Contents:

Germany and the growth of democracy

1.     Kaiser Wilhelm II

2.     Difficulties of Ruling Wilhelmine Germany

3.     Weltpolitik and the Navy Laws

4.     Wilhelmine Germany - historiography

5.     Impact of the First World War

Germany and the Depression

6.     The Weimar Republic

7.     Ending the War

8.     Weimar Problems 1919-23

9.     How far did the Republic recover?

10.  The Nazi Party 1919-29

11.  1890-1928 Cascade

The experiences of Germans under the Nazis

12.  Hitler's Rise to Chancellor

13.  Was Weimar Doomed? - historiography

14.  Consolidating Power

15.  Control

16.  How Nazi Rule affected Germans

17.  Interpreting Hitler - historiography

18.  1929-1945 Cascade

19.  Self-test

Click the yellow arrow for advice on:

• How to STUDY this topic:
  • 1.   Start by reading some easy sources – perhaps the Chat GPT summary, or my Basics sheet in the ‘Going Deeper’ panel on this page.  Get a grasp of the basic story.

    Make a list of key dates - leave space to add other dates you may discover during your studies. 

    It might be an idea to do this before you study this unit in class.

  • 2.   Work through the study sections above.  You can do this over time as you study the topics in lessons.

            Take advantage of some of the links to explore, more deeply, aspects of the topics which attract your interest.  Try to become ‘an expert’ on some issues.

  • 3.   Study the historiographies, to learn how historians have interpreted: Wilhelmine Germany, Why people voted for Hitler, Was Weimar Doomed?, the Enabling Act and Hitler , and to consider what YOU think about the debates.
  • 4.   Plunder the Cascade webpages on 1890-1928 and 1929-1945 to help you write any essays you are given.

• How to REVISE this topic:
  • 1.   Skim-read the study pages 1-10 and 12-17 in this unit to refresh your memory of what you have learned in the lessons.
  • 2.   Go through the topics on the Cascade webpages on 1890-1928 and 1929-1945; for each, use the yellow arrows to think FIRST how you would answer, before checking against my suggestions.
  • 3.   Again using the yellow arrows to check your answers, do and re-do the Self-test until you can get every question ‘right enough’.
  • 4.   Choose the revision factsheet which suits you best from the ‘Going Deeper’ panel, and learn it off by heart; get someone to test you on it.
  • 5.   IF you have time, suss out the Smartass list of specialist terms with which to wow the examiner!  Invite a friend to revise with you and do the Revision Activies together, using them as an opportunity to share all you know.
  • 6.   NB This is just the factual stuff - don’t forget to rehearse how to do the exam-style questions for this unit.