GCSE History:

Paper Three

Weimar and Nazi Germany

1918-1939

Timeline of Weimar and Nazi Germany

1918-1939

1918

1919

1920

1923

1924

1925

1926

1928

1929

1932

1933

1934

1935

1936

1938

Kaiser Wilhelm abdicates and the Armistice is signed.

Weimar Constitution is established with Ebert as Chancellor and the Treaty of

Versailles is signed.

Spartacist Uprising.

Kapp Putsch.

The French occupy the Ruhr.

Hyperinflation begins.

The Munich Putsch.

Hyperinflation begins.

Stresemann becomes Chancellor and Foreign Minister.

Dawes Plan.

The Locarno Pact.

Bamberg Conference.

Membership for Germany to the League of Nations.

Kellogg-Briand Pact.

Young Plan.

Wall Street Crash and start of the depression.

NSDAP becomes the largest political party in the Reichstag.

Hitler becomes Chancellor of Germany.

The Reichstag Fire and then the Enabling Law is passed.

People asked to boycott Jewish shops and the Gestapo is established.

Concordat with the Catholic Church and the Nazis agreed.

Night of the Long Knives.

Death of Hindenburg.

Hitler becomes Fuhrer.

Nuremberg Laws passed.

Berlin Olympics

Kristallnacht (Night of the Broken Glass).

Term Definition

Constitution The rules, which set out how a country is run.

Trade unions Organisations set up to protect and improve the rights of workers.

Diktat Where something is forced upon someone – most people considered the Treaty of Versailles as a diktat.

Dolchstoss The German term of ‘stabbed in the back’. Something the German people thought the Government had done by agreeing to the Treaty of Versailles.

Hyperinflation Extremely high inflation, where the value of money plummets and it becomes almost worthless.

Propaganda A way of controlling public attitudes. Propaganda used things such as newspapers, posters, radio and film, to put ideas into people’s minds to shape attitudes.

Indoctrination Converting people to your ideas using education and propaganda.

Socialism A political outlook which stresses that a country’s land, industries and wealth should all belong to the workers of that country.

Paramilitary force A private group run like a military force.

Putsch A violent uprising intended to overthrow existing leaders.

Censorship Controlling what is produced and suppressing anything considered to be against the state.

Communists/Communism Followers of the communist ideas of Karl Marx, who believed, for example, that the state should own the means of production and distribution.

Anti-Semitism Hatred and persecution of the Jews

Concordat An agreement between the Pope and a government concerning the legal status of the Roman Catholic Church within that government’s territory.

Aryan Nazi term for a non-Jewish Germany, someone of supposedly ‘pure’ German stock.

Gestapo Official secret police of the Nazi regime.

Passive Resistance

Opposition to a government, invading power, etc… without using violence.

Volkisch Literally ‘of the people’. In Germany it grew to mean being linked to extreme German nationalism and Germanic racial awareness.

Ghetto A densely populated area of a city inhabited by a particular ethnic group, such as Jews.

Reparations War damages (money) to be paid by Germany.

Glossary of key terms

Weimar and Nazi Germany

1918-1939

Feedback from the 2018 exam series about the interpretations judgement question from Edexcel.

Students performed well on this question especially as the majority of students were able to go beyond the stimulus points, with reference to three aspects of content and relate these to the question.

Students who had limited knowledge of the content were often able to provide a clear structure in their answers, if not a clear analytical focus. The majority of students used the stimulus points to help their explanation of the reasons and many were able to add in at least one extra aspect of content.

Students did not need to provide a conclusion to show a sustained line of reasoning and those who were most successful showed a sustained focus on the question in every paragraph.

Students who only really attempted any analysis in a conclusion struggled to meet the AO2 requirements at the higher levels. Students are not expected to prioritise or link factors at Level 4 and few attempted to do so. In cases where students did prioritise factors, examiners were sometimes able to reward some aspects of the candidate’s argument as showing a clear line of reasoning but it was not a strategy that automatically gained levels 3 and 4.

At Level 2, students often described the stimulus points but this left links to the question too implicit to meet the AO2 focus on analysis. At Level 3, students were mainly focused on the conceptual focus of the question but sometimes lacked the wide-ranging knowledge required at Level 4. At Level 4, there were many sustained analytical responses supported by well-chosen examples, which displayed clear understanding of the topic, and these were often rewarded with full marks.

Overall, candidates were very comfortable with this style of question and produced a range of impressive answers.

Mark scheme for a 12 mark Germany exam question.

Model Answer from 2018 student from the actual exam.

Explain why unemployment fell in Germany between 1933 and 1939. You may use the following in your answer:

National Labour Service (RAD)

autobahns You must also use information of your own

Autobahns National Labour Service (RAD)

Explain why there were economic problems in the Weimar Republic from 1919 to 1923. You may use the following in your answer:

reparations

The French occupation of the Ruhr. You must also use information of your own

Reparations

The French occupation of the Ruhr.

Explain why the Munich Putsch failed in 1923. You may use the following in your answer:

The German Army

Bavarian leaders You must also use information of your own

The German Army Bavarian leaders

Explain why the Nazi police state was successful between 1933-1939. You may use the following in your answer:

The Gestapo

Concentration Camps You must also use information of your own

The Gestapo

Concentration Camps

Explain why there was so little resistance and opposition to Hitler and the Nazi Party in Germany in the years 1933-1939. You may use the following in your answer:

Nazi Propaganda

The Gestapo You must also use information of your own

Nazi Propaganda

The Gestapo

Explain why Hitler was able to increase his control over Germany between the years 1933 and 1939. You may use the following in your answer:

The Enabling Act

Nazi Propaganda You must also use information of your own

The Enabling Act Nazi Propaganda

Explain why the Nazis attempted the Munich Putsch in 1923. You may use the following in your answer:

Invasion of the Ruhr (1923)

Hitler’s leadership of the Nazi Party You must also use information of your own

Invasion of the Ruhr (1923)

Hitler’s leadership of the Nazi Party

Explain why there was an economic recovery in the Weimar Republic in the period 1924-29. You may use the following in your answer:

The introduction of the Rentenmark

American Loans You must also use information of your own

Introduction of the Rentenmark

American Loans

Explain why there were changes in the lives of women in Nazi Germany 1933-39 You may use the following in your answer:

Nazi organisations for women and girls

The introduction of marriage loans You must also use information of your own

Nazi organisation for women and girls

The introduction of marriage loans

Explain why support for the Nazi Party grew in the period 1929-32. You may use the following in your answer:

The Wall Street Crash (1929)

The influence of the SA You must also use information of your own

The Wall Street Crash (1929)

The influence of the SA

Explain why Hitler was appointed Chancellor of the Weimar Republic in January 1933. You may use the following in your answer:

Hitler’s campaigning

Von Papen You must also use information of your own

Hitler’s campaigning Von Papen

Explain why Hitler was able to create his dictatorship in the years 1933 and 1934. You may use the following in your answer:

The Night of the Long Knives

The death of President Hindenburg You must also use information of your own

The Night of the Long Knives

The death of President Hindenburg

Explain why the Nazis introduced a racial programme after 1934. You may use the following in your answer:

Racial beliefs

Anti-Semitism You must also use information of your own

Racial beliefs

Anti-Semitism

Explain why the position of women in German society improved under the Weimar Republic. You may use the following in your answer:

Votes for women (November 1918)

Women in the workplace You must also use information of your own

Votes for women (November 1918)

Women in the workplace.

Explain why standards of living improved in Germany between 1923 and 1929. You may use the following in your answer:

Unemployment Insurance Act (1927)

Building new houses You must also use information of your own

Unemployment Insurance Act (1927)

Building new houses

Explain why tensions in German society increased in the years 1924 to 1929. You may use the following in your answer:

‘new women’

Cultural changes

You must also use information of your own

New women

Cultural changes

Explain why the position of women changed in Nazi Germany in the years 1933-1939. You may use the following in your answer:

Employment

Appearance You must also use information of your own

Employment

Appearance

Explain why there was opposition to the Nazi regime in the years 1933-1939. You may use the following in your answer:

The Catholic Church

The Edelweiss Pirates You must also use information of your own

The Catholic Church

The Edelweiss Pirates