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.

Ask students what they know about Adolf Hitler. What were his ideas?

Explain to the students that they will be reading an overview of some major events in Hitler’s life and his growing interest in antisemitism.

Direct students to the reading, Hitler’s antisemitism, Why did he hate the Jews? by Anne Frank House. Have students take notes according to the 3Ps method- noting 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.

As a class, go over what students wrote down for their 3Ps. Take some time to clear up any questions students may have from their puzzling section.

Divide the students into groups of three for a group discussion. Let students know that there is no right or wrong, the exercise is here to foster discussion.

1. Why do you think Hitler targeted the Jewish people?
2. What events in his life could have triggered the ideology that he would adopt in his political career?
3. Looking back at things now, it seems fairly clear what Hitler’s intentions were. What do you think people thought back then? Do you think they could have imagined what would transpire?

If time permits, come back together as a class and ask groups to share what they discussed.

Begin by asking students, What is the difference between patriotism and nationalism?
After giving them a few minutes to come up with their definitions, you can share the official definitions provided by Dictionary.com.

Patriotism: Devoted love, support, and defense of one’s country; national loyalty.
Nationalism: The policy of doctrine asserting the interests of one’s own nation viewed as separate from the interests of other nations or the common interests of all nations. In short, nationalism is a kind of excessive, aggressive patriotism.

Explain to students that political parties and candidates create platforms that help translate their ideas and goals into actions. Tell the class that during this lesson they will read through the National Socialist German Workers’ Party Platform to read through provisions that Hitler proposed to the party.

Direct students to the Facing History and Ourselves source titled, National Socialist German Workers’ Party Platform and read through it together as a class. After you go through the platform, ask the class what their initial thoughts are. Does any one provision stick out to them?

Ask students to get together in small groups of two or three. Give 10-15 minutes for groups to go over the following questions:

1. Do you notice a general theme in the party platform?
2. The party puts the needs of German’s above all else, belittling other cultures and languages in German society. Do you see this sort of rhetoric happening in today’s environment?

Read the quote below by a German Nationalist in 1810 to help you answer the remaining questions:

“A state without a Volk (a people who share a language and culture) is nothing, a soulless artifice; a Volk without a state is nothing, a bodiless airy phantom, like the Gypsies* and the Jews. Only state and Volk together could forma Reich (great empire), and such a Reich cannot be preserved without Volkdom.” -Taken from Facing History and Ourselves.

1. Does this quote represent patriotism or nationalism? How can you tell?
2. Is nationalism a dangerous concept? Does it always foster an “us versus them” narrative?

Go over the questions as a class, collect answers to the main themes to use in future discussions about nationalism and propaganda.

Ask students what they already know about propaganda. What is it? What purpose does it serve? How is it similar and different from other efforts to persuade people?

Watch the 6 minute video – The Power of Nazi Propaganda with students. Replay the video if necessary
While they watch the movie, have students answer the following questions:

1. What was the logic behind using red in so much of Nazi propaganda?
2. How were the Jews portrayed in Nazi propaganda?
3. Hitler believed that the spoken word, rather than the written word, was responsible for all the great events in history. How did his public speaking feed into this?

Divide the class into groups of three to five to discuss the questions below. Have one person in the group be responsible for taking notes and writing down their answers. Pull up the images of Nazi propaganda below for the groups to look over while in their groups. These images come from the US Holocaust Memorial Museum.

• “He Bears the Guilt for the War!”
• “The Poisonous Mushroom”
• “The German Student”

1. Why did the Nazis use propaganda to advance their political aims?
2. Where do you find propaganda in your life today? Consider advertising, political messaging, and other examples.
3. When does propaganda become dangerous?
4. What is the best weapon against being manipulated?
5. How do you think learning about Nazi propaganda can help us today?

If time permits, reconvene as a class to go over the answers the groups came up with. Have students add to their notes with responses from their classmates.