Ask the students what they already know about World War I. Try to get students thinking about this: Why is learning about World War I important when introducing the Holocaust?

Walk students through the resource World War I by the US Holocaust Memorial Museum. Start off by going over the Key Facts at the top of the page to provide students with a feel for the topic. Read through the resource as a class.

You do not need to watch the video, Path to Nazi Genocide during this lesson as it is featured in the multimedia source for World War I. If time permits, you may choose to include it in this lesson.

Divide the class into groups of three or five to discuss the Critical Thinking Questions found at the bottom of the resource page. Ask groups to designate one person to write down their answers.

Reconvene as a class to go over the student’s answers. Have groups add to their answers with notes from the classroom discussion.

Explain that maps are one way to analyze the impact of World War I. Tell students that you are going to look at changes in empires and ask if they know what an empire is. If they don’t, provide a brief definition. Remind students that in World War I, the Axis powers were led by Germany, Austria-Hungary, and the Ottoman Empire (which became Turkey after the war), and the Allied powers were led by Great Britain, France, Italy, Russia (until 1917) and the United States (beginning in 1917).

Access the Empires before World War I map from 1914 and the The World after World War I map from 1920 from Facing History and Ourselves. Display them side by side for students. Ask students to look closely at the maps, noticing differences between the two maps. Students can begin by looking at the colors, and seeing which have increased and which have decreased. Students can then identify which empires and countries expanded their territory between 1914 and 1920, and which lost territory. Ask students to notice which countries existed in 1914 but not in 1920, and which countries are on the map in 1920 but not in 1914.

Divide the class into groups of 3 – 5 students

Assign an empire or country from the 1914 map to each group. Have each group write down answers to the following questions using information from the maps.

1. What land did the empire or country gain or lose from the war?
2. Looking at the changes between the maps, how do you think the changes affected the attitudes and feelings of the citizens of your assigned country or empire?

As the groups reflect, highlight their answers to the final question. These can be used as touchpoints in thinking about the precursors of the Holocaust.

Tell students that they will be watching a video on the aftermath of World War I. Ask students why they think it is important to study World War I when setting the groundwork for Holocaust education.

Watch the video, Chapter 1: Aftermath of World War I and the Rise of Nazism, 1918-1933 by the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum.

While the students watch, have them answer the following questions:

1. What was the political and economic scene like after World War I?
2. What did Hitler do while in jail? How might his incarceration have helped his public image?
3. How did Hitler get into a position of power? Was he elected?
4. How did the emergency decree get signed? What impact did it have?

Go over the questions as a class, clearing up any points of confusion any of the students may have.

Open up a class discussion with the questions below using pre-writing or pair-and-share if appropriate for your students.

1. Advances in technology meant that war became more destructive, the video mentions the introduction of poison gas. What advancements in war have been made since World War II that cause more destruction? Are there any advantages to the new methods of war?
2. Why do you think it was so hard for Germans to accept that they had lost the war?
3. Were there any signs you noticed that could have foreshadowed what was to come?