GRADE 9, TERM 1


A, B, C, G

Ms Lynne          

D, E, F

Mr Cassim

PART 1: TREATY OF VERSAILLES

 

 

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Activity 1:

 

* The following questions are based on the video *

  1. Why was the treaty called: The Treaty of Versailles?
  2. Who were the Big Three?
  3. Why were they so important?
  4. What 3 things did Clemenceau want?
  5. Why didn't Lloyd George want to be too harsh on Germany?
  6. Why did Wilson not have as much of a desire for revenge as Britain and France?
  7. Why was Germany ignored?
  8. Why do you think that none of the German delegates wanted to sign the Treaty?
  9. What made them change their mind?
  10. Why was Article 231 so hard for the Germans to accept?
  11. What impact do you think that Article 232 would have on Germany?
  12. Do you think it was fair to demilitarize the Rhineland? Provide a reason for your answer.
  13. Why was it so difficult for the Germans to accept their defeat?
  14. Who do you think was really responsible for their defeat? Justify your answer.
  15. Why did the Germans refer to the Treaty of Versailles as a "diktat"?

Activity 2:

 

"Everything went black before my eyes as I staggered back to my hospital ward and buried my aching head between blankets and pillow [...] The following days were terrible to bear and the nights worse [...] My hatred grew for this terrible crime." (Adolf Hitler, Mein Kampf)

  1. What "terrible crime" is Hitler talking about?
  2. Why did he think it was a "crime"?

Activity 3:

 

  1. What does the winged creature represent? 
  2. Who do the men standing around her represent? 
  3. What document covers the creature?
  4. Explain the meaning of the cartoon.

Additional Video Resources:

 

Part 1 ... 

 

Part 2 ...

 PART 2: WEIMAR REPUBLIC


 

 

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Activity 4:

 

* The following questions are based on the video *

  1. What was the most important role of a) the President and b) the Chancellor?
  2. Suggest some pros and cons of Article 48?
  3. Why did Hitler choose 1923 to try to overthrow the government?
  4. Of what benefit to the French would the Ruhr region have been?
  5. Why did unemployment increase during this period?
  6. Why couldn’t the Weimar government print so many extra bank notes?
  7. Why was necessary to adopt a new currency?
  8. Name a country that has been through a similar crisis recently?
  9. What can Germany’s recovery from 1924 to 1929 be attributed to?
  10. Why couldn’t Germany get loans from the USA after 1929?

 Activity 5:

 

  1. The German worker says “No! You cannot make me work!” To whom is he saying it?
  2. Who instructed him to say it?
  3. Explain the context of the cartoon.
  4. Evaluate the decision to call for a strike. (Was it justified? What did it achieve? Considering the consequences, was it worth it?)

Activity 6:

 

  1. Critically evaluate the statement: "The Weimar Republic faced too many problems from inside and outside to succeed."

Additional Video Resources:

 

Part 1 ...

 

Part 2 ...

 PART 3: THE RISE OF THE NAZI PARTY


 

 

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Activity 7:

 

* The following questions are based on the video *

  1. Why do you think the Nazi Party didn’t do well before 1929?
  2. What was the benefit of winning power legitimately?
  3. Why would the German people be attracted by the promise of jobs and economic growth?
  4. For what did Hitler blame the Jews?
  5. Describe how propaganda works.
  6. How are the actions of the Brownshirts contradictory to the promises that Hitler was making?
  7. How did the Enabling Act fulfill Hitler’s ambitions?
  8. Of what benefit to Hitler was combining the role of President with Chancellor?

Activity 8:


"Just as Jesus freed mankind from sin, so Hitler saves the German people from destruction [...] The apostles completed the work of their Lord. We hope that Hitler will be able to complete his own work. Jesus built for Heaven, Hitler for the German people."  (German school textbook)

  1. Who is Hitler compared to?
  2. What "destruction" will Hitler save them from?
  3. Who was this message aimed at?
  4. What makes this message an example of propaganda?

Additional Video Resource:


In this video, you will see and hear a selection of speeches by Hitler.

Instead of being able to judge what he said on its own merits, the person who put together this video has demonstrated two propaganda techniques. 

Firstly, the video-maker has selected only the positive things that Hitler said. 

Secondly, by adding an upbeat music track to the background, the video-marker has created a positive 'vibe' to the video. 

These two techniques leave the audience with a positive impression of Hitler ... if that's possible!!!

Still, it's interesting to see what he looked and sounded like, and the promises he made to the German people.


 PART 4: THE THIRD REICH


 

 

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Activity 9:


* The following questions are based on the video *

  1. What is a "totalitarian state"?
  2. How did Hitler ensure that no-one opposed him?
  3. Why do you think Hitler 'purged' the Brownshirts?
  4. What is The Third Reich?
  5. Use your OWN words to describe Hitler's theory on race.
  6. What is ironic about Hitler's description of the Aryan Nordic race?
  7. Apply your knowledge of Natural Science to explain why the "scientific tests" were bogus.
  8. What was Hitler's plan for what he called the "inferior races"?
  9. What did Hitler want to achieve through the Sterilization Law?
  10. After learning about the T4 program, how would you characterized Hitler? 

Additional Video Resource:




PART 5: THE WAR IN EUROPE




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Activity 10:


* The following questions are based on the video *

  1.  In what ways did Hitler break the military restrictions of the Treaty of Versailles?
  2. What was the Policy of Appeasement?
  3. What motivated Hitler to invade Poland?
  4. What made Hitler's invasion of Czechoslovakia and Poland different from the Sudetenland?
  5. On what date did World War 2 officially begin?
  6. Why was France not part of the Allied Powers after 1940?
  7. Name one factor in the failure of Hitler's invasion of Russia.
  8. What event started the liberation of France?
  9. What happened to Hitler?


Activity 11:

 

Table showing the death rates of a few of the countries that participated in WW2:

 

  1. Which European country on this list experienced the most military deaths?
  2. How many deaths in total did Germany suffer?
  3. List the countries in which the military deaths outnumbered the civilian deaths.
  4. Suggest a reason why the civilian deaths were so much higher than the military deaths in Poland.

Additional Video Resources:


 




Just for interest ...



Just for interest ...



Just for interest ...

PART 6: THE HOLOCAUST


 


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For this section, you will compile your OWN notes using various historical sources.


Activity 12:

 

Write down bullet-point notes as you watch the following videos from the Yad Vasham website. 


Part 1: Introduction

 

Part 2: The Nazi Rise to Power (1933)

 

Part 3: Separation, Exclusion, and Expulsion (1933-1939)

 

Part 4: War and Territorial Expansion (1939-1941)

 

Part 5: “Operation Barbarossa” – Systematic Murder Begins (1941)

 

Part 6: The “Final Solution” Coalesces (1941-1942)

 

Part 7: Perfecting Industrial Murder (1942-1945)

Activity 13:


Using your bullet point notes from the videos, and the following articles from the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum website, explain what each of the following topics are:

(Click the underlined words to access the articles.)


Introduction:

 

Phase 1: Exclusion:

 

Phase 2: Separation

 

Phase 3: Extermination

Additional Video Resource:


WORLD WAR 2 MOVIES & DOCUMENTARIES:

 

 

  • World at War is a YouTube channel with some very interesting documentaries about the Nazis and World War 2, including: