holocaust Denial be a Crime in the UK?  
48. Pope defends "Hitler's Pope"  
49. Germany holds rare war crimes trial over 1944 Nazi massacre  
50. Israeli spy admits Mossad allowed Josef Mengele to escape  
51. Bergen-Belsen survivor learns of sisters' fate 64 years on  
52. Nazi war crimes suspect faces extradition from Australia  
53. Rescuing Berlin's Most Famous World War II Ruin  
54. Tribute to Nazis’ Gay Victims A memorial dedicated to gay men and lesbians persecuted and killed under the Nazis will be inaugurated on May 27, the Lesbian and Gay Federation in Germany said. The $935,000 monument, designed by Michael Elmgreen of Denmark and Ingar Dragset of Norway, w
55. BBC NEWS | Americas | SS doctor 'still alive in Chile'  
56. McCain: bin Laden could face Nuremberg-like justice  
57. German Geneticists Condemn Nazi Eugenics Program | Germany | Deutsche Welle | 15.07.2008  
58. Austria: Josef Fritzl blames Nazis for behaviour - Telegraph  
59. Early Hitler letter unveiled (although rather too much read into it, frankly) #historyteacher  
60. Nazi Rudolf Hess exhumed from 'pilgrimage' grave Nazi Rudolf Hess exhumed from 'pilgrimage' grave
61. BBC News - Adolf Hitler 'honorary citizen' row grips Austria Adolf Hitler 'honorary citizen' row grips Austria
62. Truth about German diplomats' collusion in Holocaust is revealed Senior officials were willing participants in the Nazi campaign, says report published yesterday
63. France condemns Castro Roma 'holocaust' remark France says comments by former Cuban leader Fidel Castro about its treatment of Roma migrants are unacceptable and show his ignorance of history.
64. US Holocaust Museum, others criticize Romania's central bank for minting 'anti-Semitic' coin The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum says the refusal of Romania's central bank to withdraw a coin bearing the image of a prime minister who stripped Jews of their citizenship before World War II is "insensitive" to the memory of Holocaust victims.
65. Auschwitz 'I will survive' dance video is internet sensation A video showing a Jewish Holocaust survivor and his grandchildren singing and dancing to the tune "I will survive" at the entrance to the Auschwitz death camp has provoked a storm of controversy after receiving more than half a million hits on YouTube.
66. German artists creates Holocaust memorial with 25,000 plaques on sidewalks across Europe  
67. Teachers 'arrested for stealing Auschwitz memento' Two Canadian teachers who wanted a memento of their trip to Auschwitz have been arrested by Polish police for stealing pins from the camp's railway track, according to reports.
68. Why Bollywood's film about Hitler is profoundly misguided The idea that Hitler should be thanked for Indian independence proceeds from the view that, by weakening Britain, Germany forced it to abandon its empire.
69. German neo-Nazi parties 'consider merger' Germany's two main neo-Nazi parties are considering plans to merge in an attempt to gain popularity, according to reports.
70. 'Pink Hitler' advertisement upsets Sicilians  
71. Hitler Fashion Ad Causes Controversy In Sicily HITLER FASHION AD Causes Controversy In Sicily
72. YouTube pulls Hitler Downfall parodies  
73. Russia bans Hitler book as extremist  
74. Advert with dog dressed as Hitler 'not offensive', rules watchdog  
75. Jud Süss: the Nazis' inglorious blockbuster  
76. The Nazi board game to teach Hitler youth how to win wars  
77. Jews use Holocaust as propaganda weapon, says Catholic bishop  
78. Can Oliver Stone show us the human side of Hitler?  
79. Freya Gräfin von Moltke: Anti-Nazi activist - Obituaries  
80. Last echo of Nuremberg?  
81. EasyJet magazine 'trivialises genocide' with Holocaust memorial fashion shoot  
82. An Ethical Question: Does a Nazi Deserve a Place Among Philosophers?  
83. Final Member of Hitler's Inner Circle Dies at 96  
84. British Bishop Fined for Denying the Holocaust  
85. Nazi Olympics exhibit opens in Vancouver  
86. How Mr Rowe's potion let Hitler's No 2 sleep easier  
87. Marek Edelman, last surviving leader of WWII Warsaw Ghetto uprising dies at 90  
88. Holocaust 'Industry' More About Money Than Memory?  
89. Pupils 'spend too little time on Holocaust'  
90. David Irving sparks row over Holocaust 'propaganda'  
91. Berlin 36 tells how Nazis replaced Jewish woman athlete for man in drag  
92. UK documents reveal hunt for Hitler's deputy  
93. Children who escaped Nazis retrace 1939 journey to Britain  
94. Artist may face charge for 'Nazi' gnome  
95. Tory activist expelled after Facebook Hitler tache picture  
96. Obama gets it wrong about the Holocaust  
97. Nazi women's magazines feature knitting patterns and British blame for WWII  
98. Has time run out for the Nazi-hunters? - good stimulus for a debate  
99. Local Councillor cheapens the Holocast  
100. Germany provokes anger over museum to refugees who fled Poland during WWII - Telegraph Germany provokes anger over museum to refugees who fled Poland during WWII
101. Discredited Memoirist Defends Holocaust Book  
102. Is Bavaria right to try banning the reprinting of Nazi newspapers?  
103. Nazi “Lebensborn” Adults Piece Together Their Pasts  
104. Hitler's pub dart bomb: The secret Nazi weapon drawn up to terrorise Britain  
105. Makeover Planned for Hitler's Baltic Sea Hotel Colossus  
106. The first Boys from Brazil: Nazi graveyard discovered deep in the Amazon rainforest  
107. Outcry over Belgian TV cookery show helping people cook Hitler's favourite meals  
108. Vatican: "Pius protected Jews during WWII"  
109. Palestinians paying price for West's Holocaust guilt, says Tutu  
110. British spy in longbow plot to kill Heinrich Himmler  
111. Former Nazi Collaborator from Ukraine Loses US Appeal  
112. Berlin's Holocaust Memorial Vandalized With Nazi Graffiti  
113. The Hitler Analogy - Why do Putin and Bush keep using the Nazis?  
114. Franco's relationship with Hitler: New Insights  
115. Claus von Stauffenberg: the true story behind the film Valkyrie, starring Tom Cruise  
116. Vandals attack Berlin monument to gay victims of Nazis  

 

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