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Germany 1890–1945

Germany 1890-1945 is the AQA GCSE period study on how a proud empire became a fragile republic, then a dictatorship. It runs from Kaiser Wilhelm II and the First World War through Weimar democracy, hyperinflation and the Depression to Hitler's rise, the Nazi state and everyday life under it, including persecution and the Holocaust. Every one of the 26 topics is written out in full.

This is Paper 1 Section A of AQA GCSE History (8145/1B). It is the only unit on the paper that asks about historians' interpretations, so alongside the usual knowledge and change questions you practise explaining how two interpretations differ, why they differ and which is more convincing. Answers are marked against the AQA level descriptors.

A question you will meetWhich was the more important reason why the Nazis gained power in 1933: the Depression or the appeal of Hitler? Explain your answer.

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Germany and the Growth of Democracy

1890-1929

From a proud empire to a fragile republic - could democracy take root?

Kaiser Wilhelm's Germany

• Ruling Imperial Germany: the Kaiser, the Reichstag and Prussian militarism
• Industrialisation and the growth of socialism

The Impact of the First World War

• Defeat, revolution and the abdication of the Kaiser, 1918

The Weimar Republic Under Threat, 1919-1923

• The Weimar Constitution: strengths and weaknesses
• The Treaty of Versailles and the 'stab in the back' myth
• Political unrest: Spartacists, Kapp Putsch and the Munich Putsch
• Economic crisis: reparations, the Ruhr and hyperinflation

The Stresemann Era: the 'Golden Years', 1924-1929

• Economic and diplomatic recovery: Rentenmark, Dawes and Young Plans
• Weimar culture and the extent of recovery

Germany and the Depression: the Rise of the Nazis

1929-1934

How did a democracy vote its way into a dictatorship?

The Impact of the Depression

• The Wall Street Crash and mass unemployment
• The failure of Weimar governments: Bruning and rule by decree
• The appeal of the Nazis and the growth of extremism

Hitler Becomes Chancellor

• Political intrigue: Hindenburg, Papen and Schleicher, 1932-33

The Establishment of the Dictatorship, 1933-1934

• The Reichstag Fire and the March 1933 election
• The Enabling Act and Gleichschaltung
• The Night of the Long Knives and the death of Hindenburg

The Experiences of Germans Under the Nazis

1933-1945

Terror, propaganda and persecution - life inside the Nazi state.

Economic Changes

• Tackling unemployment: public works, the RAD and rearmament
• Autarky, the DAF and Strength Through Joy
• The impact of the Second World War on living standards

Social Policy and Practice

• Nazi policies towards women
• Nazi policies towards the young: the Hitler Youth and the League of German Maidens
• Education, teachers and control of the churches

Control, Terror and Persecution

• Propaganda, censorship and Nazi culture
• The machinery of terror: the SS and the Gestapo
• Support, opposition and resistance
• The persecution of minorities and the Jews

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