The KING’S Medium Term Plan – History Y12 Learning Cycle 1 Programme Module Democracy and Nazism: 1918-1945 Subject Did culture strive but the economy struggle during the 1920s in Germany? Challenging This unit will study Germany under the Weimar Republic and Nazi regimes and will look at how Germany moved from a democracy to a Question dictatorship and the effects this had on the German population. This first learning cycle will primarily focus on the effects of World War One, the early struggles for the Weimar Republic and the events of the 1920s. Lines of Enquiry Lines of Inquiry Week 1: How did World War One doom the Weimar Republic from the start? Week 2: What social and economic issues faced Germany during the early 1920s? Week 3: What can we learn about the Weimar Republic from the numerous uprisings against them? Week 4: What was it like to live in Weimar Germany? Week 5+6: How did Germany fare on the international scene during this period? Week 6: Revision, learning homework – incorporate the skills developed this semester. Assessment week. Week 7: Gap teaching – from assessment analysis. By the end of this learning cycle, students in history will be able to answer questions based around: Part one: the Weimar Republic 1918–1933 The Establishment and early years of Weimar, 1918–1924 • The impact of war and the political crises of October to November 1918; the context for the establishment of the Weimar Constitution; terms, strengths and weaknesses • The Peace Settlement: expectations and reality; terms and problems; attitudes within Germany and abroad • Economic and social issues: post-war legacy and the state of the German economy and society; reparations, inflation and hyperinflation; the invasion of the Ruhr and its economic impact; social welfare and the social impact of hyperinflation • Political instability and extremism; risings on the left and right, including the Kapp Putsch; the political impact of the invasion of the Ruhr; the Munich Putsch; problems of coalition government and the state of the Republic by 1924 The 'Golden Age' of the Weimar Republic, 1924–1928 • Economic developments: Stresemann; the Dawes Plan; industry, agriculture and the extent of recovery; the reparations issue and the Young Plan • Social developments: social welfare reforms; the development of Weimar culture; art, architecture, music, theatre, literature and film; living standards and lifestyles • Political developments and the workings of democracy: President Hindenburg; parties ; elections and attitudes to the Republic from the elites and other social groups; the position of the extremists, including the Nazis and Communists; the extent of political stability • Germany’s international position; Stresemann's foreign policy aims and achievements including: Locarno; the League of Nations; the Treaty of Berlin; the end of allied occupation and the pursuit of disarmament Week 1 How did World War One doom the Weimar Republic from the start? Hypothesis 1: – Kaiser Wilhelm II had left Germany embarrassed and destroyed (4 Hours class learning) Hypothesis 2: – The Weimar Constitution was democratically flawed and unsustainable Learning intention • will understand what the impact of World War One was on Germany and how this affected the stability of the Weimar Republic Success Criteria: Bronze – Describe the crisis of 1918 and the key characters around it, describe the structure of the Weimar Republic, Silver – Explain how the crisis was solved and the impact this had on Germany, explain the strengths and weaknesses of the Weimar Constitution Gold – Assess how successful the Weimar Constitution could be Specification Topic The impact of war Content coverage: The political crises of October to November 1918 The context for the establishment of the Weimar Constitution; terms, strengths and weaknesses. Activities: Examine the reasons why there was a crisis in 1918, list the reasons and suggest the most important reasons for the crises (card sort). Create a timeline of key events in the crises, starting with the appointment Prince Maximilian of Baden as the new Imperial Chancellor and ending with the armistice. Create biographies of key personalities to help understand why there were issues, for example: • Prince Maximilian of Baden • Kaiser Wilhelm II • Friedrich Ebert. Explore the situation surrounding the creation of the constitution, reflecting on the crises of 1918 and why it became the Weimar Republic. Create a diagram showing the structure of the new government, explaining the roles of the President, Chancellor, Reichstag, Landtag and the voting system. Share out the key terms of the constitution (such as Article 48 and proportional representation) and identify any potential strengths and weaknesses of these terms. As a class create a table listing these strengths and weaknesses. Possible resources: YouTube documentaries outlining Germany c1918. Primary written and visual sources as an introduction to source material (for example political cartoons and textbook materials). Guided worksheets and reference material for wider reading. Primary written and visual sources on the constitution as a further introduction to source material. Guided worksheets and reference material for wider reading. Week 2 What social and economic issues faced Germany during the early 1920s? Hypothesis 3: – The Treaty of Versailles meant that the Weimar Republic was doomed from the start (4 Hours class learning) Hypothesis 4: – Germany was unfairly economically crippled by World War One Learning intention • will understand what the impact of World War One was on Germany and how this affected the stability of the Weimar Republic Success Criteria: Bronze – Describe the terms of the Treaty of Versailles. Describe the German economy and society in the 1920s. Describe some impacts of the invasion of the Ruhr Silver – Explain some of the opinions on the Treaty of Versailles in Germany and abroad. Explain the impact of the war on German economy and society Gold – Assess to what extent the Treaty of Versailles doomed the Weimar Republic. Evaluate how well the Weimar responded to economic crises. Specification Topic The Peace Settlement Social and economic issues Content coverage: Expectations and reality of Versailles Terms and problems of Versailles: attitudes in Germany and abroad Post-war legacy – the state of the German economy and society Reparations, inflation, hyperinflation and the invasion of the Ruhr. Activities: In teams, research and suggest what the following nations would have expected from the peace settlement (and why): • United States • France • Britain • Germany. Examine Wilson’s Fourteen Points and suggest the feasibility of the points in post-war Europe given the views of the four nations. Colour a map to show the land losses / changes for Germany and in groups, examine the main terms of the treaties and suggest the problems these would cause for Germany. As a class create a diagram listing the various terms. Suggest which would be the most detrimental and why (could be a card sort or human ranking line). Examine primary sources on attitudes to the settlement within Germany and abroad. Compare attitudes, why Germans would be unhappy with the settlement? Create posters / newspapers in reaction to the settlement from German and other points of view Identify why Germany was in debt by 1919. Suggest how the government could deal with the growing deficit in the aftermath of war, explore the benefits and disadvantages of: • raising taxes • borrowing money • printing money. Examine primary source material on Germany / Germans by 1919 and suggest what problems faced society. Define hyperinflation and use statistics on the changing value of the Mark and the price of goods to explain why it was a problem. Suggest why inflation continued to grow from 1919. Examine the causes of hyperinflation and in teams decide / debate who was to blame: • the French and British • the German government. Create a diagram showing how hyperinflation developed and how the crisis was solved. A group version could be used as a wall display. Possible resources: Primary written and visual sources on the various wishes for a peace settlement, including Wilson’s Fourteen Points. Guided worksheets and reference material for wider reading. Map of Europe (and/or world) to show land losses for Germany. Primary written and visual sources on the attitudes to the peace settlement both within Germany, and abroad. Guided worksheets and reference material for wider reading. Primary written and visual sources on the economy and society in 1919, focusing on the impact of war. Guided worksheets and reference material for wider reading. YouTube clip on hyperinflation (definition / circumstances). Statistics on hyperinflation (values and prices). Guided worksheets and reference material for wider reading. Week 3+4 What can we learn about the Weimar Republic from the numerous uprisings against them? Hypothesis 7: – The Weimar Republic held on by a thin thread during the early 1920s (6 Hours class learning) Hypothesis 8: – Stresemann can rightfully be considered as the Weimar Republics savior Learning intention • will understand the events of the different political uprisings and economic events of the 1920s Success Criteria: Bronze – Describe the events of the political uprisings from 1919-1923. Describe the problems faced by the coalition government. Describe the Dawes and Young Plans Silver – Explain the impact that the problems faced by the Weimar Republic had on them. Explain the impact of Stresmann’s