Worked Essay examples – Nazi Germany
1. Nazi rule affected people differently
(a) Did the status of women improve under the Nazis? Explain your answer [6]
No – under the Weimar Republic they were given the right to vote, those working for the
government got equal pay, they had the same status as men in medicine and law professions.
Under the Nazis they lost these gains
 Main purpose was to bear children, preferably boys. The 3 ‘Ks’
 Early marriage was encouraged through ‘marriage loans’
 Women were honoured for having lots of children – 8 or more and a gold medal was
awarded
 Many professional women were sacked and their jobs taken by less qualified men
 There were restrictions on how women could dress
You would get 1 mark for giving a yes/no answer
You would get 2-3 marks for identifying changes in their status
You would get 4-6 marks if you also explained how these changed the status of women
(b) Did German youth benefit from Nazi rule?
Can be Yes or No !
Yes
 Hitler Youth movement provided many activities – gave working class children chance
for outdoor activities in the countryside
 HY gave young people chance to work together
No
 Jewish children persecuted!
 Young Germans expected to do as they were told
 Rebel youth groups were punished – some were executed
A top level answer would contain both Yes and No arguments
( c ) Did the Nazis regard women or young people as the more important group? Explain
your answer
Women
 Germany’s birth rate was falling so
women vital in having babies to
provide soldiers
 They were given loans and medals to
encourage them to have many children
 Women were encouraged to be healthy
and be good wives and mothers
Young People
 Nazis changed school lessons and text books
 A lot of time and effort spent providing
activities for young people in the HY
 All children had to be members of the HY
after 1939
Top level answer would be
“The Nazis regarded both as equally important. Women were to provide the country with the soldiers and
workers while the young people were regarded as the future supporters of the Party as well as the future
soldiers. Women were given loans and medals to encourage them to have lots of children. The Nazis
created the Hitler Youth and provided free activities for the young people. Membership of the HY became
compulsory after 1939.”
Minority Groups were persecuted in Nazi Germany. Choose ONE of the following:
Jews
Gypsies
Communists
[5]
a) Describe how this group was treated by the Nazi regime
Jews
 Jewish teachers, doctors etc were sacked soon after Nazi took over
 1935 Jews lost civil rights – the Nuremberg Laws
 Many were forced out of Germany
 1942 onwards the Final Solution – The extermination of European Jews
Gypsies
 Laws passed restricting their movements – had to give up travelling
 Were classed as non-Ayran after 1935 – it was decided they should be eliminated along
with the Jews
 During the Holocaust ½ million Gypsies died in the extermination camps
Communists
 Communist party was banned in 1933
 Known Communists were arrested and taken to the concentration camps where they
suffered ill treatment, imprisonment and death
b) Explain why the Nazi regime treated this group in this way [6]
The Jews
 Hitler blamed the Jews for all of Germany’s problems – the Great Depression, defeat in
the First World War, the Treaty of Versailles
 Racism was a big part of Nazi policy – Hitler was determined to make Germans ‘pure’
 There was a long tradition of anti-Semitism (being anti-Jewish) in Germany
The Gypsies
 Gypsies did not follow the rules – they travelled around and were regarded as being
‘work-shy’
 They spoke their own language, had their own customs - they were clearly foreign
The Communists
 Politically opposite to the Nazis – had been serious rivals up to 1933
 Many Germans feared the spread of communism
 Supporters of communism were not loyal to Hitler or Germany
c) Explain how the German people reacted to the treatment of this group
Because the Nazis were in power and made the laws any action they took was legal. This
meant that any German helping any of the above would be guilty of breaking the law.
Some Germans claimed after the war that they were ignorant of what was happening to the
Jews etc. There were others like Oscar Schindler who risked their own lives to help Jews to
escape death. Most German people did nothing to stop what was going on – they were
probably too frightened to do anything.