11 mark
What event allowed Hitler to persuade President Hindenburg to pass the Reichstag Fire Decree?
The Night of the Long Knives.
The Enabling Act.
The Reichstag Fire.
The death of President Hindenburg.
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Nazi Dictatorship, 1933-1939 (Edexcel GCSE History)
Exam Questions
20 mins20 questions
21 mark
What was the primary purpose of the Enabling Act of 1933?
To establish the SS as the main police force.
To appoint Hitler as the Führer.
To remove Hindenburg as President of Germany.
The Act gave the Nazi Party the ability to pass new laws without the consent of the Reichstag.
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31 mark
Who was the head of the SA that posed a threat to Hitler and was killed during the Night of the Long Knives?
Heinrich Himmler.
Marinus van der Lubbe.
Ernst Röhm.
Joseph Goebbels.
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41 mark
Which organisation was responsible for managing and controlling the Gestapo and SD?
The SS
The SA
The Waffen-SS
The Reichstag
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51 mark
What was the name of the first concentration camp that opened in 1933?
Bergen-Belsen.
Treblinka.
Auschwitz.
Dachau.
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61 mark
How many people read the Der Völkischer Beobachte (The People’s Observer) by 1941?
1 million people.
1.1 million people.
1.2 million people.
1.3 million people.
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71 mark
Why was the Reich Chamber of Culture set up in 1933?
To help design and fund a series of new museums, art galleries and cinemas all dedicated to anti-Nazi art.
To help encourage the youth of Germany to become involved in the arts.
To create schedules and organising committees to help deliver a wide range of cultural movements in the Third Reich.
To make sure that all aspects of culture and the arts aligned with Nazi beliefs.
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81 mark
What was the purpose of the People’s Court?
To hear cases of arson.
To hear cases of crimes against Jewish people.
To hear cases of treason.
To hear cases of hate crimes.
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91 mark
Study Source A. What is the origin of Source A?
Source A: From a description of the Reichstag Fire written by Rudolf Diels. At the time of the Reichstag Fire, Diels was a senior policeman in Berlin.
The Reichstag was still burning when I arrived. Hitler stood on a balcony staring into the flames. He shouted uncontrollably: ‘There will be no mercy. Every Communist official must be shot wherever he is found.’ I ordered a radio message to be sent out, putting the police on a state of alert. The police already had lists of people to arrest, which had been prepared for such an emergency. When I returned to police headquarters later that night it was buzzing with activity. Some suspects were already being brought under arrest. |
Rudolf Diels at the time of the Reichstag Fire (1933).
A description of the Reichstag Fire.
Diels was a senior policeman in Berlin. He would have been reporting on what he found when he arrived at the scene of a crime.
A primary written account.
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101 mark
Study Source B. Source B is about the support for the Nazi regime from 1933-1939. What inference can be made from Source B?
Source B: From a secret account written by an opponent of the Nazi regime in December 1936. Here he is commenting on the workers in a car factory in Munich.
"The workers in this factory will never be won over by Nazi policies. Even though the workers are better paid than in other factories, they show very little interest in all of Hitler’s nonsense. When Hitler made a recent speech, the workers were gathered together and ordered to listen to his radio broadcast. During the speech, they kept talking loudly amongst themselves until members of the SA forced them to be quiet. As soon as the workers thought the speech was over, they rushed to leave. There are only a few Nazis working in the factory and even they think the broadcasting of these speeches does more harm than good for the Nazi regime. " |
The Nazis were supported by the working classes.
The Nazi Party wanted the workers in the factories to work harder.
The Nazi Party were aware that there was opposition among the German people.
The Nazi Party used factories to test out their speeches before delivering them to the general population.
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11 mark
What caused the Catholic Church to sign the Concordat?
It allowed the Catholics in Germany to worship freely and to continue with Catholic schools.
It allowed any imprisoned Catholics to be released from prison or concentration camps.
It allowed Catholic priests to intervene in politics.
It allowed Catholics to reestablish the Catholic Centre Party in Germany.
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21 mark
How was the Nazi-promoted music of the Third Reich different to the music of Weimar Germany?
The Nazi-promoted music of the Third Reich was more contemporary compared to the music of Weimar Germany. It focused on American-style music like Jazz and Swing.
The Nazi-promoted music of the Third Reich was more traditional compared to the music of Weimar Germany. It focused on German musicians like Wagner, Beethoven and Bach.
The Nazi-promoted music of the Third Reich was more multicultural compared to the music of Weimar Germany. It focused on music from Black artists such as Jazz.
The Nazi-promoted music of the Third Reich was more classical compared to the music of Weimar Germany. It focused on classical artists such as Chopin, Vivaldi and Tchaikovsky.
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31 mark
How were the Nazi opposition groups the Edelweiss Pirates and the Swing Group similar?
They both camped and hiked in the countryside.
They were both made up of wealthy, middle-class Germans.
They both listened to swing music.
They were both physical and violently resisted the Nazis.
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41 mark
Study Interpretation 1. Interpretation is about support for the Nazi Party during the years 1933-1945. What contextual knowledge could you use to support Interpretation?
Interpretation 1: From Nazi Germany: confronting the myths by C Epstein, published in 2015.
During the Third Reich, many Germans did not conform to the Nazi regime. This was shown by the fact that some people left the Nazi party and others refused to give the ‘Heil Hitler’ greeting and salute. Other people protested against Nazi's control of schools and churches. Some Germans told jokes about the Führer, while others listened to foreign radio stations or danced to American swing music. Widespread complaining among the German people showed that they did not always fully support the Nazi regime. |
Trade unions protested against the Nazis. They encouraged students not to attend school by staying off sick and damaging school property.
Around 600 Catholic priests were sent to Dachau Concentration Camp for speaking out against the Nazis.
The Edelweiss Party protested against the Nazi regime by listening to swing music.
Protestants like Pastor Martin Niemöller protested against the Nazi's formation of the Reich Church.
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51 mark
Study Interpretation 2. Interpretation 2 is about support for the Nazi regime in the years 1933- 1939. What type of sources has a historian used to create this interpretation?
Interpretation 2: From Backing Hitler: Consent and Coercion in Nazi Germany, by R Gellately, published in 2001.
From 1933 onwards, the German people clearly conformed with the Nazi regime and became devoted to Hitler. Hundred of thousands of Germans from different classes joined the Nazi Party. In fact, so many people tried to join in 1933 that the Party struggled to cope with the numbers. In the years 1933 - 39, the Nazi Party gained four million new members. A flood of people also joined other Nazi organisations. The increase in support for the Nazis suggests that the majority of the German people found it easy to support the Nazi dictatorship. |
Pictures taken by the Nazis of their rallies between 1933-1939.
German newspaper articles from 1933-1939.
Nazi Party membership and organisation statistics from the years 1933-1939.
Internet secondary sources, like Wikipedia, on German society from 1933-1939.
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11 mark
Why was the Reichstag Fire Decree significant?
It resulted in the arrest of thousands of Nazi Party members.
It allowed for the imprisonment of political opponents, especially Communists.
It reduced the power of the SA.
It led to the creation of Article 48.
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21 mark
Why was the 1936 Olympics Games a significant event for Nazi Germany?
It was an opportunity for Hitler to show the world how inclusive and multicultural Germany was as they included black athletes in the German team.
Germany won 36 gold medals. The Olympics was a great opportunity for Germany to show their power on a world stage.
It was an opportunity for Hitler and the Nazi Party to demonstrate the might of Nazi Germany and the superiority of the Aryan Race.
It was an opportunity to show the world that Germany was not under a dictatorship. They removed any Nazi swastikas and imagery.
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31 mark
What changes happened to the legal system during the Third Reich?
Judges no longer had to be a part of the Nazi Party.
Lawyers had to join the National Socialist League for the Maintenance of the Law.
The right to appeal was introduced.
Judges decide the outcome of a case.
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41 mark
Study Source C and Interpretation 2. Interpretation 2 is about the support for the Nazi Party, 1933 - 1939. How does Source C support Interpretation 2?
Interpretation 2: From Backing Hitler: Consent and Coercion in Nazi Germany by R Gellately, published in 2000.
From 1933 onwards, the German people clearly conformed with the Nazi regime and became devoted to Hitler. Hundred of thousands of Germans from different classes joined the Nazi Party. In fact, so many people tried to join in 1933 that the Party struggled to cope with the numbers. In the years 1933 - 39, the Nazi Party gained four million new members. A flood of people also joined other Nazi organisations. The increase in support for the Nazis suggests that the majority of the German people found it easy to support the Nazi dictatorship. |
Source C: A photograph published in a German magazine in 1936. The picture shows Hitler being greeted at a railway station.
Source C supports Interepration 2 as it shows the German people supported the Nazi dictatorship as they salute Hitler at a train station.
Source C supports Interpretation 2 as it shows Hitler at a train station in 1936.
Source C supports Interpretation 2 as it was created at the time of the Nazi dictatorship.
Source C supports Interpretation 2 as it shows people from different classes who supported the Nazi Party at a train station.
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51 mark
Study Source D. Source D shows the support for the Nazi regime during the Third Reich. What are the limitations of Source D?
Source D: A picture of Kroll Opera House in Berlin in 1935. The attendees are Nazi saluting during the national anthem.
Source D is limited because it is a black-and-white picture.
Source D is limited because it is not clear that the people are saluting to show support for the Nazi Party as they might have done it out of fear or to honour the German national anthem.
Source D is limited because you can not see the faces of these people and if they are happy.
Source D is limited because the picture is of the Kroll Opera House and not the Reichstag.
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