Students are provided with a list of essential points relating to the international consequences of the Spanish Civil War. These are analysed in terms of what Hitler’s objectives were, and what the actual results were - thereby keeping a close focus on the subject of the sourcework paper for 2009 (Germany Involvement in the Spanish Civil War). The class is then asked to consider how crucial German involvement in the Spanish Civil War was in terms of Franco’s victory. Sourcework questions round the worksheet off.

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Students should be provided with this interactive newsfeed covering the main events of the Spanish Civil War and then divide these into “Good news for the Republic” and “Bad news for the Republic”. They then have to use their own knowledge of international events in the 1930s to add a final column in the timeline placing each event in its international context: this “Play Your Dates Right” quiz could be used to help students with this. To round off, they precis two interesting sources: one from Dolores Ibarruri, and one from Ernest Hemingway, each giving their verdict on the role of the International Brigades. A second Play your Dates Right quiz tests knowledge of both the events leading up to the war and of the war itself and works particularly well when displayed on an interactive whiteboard with teams pitted against each other to get the best score.

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The most notorious example of German involvement in the Spanish Civil War was when the Nazi Condor Legion bombed the Basque city of Guernica. This lesson investigates the event through a detailed analysis of Picasso’s painting provided by Simon Schama’s excellent documentary (available here).

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A decision-making exercise. Students are asked a series of questions about how they think Hitler should have organised his help to Franco’s Nationalists. The teacher then tells the students what actually happened in each case so that the class can discuss the merits and drawbacks of each policy. Sourcework questions round the exercise off.

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Students have to copy and paste key details into the appropriate cells of a table which outlines who, why, where and how the British Empire developed. A great way of providing an overview of the growth of the British Empire.

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Students analyse a series of written sources - primary and secondary - to develop an understanding of why Germany got involved in the Spanish Civil War. By comparing, contrasting, organising points under key headings and summarising their findings, students will end this lesson with a sound grasp of Germany’s motives. Sourcework questions invite students to consider the reliability of the sources and expand on each with elements of background knowledge: key skills for the IGCSE sourcework paper. Students could also use this interactive Diamond 9 diagram at www.classtools.net.

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