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AB Germany, 1890-1945: Democracy and dictatorship
Study political, economic, social and cultural developments in Germany from Kaiser Wilhelm II to the Nazi dictatorship and war.
9
Objectives
45
Flashcards
45
Questions
90 min
Study time
AQAGCSEHistoryPaper 1 Section A: Period studies
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Syllabus checklist
What you need to know
9 objective pages available
Part one: Germany and the growth of democracy3 objectives
- Study Kaiser Wilhelm and the difficulties of ruling Germany, including parliamentary government, Prussian militarism, industrialisation, social reform, socialism and Navy Laws.
- Study the impact of the First World War, including war weariness, economic problems, defeat, the end of monarchy, reparations, Ruhr occupation and hyperinflation.
- Study Weimar democracy, including political unrest from 1919 to 1923, Spartacists, Kapp Putsch, Munich Putsch, Stresemann recovery, new currency, Dawes Plan, Young Plan, international agreements and Weimar culture.
Part two: Germany and the Depression3 objectives
- Study the impact of the Depression, including growth in support for the Nazis and other extremist parties from 1928 to 1932, the role of the SA and Hitler's appeal.
- Study the failure of Weimar democracy, including election results, Papen, Hindenburg and Hitler's appointment as Chancellor.
- Study the establishment of Hitler's dictatorship, including the Reichstag Fire, Enabling Act, elimination of political opposition, trade unions, Rohm, the Night of the Long Knives and Hitler becoming Führer.
Part three: The experiences of Germans under the Nazis3 objectives
- Study economic changes under the Nazis, including benefits and drawbacks, employment, public works, rearmament, self-sufficiency and wartime impacts such as bombing, rationing, labour shortages and refugees.
- Study Nazi social policy and practice, including impacts on women, young people, youth groups, education, churches, religion, Aryan ideas, racial policy, persecution and the Final Solution.
- Study Nazi control, including Goebbels, propaganda, censorship, Nazi culture, repression, the police state, Himmler, the SS, Gestapo and opposition such as White Rose, Swing Youth, Edelweiss Pirates and the July 1944 bomb plot.
Key terms
parliamentary governmentPrussian militarismworldWeimarStresemannDepressionNazisPapenHindenburgReichstag FireEnabling Actrearmament
Exam tips
- Exam focus: parliamentary government: Support each point about parliamentary government with precise historical evidence.
- Exam focus: world: Support each point about world with precise historical evidence.
Common mistakes
- Avoid confusing parliamentary government: Anchor the answer to Part one: Germany and the growth of democracy, use precise evidence, and state whether parliamentary government is a cause, consequence, change, continuity or significant development.
- Avoid confusing world: Anchor the answer to Part one: Germany and the growth of democracy, use precise evidence, and state whether world is a cause, consequence, change, continuity or significant development.
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