(This class supports I.B./A.P./GCSE and A-Level History courses and exam boards)

Germany in transition, 1919 to 1939
This class focuses on selected themes and issues relating to the history of Germany from 1919-1939. It includes the impact of WWI on Germany; the rise and fall of the Weimar Republic; conditions enabling the rise of the Nazi party and its consolidation of power; the impact of Nazi policies on life in Germany for both Germans and minorities; and the use of propaganda, terror and persuasion to achieve its ideological goals.
Students will be required to consider the main drivers for the emergence of the Nazi party and develop an awareness of how aspects of German life during this period have been represented and interpreted through different lenses to contribute to the wider historical debate about the period.
Students should be able to address the key questions in each topic area using a range of historical sources and with well-reasoned arguments based on the historical context.
Each of the modules address required content for GCSE/I.B./A-Level assessment.
This class is a required class prior to taking - The Development of Germany, 1919-1991.

Week of 11 October Key Questions and Required Content
Impact of the First World War
What challenges were faced by the Weimar Republic from 1919-1923?
Required content: Impact of Versailles; weaknesses of Weimar government; political instability – Spartacist, Kapp, Munich Putsches; hyperinflation; events in the Ruhr 1923.

Week of 18 October: The Recovery of Weimar
Why were the Stresemann years considered a ‘golden age’?
Required content: Recovery from hyperinflation; Dawes and Young Plans; Locarno Pact; League of Nations; U.S. investment; social and political developments.

Week of 25 October: End of the Weimar Republic
How and why did the Weimar Republic collapse between 1929 and 1933?
Required content: Social and political impact of the Depression on the Weimar Republic; Hitler’s electoral appeal; the role of the SA; propaganda; political extremism and scheming 1929-1932

Week of 3 November: Consolidation of Power
How did the Nazis consolidate their power between 1933 and 1934?
Required content: Hitler as Chancellor; Reichstag Fire; 1933 election and Enabling Act; trade unions and political parties; Night of the Long Knives; Hitler becomes Führer.

Week of 10 November Nazi Economic, Social and Racial Policy
How did the Nazi economic, social and racial policies affect life in Germany?
Required content: Reducing unemployment; policy towards workers; women and the Three Ks; controlling education; the Hitler Youth Movement; treatment of the Jews.

Week of 17 November: Terror and Persuasion
What methods did the Nazis use to control Germany?
Required content: Use of the SS and Gestapo; control of the legal system; Goebbels and propaganda; use of rallies, radio and cinema; censorship of newspapers and the arts.

Week of 24 November : Hitler’s foreign policy
What factors led to the outbreak of war in 1939?
Required content: Hitler’s foreign policy aims; rearmament and conscription; the Rhineland 1936; Anschluss 1938; Sudetenland 1938; Nazi-Soviet pact 1939.

Week of 4 December - Conclusions, Summary, and Comments

This class requires a minimum  of 3-5 students - if low enrollment please inquire about a Private Tutorial which would include exam board specific instruction, source based activities, and marked assessments.