Lesson 5: Nazi Germany and Instruments of Power

Source: Bundesarchiv, Bild 102-14597 / Georg Pahl / CC-BY-SA 3.0, CC BY-SA 3.0 DE https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/de/deed.en, via Wikimedia Commons

Inquiry Question: How did Adolf Hitler and the NSDAP take power and create an authoritarian political system in Germany?

“It is possible by means of shrewd and unremitting propaganda to make
people believe that heaven is hell—and hell heaven.”

Adolf Hitler

Guiding Question for Video: Why do you think books get banned/burned (honestly what is the difference…)?

Viewing Guide

  1. Why did Hitler become popular after taking power in 1933?
  2. Identify some things that happened to Jews shortly after the Nazis took power in 1933.
  3. Describe how the Nazis created the idea of a “superior race”?

Inquiry: Nazi Instruments of Power

To answer the our inquiry question, we are going to learn about something called instruments of power. These were all part of the political system established and used by the Nazis to control the population of Germany and to create an authoritarian state. This is important to know because it helps us understand how authoritarian states control their populations, but also how the Nazis were able to carry out the Holocaust.

There are four (4) instruments of power that we will learn about. Each group will be assigned one (1) of the following instruments of power;

In order to understand how the Nazis controlled Germany you need to;

  1. Describe what the instrument of power was and what it was created to do.
  2. Explain how the instrument of power helped the Nazis maintain control over the people of Germany.
  3. Explain how the instrument of power helped Hitler and the Nazis carry out the Holocaust.

Finally, you and your group will communicate your learning about the instrument of power in a 10 minutes oral presentation. You may use a PPT to assist your presentation.

Your presentation should;

  • Include the equal participation of all group members, meaning everyone works together and helps each other in the process of learning.
  • Be clearly structured and the answer each question clearly identified and communicated.
  • Include visual aides to assist student learning.

You should use the websites below to help you start your research, but you are allowed to use additional websites if you wish! However, you are responsible for using good quality sources and you should avoid using information from Wikipedia, Baike, or Quora.

In addition, you have four primary sources in your binder. Identify the source that is relevant to your topic and use it in your presentation. You should interpret the source’s perspective and consider its implications for the inquiry question. In other words, how does it help us to understand how the Nazis created an authoritarian state in Germany?

“Holocaust Encyclopedia,” United States Holocaust Memorial Museum

“The Holocaust Explained,” Weiner Holocaust Library

Bonus Source: Confessions of a Hitler Youth from the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum

You can find a blank Slides presentation for your group in the Google Drive folder linked below;

2023 Presentations Folder