Ask students how they might go about solving a problem under difficult circumstances. (Maybe they want money for a game system that their parents do not want to pay for. Perhaps their parents do not approve of them spending time with a new friend.) How does being faced with a difficult problem help inspire creativity?

Watch the video, Facing History Scholar Reflections: The Weimar Republic by Facing History and Ourselves once through as a class. Watch it a second time pausing after the following sections to discuss. Ask students what questions they have about the clips. Go through the questions that accompany each clip.

Beginning – 1:11 Intro to Weimar and the end of WWI

• How did the end of WWI set the stage for what was to come?
• Do you think the Allies had other options than the terms they set at Versailles?

1:20-2:32 Politics and the arts

• Name some ways German society changed during the early Weimar years?
• What are some of the most interesting developments during this era, in your opinion?

2:32-4:08 Outsiders and Insiders

• What was the event that led to rising popularity for the extremists?
• What is opportunism?

4:09-End Growing popularity with the Nazi party

• How do you think the Nazi party was able to gain so much traction?
• Why did people follow Nazism? Was it because of their anti-Jewish stance or for other reasons?

Open up a discussion about how the Nazi party aimed to solve the problems prevalent during the Weimar years.

1. What problems were people facing?
2. How did the Nazi party benefit from these hard times?
3. How were people convinced by their rhetoric?

Explain to students that they will be reading an overview of the Weimar Republic and how that era helped foster the rise of Nazism. Discuss with students that the creation of the first democracy in Germany seemed to happen overnight, making it a time of confusion and excitement in politics, culture, and society as a whole.

Direct students to the Echoes & Reflections resource, The Weimar Republic and the Rise of the Nazi Party. Have them read through the document using the 3Ps method- taking notes on what they find a) Powerful b) Puzzling and c) Propelling.

In order to familiarize yourself, and your class with this model, please look over this guide: 3Ps: A Critical Reading Guide.

Split the class up into groups of four or five. Give students a chance to try to help answer each other’s puzzling reflections and share their more profound insights. Then ask groups to share what remains puzzling to them. Allow 10-15 minutes for group work.

Finally, assign each group one of the discussion questions below. Double up if necessary. Allow the group 5 minutes to formulate a response that they can share with the class in large discussion thereafter.

1. What were some of the main problems that needed to be addressed during this time?
2. This time was defined by new changes and challenges, what were some of these new developments?
3. When reading through the Selections From ‘The Program of the National-Socialist (Nazi) German Workers Party’, which stands out to you the most? Why is this noteworthy?
4. Regarding the Program of the Nazi Party, do any of the demands seem reasonable to you?
5. Look back at the conditions of the Treaty of Versailles. Does it explain why the German people might be open to a more Nationalist view? Why do you think that is?

Ask students what they think Germany was like following the end of World War I. What might they expect it to have been like, after a war that saw them lose a great deal of power? Would they expect that the initial response would be radical democracy? Would they expect that democracy could lead to Nazism?

Pull up the resource, ‘The Weimar Republic: The Fragility of Democracy‘ by Facing History and Ourselves. Scroll to the bottom where all of the readings are located. Point out the different titles of resources that represent all that was happening during this brief period in German history.

Click on the reading titled, ‘Virtual Essay: Free Expression in the Weimar Republic‘ Read through the first paragraph and click through some of the images with the class. They will be assigned different readings from this page.

Divide the class into groups of three to five. Assign each group a reading. You may choose others, but recommendations include ‘Rumors of Betrayal’, ‘When Money Had No Value’, ‘Women in the Weimar Republic’, ‘A New Economic Crisis’ and ‘Voices in the Dark.’

Have students read through their article in groups and prepare to share what they learned from it with the class. Students should be able to answer what contribution it played into the fragile democracy.

Open up the lesson with this simple activity: Imagine you have to split one pizza among four people. One person is gluten free, one is a vegetarian, one is allergic to olives, and the other LOVES meat. How do you compromise? What kind of pizza can you order that everyone could agree to?

You may want to draw a pizza on the board and have students raise their hands with options for crust and toppings.

Explain to the class that they will be divided into three groups in order to simulate the negotiations for the Paris Peace Conference. This document will provide the three groups with the information they will need in order to speak on behalf of either France, Britain, or the United States.

Divide the class into three groups and assign them to be France, Britain, or the US. Ask the students to read the materials for their country to understand where they stand in the negotiations.

The worksheets that will be used below can be found on the Treaty of Versailles Simulation resource.

Provide students with the Options for Negotiation (page 4) so they are able to see what their options are during the negotiations.

It would be beneficial if you can arrange the classroom in a manner that would allow the three groups to converse openly during the negotiations, such as forming a giant circle with all chairs facing towards the center.

As the teacher you will be the one facilitating the negotiations. Using the Options for Negotiation (page 4), ask the first question to the class as a point for negotiation. You may not have time to go over every question so read them through and pick out which ones you find the most suited for your class. Provide students with the Negotiation Worksheet (page 5) to record the terms of agreement they were able to come up with.

Explain to students that they are going to be watching a video that will help explain the Treaty of Versailles, which brought an end to World War I and set the terms for the interwar period. Since Germany started WWI, do they suppose the Treaty was kind to them or unkind?

Watch YouTube videos, The Treaty of Versailles, What Did the Big Three Want? 1/2 and The Treaty of Versailles, Terms of the Treaty 2/2 from Simple History.

While the students are watching, have them take note of some things that stood out to them. Were they aware that Germany did not have a seat at the negotiation table?

Divide the class into groups of four. Have them discuss their first reactions to the contents of the video amongst themselves. Give 5 minutes for them to address their first impressions and questions that they have about the video. Ask them thereafter to share these thoughts with the large group and ask their questions to make sure everyone is on the same page.
Then review the discussion questions as a class.

1. Did you think the reparations decided in the Treaty of Versailles were fair?
2. What are the consequences of imposing such harsh punishments on Germany?
3. Would it have been more constructive to focus on how to settle international disputes during this conference?
4. What do you think the long-term consequences and challenges ahead for Germany might be?

Ask each group to return to discussion and address these questions. Give 10 minutes for discussion and then ask each group to respond to one question in an effort to kick off broader conversations about each.

Talk with students briefly about the ending of World War I, how it ended soon after the U.S. got involved. Explain how the major powers came together at the Paris Peace Conference in order to negotiate a settlement and reparations. Note that there was no seat at the table for Germany, but for all of the main countries who fought against Germany during WWI. If possible, remind students about what the major players wanted to come out of the treaty–land, money, security.

Ask the students to read the first paragraph on the first page of the US Army resource to get their bearings for the task at hand. Then ask students to examine closely the documents on page 2 and 3.

Prompt students that all the text, captions, and images are of great value to understanding the effect of the treaty on the German state.

Ask students to take notes on the geographic and population losses of both Germany and Austria. What trend do they notice? How might this make the country and its people feel? Give students 15 minutes for this exercise.

Ask students to pair up with one another and share what they discovered through their examination of these documents. What did they find to be the most interesting element? What was the most confusing?

Have small groups share with the class, teasing out their confusion and helping them understand more clearly what the treaty meant. Give 10 minutes for the pairing and sharing.

Then, ask them to examine the document on page 5. Ask in an open discussion, what do they notice here? Is the reaction what they might have expected?

Finally, have the students reflect on one or all of the following questions in writing:

1. What is a fair resolution to war? Is that even possible?
2. Given the terms of the treaty, were the Allies seeking fairness or gain? Do the protesters in Berlin have any legitimacy, in your opinion?
3. Can you imagine a more fair resolution? What would that look like?