The Rise of the Nazi Party

Vocabulary Discussion Questions/Research Topics Reproducible Student Hand-Outs Bibliography Other Resources Lesson Plans From the Teacher's Guide Links to lesson plans on other Web sites Florida Resource Manual on Holocaust Education

Vocabulary

Anti-semitism: Opposition to and discrimination against Jews.

Aryan: A term for peoples speaking the language of Europe and India. In Nazi racial theory, a person of pure German "blood." The term "non-Aryan" was used to designate Jews, part-Jews and others of supposedly inferior racial stock.

Beer Hall Putsch /pootch/ : On November 8, 1923, Hitler, with the help of SA troops and German World War I hero General Erich Ludendorff, launched a failed coup attempt in Bavaria at a meeting of Bavarian officials in a beer hall.

Brüning, Heinrich /brooning hainrikh/ : Appointed by President von Hindenburg in 1930, he was the first chancellor under the new presidential system which ruled by emergency decree rather than laws passed by the Reichstag.

Bystander: One who is present at some event without participating in it.

Cabaret /kabaray/ : Large restaurant providing food, drink, music, a dance floor, and floor show.

Chancellor: Chief (prime) minister of Germany.

Communism: A concept or system of society in which the collective community shares ownership in resources and the means of production. In theory, such societies provide for equal sharing of all work, according to ability, and all benefits, according to need. In 1848, Karl Marx, in collaboration with Friedrich Engels, published the Communist Manifesto which provided the theoretical impetus for the Russian Bolshevik Revolution in 1917.

Enabling Act: The Enabling Act, ratified on March 23, 1933, allowed the government emergency powers: to pass decrees without referring to the president and eventually create new laws. This helped the new (Nazi) regime to establish a firm footing in the Reichstag.

Fascism: A social and political ideology with the primary guiding principle that the state or nation is the highest priority, rather than personal or individual freedoms.

Führer /fewra/ : Leader. Adolf Hitler's title in Nazi Germany.

German Workers' Party (Deutsche Arbeiterpartei) /doiche abaitapatai/ : As the precursor to the Nazi Party, Hitler joined the right-wing Deutsche Arbeiterpartei (DAP) in 1919. The party espoused national pride, militarism, a commitment to the Volk, and a racially "pure" Germany.

Great Depression: A deep, worldwide, economic contraction beginning in 1929 which caused particular hardship in Germany which was already reeling from huge reparation payments following World War I and hyperinflation.

Hitler, Adolf (1889-1945) /ahdolf hitla/ : Nazi party leader, 1919-1945. German Chancellor,1933-1945. Called Führer, or supreme leader, by the Nazis.

Hitler Youth: Hitler Jugend /hitla yoogend/ was a Nazi youth auxiliary group established in 1926. It expanded during the Third Reich. Membership was compulsory after 1939.

Homophobia: Fear of homosexuals.

League of German Girls: Female counterpart of the Hitler Youth formed in 1927 but not formerly integrated by Hitler until 1932.

Mein Kampf /mine kahmpf/ : Meaning "My Struggle," it was the ideological base for the Nazi Party's racist beliefs and murderous practices. Published in 1925, this work detailed Hitler's radical ideas of German nationalism, antisemitism, anti-Bolshevism, and Social Darwinism which advocated survival of the fittest.

Nationalism: A movement, as in the arts, based on the folk idioms, history, aspirations, etc., of a nation.

National Socialist Women's Association: The NS Frauenschaft /frouenshahft/ was an organization intended to recruit an elite group of women for the Nazis.

National Socialist Teachers' Association: Established in 1929, it assumed responsibility for the ideological indoctrination of teachers.

The Nazi (National Socialist German Workers') Party: The Nationalsozialistische Deutsche Arbeiterpartei /natsional sotsialistishe doiche abaita patai/ or NSDAP was founded in Germany on January 5, 1919. It was characterized by a centralist and authoritarian structure. Its platform was based on militaristic, racial, antisemitic and nationalistic policies. Nazi Party membership and political power grew dramatically in the 1930s, partly based on political propaganda, mass rallies and demonstrations.

Nuremberg Laws: The Nuremberg Laws were announced by Hitler at the Nuremberg Party conference, defining 'Jew' and systematizing and regulating discrimination and persecution. The "Reich Citizenship Law" deprived all Jews of their civil rights, and the "Law for the Protection of German Blood and German Honor" made marriages and extra-marital sexual relationships between Jews and Germans punishable by imprisonment.

Pogrom: An organized and often officially encouraged massacre of or attack on Jews. The word is derived from two Russian words that mean "thunder."

Prejudice: A judgment or opinion formed before the facts are known. In most cases, these opinions are founded on suspicion, intolerance, and the irrational hatred of other races, religions, creeds, or nationalities.

Propaganda: False or partly false information used by a government or political party intended to sway the opinions of the population.

Reich /raikh/: German word for empire.

Reichskammern /raikskaman/ : Reich government departments.

Reichstag /raikhstag/ : The German Parliament. On February 27, 1933, a staged fire burned the Reichstag building. A month later, on March 23, 1933, the Reichstag approved the Enabling Act which gave Hitler unlimited dictatorial power.

SA (Sturmabteilung /shtoormabtailung/ or Storm Troopers) : Also known as "Brown Shirts," they were the Nazi party's main instrument for undermining democracy and facilitating Adolf Hitler's rise to power. The SA was the predominant terrorizing arm of the Nazi party from 1923 until "The Night of the Long Knives" in 1934. They continued to exist throughout the Third Reich, but were of lesser political significance after 1934.

Scapegoat: Person or group of people blamed for crimes committed by others.

Social Darwinism: A concept based on the idea of "survival of the fittest." Based on Social Darwinism, Nazis created a pseudo-scientific brand of racism which was most virulent when directed against the Jews, but others, particularly Slavs, were not exempt.

Socialism: A theory or system of social organization that advocates the ownership and control of land, capital, industry, etc. by the community as a whole. In Marxist theory it represents the stage following capitalism in a state transforming to communism.

Sudetenland /zoodeytenlahnt/ : Formerly Austrian German-speaking territories in Bohemia which were incorporated into Czechoslovakia after World War I.

Treaty of Versailles /versai/: Germany and the Allies signed a peace treaty at the end of World War I. The United States, Great Britain, France, and Italy negotiated the treaty at the Peace Conference held in Versailles beginning on January 18, 1919. The German Republic government which replaced the imperial administration was excluded from the deliberations. The treaty created the Covenant of the League of Nations, outlined Germany's disarmament, exacted massive reparation payments from Germany, and forced Germany to cede large tracts of territory to various European nation-states.

Volk /folk/ : The concept of Volk (people, nation, or race) has been an underlying idea in German history since the early nineteenth century. Inherent in the name was a feeling of superiority of German culture and the idea of a universal mission for the German people.

Weimar Republic /vaimahr/ : The German republic, and experiment in democracy (1919-1933), was established after the end of World War I.

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• Identify some of the twentieth century precursors to the Holocaust.

• Research the possible reasons for the rise of the Nazi party.

• What lands did Germany loose as a result of World War I?

• What economic changes followed World War One in Germany?

• Why was the Nazi party often identified with young men of the lower middle class? Is there a similar pattern among racist groups today?

• Research and discuss the social climate and significant events that ultimately led to the state sponsored genocide in Nazi Germany.

• Assess the domestic and worldwide conditions that influenced Germany after World War I and contributed to the rise of Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party.

• Research the history of the swastika.

• Examine the reasons for the broad appeal to the German people of Nazi philosophy and government. How did Hitler reawaken feelings of nationalism after the humiliation suffered after the First World War?

• Describe the techniques Hitler used to organize a large majority of German people to accept and promote Nazi ideology.

• How did Germans perceive Hitler? Why was he followed so loyally and by so many?

• What did Hindenburg think of Hitler and his followers?

• Investigate reasons for and the impact of the decline of the Weimar Republic.

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  Reproducible Student Hand-Outs

  Map of Europe after 1919 (Treaty of Versailles). Map showing territory lost by Germany and Austria-Hungary after the First World War.

  Europe before 1919. Map of Europe showing Germany and Austro-Hungary before the Versailles treaty.

  Demilitarized Zone-Treaty of Versailles. Map of Germany and Austro-Hungary after the Treaty of Versailles marking the demilitarized zone.

  Europe after 1919. Map of Europe after the Treaty of Versailles (1919).

  Holocaust time line 1933-1945. (Use your browser's back button to return to this page.)

• Hitler: Anatomy of a Dictatorship. Hitler's life from 1923 to the end of World War II is explored in this video using newsreels and archival footage. (23 minutes), Grades 7-12
• Hitler: Heroes and Tyrants of the Twentieth Century. Hitler's early rise and his later years are examined in this video using archival footage. (54 minutes), Grades 7-12, Franada
• Hitler: The Whole Story. This boxed-set of 3 videos documents the career of Adolf Hitler. Archival footage is provided depicting the rise of the Nazi Party and its leaders following World War I. (180 minutes total), Grades 7-12, Cine-Art
• Lest We Forget: A History of the Holocaust. This CD-ROM provides a thorough overview of the Holocaust. Using text as well as archival film and audio clips, and hundreds of captioned pictures, topics such as life in the ghettoes, revolts in the death camps, and the Nuremberg trials are covered. Grades 9-12, Logos Research Systems, 1996
• The Life of Adolf Hitler. The life of Adolf Hitler, from his early life to his death, is documented in this video using film footage and photographs compiled in 1961. (101 minutes), Grades 7-12, Video Yesteryear
• My Brother's Keeper. This CD-ROM is actually a narrated tutorial by Holocaust survivor Israel Bernbaum. Through Bernbaum's paintings, students are given explanations to the symbolism used, quizzed on knowledge of such topics as the death camps, and the Warsaw Ghetto uprising, and much, much more. Grades 6-12, Clearvue, 1997
• The Rise and Fall of Nazi Germany. Forty photographs illustrating the life of Hitler and the Third Reich are provided in this collection. Grades 7-12, Documentary Photo Aids
• The Seeds of the Holocaust, 1933-1935. This video uses film footage and testimony from Elie Wiesel to try and explain the events and causes leading to the Holocaust. Fourteen reproducible reprints, a poster and guide are also included. (16 minutes), Grades 7-12
• Teaching Holocaust Studies with the Internet: Internet Lesson Plans and Classroom Activities. Lessons using specific web sites along with reproducible worksheets are provided. Lessons on The Rise of Hitler and Nazism, Life in the Ghettos, and Survivors' Stories are included. Grades 4-12, Classroom Connect, 1997
• Tiger at the Gate. How and why Hitler rose to power is explored in this video using archival film footage. (20 minutes), Grades 7-12, Films for the Humanities

Lesson Plans from the Teacher's Guide to the Holocaust

Cartoon: Truth or Tale. Students view Nazi propaganda and discuss the power of symbolism and suggestion.

Comprehension Questions for use with The Wavevideo.

Eleventh Grade Social Studies Unit.

Map Studies. An interdisciplinary unit for middle school.

The Rise of Antisemitism. Students explore the evolution of antisemitism.

Time Capsule. Students share their response to a study of the Holocaust with future generations.

Timeline. Students create a timeline of major Holocaust events and compare it to other events happening at that time.

Lesson Plans on Other Sites

The First Steps Leading to the "Final Solution" from Gary M. Grobman's "The Holocaust--A Guide for Teachers."

Florida Resource Manual on Holocaust Education

The following materials from the State of Florida Resource Manual on Holocaust Education, Grades 9-12 will enrich your class's study of this topic. This manual was distributed to all Florida high schools in the spring of 1999 and should be available in your school resource center.

Vocabulary	Unit 2	pages 5-6
	Unit 3	pages 5-7
Content Overview	Unit 2	pages 7-15
	Unit 3	pages 8-14
Suggested Activities	Unit 2	page 16
	Unit 3	pages 15-17
Correlation to Sunshine State Standards	Unit 2	page 17
	Unit 3	page 18
Activities	Unit 2	pages 21-31
	Unit 3	pages 21-55
Photographs	Unit 3	pages 59-65

| Nazi Party | Nazification | Ghettos | Camps | Resistance | Liberation | Aftermath |

A Teacher's Guide to the Holocaust
Produced by the Florida Center for Instructional Technology,
College of Education, University of South Florida © 2005.