GCSE History: Nazi Germany

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Hitler's Third Reich

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

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.
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.
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.

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!

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.
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.

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.

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.
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.
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

	Interactive Revision for GCSE History
2.	Nazi Germany: Interactive Cartoon analysis Analyse a series of cartoons by hovering over details and answering exam-style questions. When you have finished, the computer will provide you with a printout comparing your answer to a model answer. A great way to revise and develop sourcework skills.
3.	"Splat!" Game: Splat the Nazi
4.	"CannonBall Fun" Game: Nazi Germany
5.	"Wordshoot!" Game: Nazi Germany
6.	Play Your Dates Right Game: Hitler and the Nazis, 1889-1945
7.	"Fling the Teacher" Game: Hitler and the Nazis
8.	"Hot Potatoes" Self-Marking Quiz: Nazi Germany Multiple Choice Quiz

9.	Nazi Germany: Glossary of key terms

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. 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.
2. Filmmaker Stone Apologizes for Remark on Holocaust, Jewish Media Influence
3. 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.
4. 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.
5. German artists creates Holocaust memorial with 25,000 plaques on sidewalks across Europe
6. 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.
7. 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.
8. 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.
9. 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.
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. 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.
12. Stalin blocked two attempts to kill Hitler, Russian general says Stalin blocked two attempts to kill Hitler, Russian general says
13. 'Pink Hitler' advertisement upsets Sicilians
14. Miliband's escape from The Holocaust
15. Hitler Fashion Ad Causes Controversy In Sicily HITLER FASHION AD Causes Controversy In Sicily

History weblinks for GCSE History: Nazi Germany

1. THE REICHSTAG FIRE FIRE : SEFTON DELMER
2. The Reichstag Fire Trial, 1933-2008 - Monthly Review
3. Sources on the Reichstag Fire
4. William Shirer: A profile
5. How does Valkyrie score for historical accuracy? (via activehistory.co.uk / classtools.net)
6. Nazi Olympics Berlin 1936
7. Louis-Schmeling Match: Nazis and Sport
8. Film Education | Resources | The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas | Reading History
9. GCSE History: Nazi Germany

GCSE History: Nazi Germany

From the ActiveHistory Store:

Hitler's Third Reich

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

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:

2. Hitler's Consolidation of Power

3. Hitler's Rule of Germany

A.

The Nazi Police State

B.

Nazi Economic Policies

C.

Nazi Social Policies

D.

Nazi Youth Policies

E.

Nazi Women's Policies

F.

Nazi Religious Policies

G.

Nazi Propaganda Policies

H.

Opposition to the Nazis

I.

The Jews and the Holocaust

Interactive Revision for GCSE History

GCSE History - Main Menu

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)