AQA GCSE Conflict and Tension 1918-1939 What did Hitler want for Germany when he came to power and what were Hitler’s aims? This lesson is a key component to understanding and analysing the causes of World War II. Students are introduced to Hitler’s foreign policy and decide which were his six main aims for Germany. They also have to link these aims back to the Treaty of Versailles and decide what Hitler’s intentions were from the start. There is a chance to complete a literacy challenge at the end as well as answering a GCSE source question with some guidance given if required. The lesson is enquiry based with a key question using a lightbulb posed at the start of the lesson and revisited to show the progress of learning. The resource includes suggested teaching strategies, some retrieval practice, differentiated materials and comes in PowerPoint format if there is a wish to adapt and change.

AQA GCSE Conflict and Tension 1918-1939 This lesson analyses the weaknesses of the League of Nations. Students recap on some of its successes at the start and link images and films to its performance in the 1920s. They then have to analyse and evaluate a list of sixteen statements and prioritise the reasons why the League of Nations ultimately failed. They are also given some GCSE exam practice questions with advice on how to answer them correctly, complete with model answers and how to plan using key skills in the exam. The lesson is enquiry based with a key question using a lightbulb posed at the start of the lesson and revisited to show the progress of learning. The resource includes suggested teaching strategies, some retrieval practice, differentiated materials and comes in PowerPoint format if there is a wish to adapt and change.

AQA GCSE Conflict and Tension 1918-1939 How was the League of Nation’s affected by the Wall Street Crash and the Great Depression which followed? This lesson aims to explore how the League of Nation’s weaknesses came to the fore as countries such as Germany and Italy looked to dictators like Hitler and Mussolini to solve their problems. Students use a cause and consequences exercise and then analyse Stresemann’s policies to build up a picture of why the League lost favour in the 1930’s. There is also a chance to complete a GCSE source question which focuses on provenance. The lesson is enquiry based with a key question using a lightbulb posed at the start of the lesson and revisited to show the progress of learning. The resource includes suggested teaching strategies, some retrieval practice, differentiated materials and comes in PowerPoint format if there is a wish to adapt and change.

AQA GCSE Germany 1890-1945: Democracy and Dictatorship The aim of this lesson is to assess how effective the different types of opposition and resistance were towards the Nazis in Germany. This lesson is split into three main areas of opposition to the Nazi regime: resistance, non-conformism and open criticism. The lesson also looks in depth at Church opposition, youth opposition, passive resistance, Jewish resistance and the Stauffenberg Bomb Plot. Students are given a list of ways of opposing the Nazis which they have to categorise and through some independent research decide the best and most effective forms of opposition. Moreover by the end of the lesson students will be able to assess and judge why opposition was ineffective against the Nazi state. The lesson is enquiry based with a key question using a lightbulb posed at the start of the lesson and revisited to show the progress of learning. The resource includes suggested teaching strategies, retrieval practice, differentiated materials and comes in PowerPoint format if there is a wish to adapt and change.

The aim of this lesson is to evaluate why the Titanic sank and ultimately who was to blame for the disaster. The lesson therefore focuses on the errors made, not just by the Captain, but on the owners and the design of the ship, as well as some sensationalist reports of it being unsinkable in the media. Students begin by showing their knowledge of the sinking as well as explaining why there is still such a fascination about studying this topic, from exhibitions to books and films. They are given the context to its maiden voyage as well as some misconceptions about the ship which the students have to decipher. There are some sources to analyse and infer from, before students are given a number of facts of where the responsibility may lie for the sinking. They will use this information to make a judgement and decide in their opinion who was to blame. There are some excellent video links to use, including a survivor’s testimony. A final find and fix plenary will also centre around other misconceptions about the Titanic which they have to pick out and correct. The lesson is enquiry based with a key question using a lightbulb posed at the start of the lesson and revisited at the end to show the progress of learning. The resource comes in PowerPoint format if there is a wish to adapt and change. I have also included suggested teaching strategies to deliver the lesson and there are differentiated materials included, such as a rating grid of responsibility for the disaster.

AQA GCSE Germany 1890-1945: Democracy and Dictatorship The aim of this lesson is to evaluate the significance of Nazi persecution in the 1930’s - the Nuremberg Laws and Kristallnacht The Nuremberg Laws of 1935 and Kristallnacht in 1938 are two significant events which can sometimes be overlooked when students write about Nazi policies towards Jewish people in Germany, as they tend focus on the events after 1939 only. What were the Nuremberg Laws, why were they introduced and in which order did policies towards the Jews change after these laws were introduced? Moreover, was Kristallnacht a spontaneous or well planned atrocity led by the Nazis? Students are given evidence from which to make an informed decision which they must justify. A car number plate activity further assesses their understanding before the students plan an examination question for some GCSE exam practice. There are some great video links to help the learning as well. The lesson is enquiry based with a key question using a lightbulb posed at the start of the lesson and revisited to show the progress of learning. The resource includes suggested teaching strategies, retrieval practice, differentiated materials and comes in PowerPoint format if there is a wish to adapt and change.

AQA GCSE Germany 1890-1945: Democracy and Dictatorship This lesson is split into two parts. The first part looks at the various racial groups within Germany (Hitler;s enemies and scapegoats) who were targeted and excluded by the Nazis and the reasons behind this. There is a case study of the Grefeneck Asylum where its inmates mysteriously disappeared; the students are given clues as to how to unravel the story about what happened there. They subsequently learn of the T4 euthaniasia programme secretly enacted by the Nazis and the sheer scale and numbers involved. The second part of the lesson focuses on anti-Semitism within Germany, the history and context behind it and how the Nazis used propaganda posters to get their vile message across. Students have to analyse why the Jewish population was targeted and explain how this prejudice and discrimination manifested itself There are some brilliant video links which explore these issues further and a plenary which attempts to change some student perceptions of Hitler’s own anti-Semitism and ideas of racial purity. The lesson is enquiry based with a key question using a lightbulb posed at the start of the lesson and revisited to show the progress of learning. The resource includes suggested teaching strategies, retrieval practice, differentiated materials and comes in PowerPoint format if there is a wish to adapt and change.

AQA GCSE Germany 1890-1945: Democracy and Dictatorship This lesson aims to evaluate how successful Hitler was in consolidating his power after becoming Chancellor. As Hitler contrived to win more votes, a succession of events throughout 1933 and 1934 helped him achieve dictatorial powers. Students therefore have to rate how much power in their opinion he gained from each event (such as the use of Article 48 and the Enabling Act), colour coding the power indicators after each. Then they plot these events on a living graph, thus mapping out this process, also having to decide the legality or illegality of these events of intimidation and communist scapegoating. Alternatively they are given a timeline in which they analyse each event and decide the positives and negatives of each of them and whether these contributed to an increase or decrease in his power. The lesson is enquiry based with a key question using a lightbulb posed at the start of the lesson and revisited to show the progress of learning. The resource includes suggested teaching strategies, retrieval practice, differentiated materials and comes in PowerPoint format if there is a wish to adapt and change.

AQA GCSE Germany 1890-1945: Democracy and Dictatorship This lesson looks at how Hitler transformed himself and the Nazi Party to be able to secure enough votes to become Chancellor by 1933. Many GCSE questions centre around why people voted for the Nazis before 1933. This lesson shows how he was able to do this focusing on four main areas: Hitler’s beliefs, organisation, leadership skills and voter support. How Hitler dressed, spoke, acted and performed in public were crucial in his propaganda assault on the German people. Students write this up and evaluate the success of this transformation using worksheets, video footage and visual aids. The lesson is enquiry based with a key question using a lightbulb posed at the start of the lesson and revisited to show the progress of learning. The resource includes suggested teaching strategies, retrieval practice, differentiated materials and comes in PowerPoint format if there is a wish to adapt and change.

AQA GCSE Germany 1890-1945: Democracy and Dictatorship This lesson aims to evaluate the effects the Wall Street Crash and the Great Depression had on Germany. The focus from the start is to make sure students understand and recognise the differences between this event and hyperinflation, which they too often mistake as the same. Students learn how the events unfolded in America and the impact these events (such as unemployment and poverty) had on peoples’ lives in Germany using video, visuals and a written account of someone who experienced the full effects in Germany. There is a GCSE exam practice question to complete with students boxing up their answers using the sources provided. A find and fix plenary will assess student understanding and test whether they have a grasp of the effects upon Germany. The lesson is enquiry based with a key question using a lightbulb posed at the start of the lesson and revisited to show the progress of learning. The resource includes suggested teaching strategies, retrieval practice, differentiated materials and comes in PowerPoint format if there is a wish to adapt and change.

AQA GCSE Germany 1890-1945: Democracy and Dictatorship This lesson aims to evaluate the strengths and weakensses of Stresemann’s policies. Students have to decide if he was indeed the saviour of Germany. The starter is interactive as each student has a character card and will introduce themselves to each other to find out their worries and concerns with Germany between 1918-1923. At the end of the lesson the students will judge if Stresemann has made their lives better or not and justify their reasons. Was he a brilliant statesman who solved Germany’s problems or did he just paper over the cracks? There are a variety of learning tasks for the students to complete which include a quiz where the students pick up points for the correct answers, source analysis, colour coding activities on Stresemann’s economic and political policies as well as a GCSE exam practice question, with help given if required. The lesson is enquiry based with a key question using a lightbulb posed at the start of the lesson and revisited to show the progress of learning. The resource includes suggested teaching strategies, retrieval practice, differentiated materials and comes in PowerPoint format if there is a wish to adapt and change.

AQA GCSE Germany 1890-1945: Democracy and Dictatorship This lesson focuses on the difficult topics of proportional representation, Article 48 and the new Weimar constitution. The lesson centres around how the Weimar Government was formed out of the chaos of the end of World War 1 and how the politicians decided to meet in the quieter town of Weimar. Setting up a new constitution was the first step toward democracy but as the students find out through second order concept skills there were many similarities as well as differences to that of the Kaiser’s government. Included in the lesson are a number of diagrams and information sheets for group work, an AFL sheet and links to the main GCSE question asked on the first slide. The students are introduced to the GCSE question on political and economic problems that the Weimar Government faced but this question spans a number of lessons before they can attempt it. The lesson is enquiry based with a key question using a lightbulb posed at the start of the lesson and revisited to show the progress of learning. The resource includes suggested teaching strategies, differentiated materials and comes in PowerPoint format if there is a wish to adapt and change.

AQA GCSE Germany 1890-1945: Democracy and Dictatorship The aim of this lesson is to study and analyse the fascinating Weimar culture that Germany experienced in the 1920’s and to evaluate how it changed Germany in the Roaring Twenties. Art, film, architecture, music and cabaret, theatre and fashion radically changed in Germany and led to the Golden Age which Gustav Stresemann had laid the delicate foundations for. Students analyse these changes through artwork, sources and music of the time, as well as a thinking quilt which focuses on key words and terms used in the lesson. By the end of the lesson, they have to judge how these cultural changes have impacted upon Germany society and explain why these changes have left a lasting legacy today. The final part of the lesson is to answer a GCSE practice question on how Weimar culture impacted upon lives in Germany in the 1920’s. The lesson is enquiry based with a key question using a lightbulb posed at the start of the lesson and revisited to show the progress of learning. The resource includes suggested teaching strategies, retrieval practice, differentiated materials and comes in PowerPoint format if there is a wish to adapt and change.

Rise of Dictators The aim of this lesson is to decide how evil Tsar Nicholas was. Students are given facts about Tsar Nicholas and his family which suggest he is a caring and devoted family man as well as a competent ruler. Inferences will be made using video, source and photographic evidence. Students are then given more information which will challenge their original assumptions. Incompetence, an ambitious and influential wife, a massacre (Bloody Sunday 1905) as well as the growing influence of a ‘mad monk’ Rasputin will enable students to give him an ‘evil rating’ out of 10. An extended written piece using argument words and a writing frame if required will allow students to give their final judgements and be able to justify their conclusions as to how evil they think he was, or not as the case may be. In the plenary activity, students have to prove they are not a robot by ticking the correct images which link to the learning of the lesson. The lesson is enquiry based with a key question using a lightbulb posed at the start of the lesson and revisited to show the progress of learning. The resource includes some retrieval practice on Dictators, suggested teaching strategies, differentiated materials and comes in PowerPoint format if there is a wish to adapt and change.

Rise of Dictators The aim of this lesson is to decide if Franco should be loved or loathed. This lesson focuses on the policies of Franco in his time in office and opinions today over his legacy. The lesson does however steer clear of the political machinations of Spanish politics of the time and the events of the Spanish Civil War. Students learn about Franco’s early life and have to chronologically order key words in his rise to power. They also have to evaluate the controversy of moving his burial site from the Valley of the Fallen and the significance of doing this. The main task is to analyse key policies in his reign and decide whether he should be loved or loathed. This can the be written up an an extended writing task. The final task requires student to decide which phrases and images associated with Franco are the best fit; students also need to explain why this is the case. The lesson is enquiry based with a key question using a lightbulb posed at the start of the lesson and revisited to show the progress of learning. The resource includes suggested teaching strategies, differentiated materials and comes in PowerPoint format if there is a wish to adapt and change.

Rise of Dictators The aim of this lesson is to assess whether Mussolini’s legacy can be compared to Julius Caesar. Did he match up to his accomplishments such as the Julian calendar, being a successful military leader, a consul of Rome as well as an Imperator. Students begin by explaining what they already know about Italy and its historical past. They also analyse the rule of Julius Caesar and what he achieved in his lifetime. They will then be given facts about Mussolini’s early life and use the information to make a judgement about him as a person, using key words and a writing framework if required. The main task will then involve them plotting Mussolini’s life on a graph taking into account his successes and failures. From this, they will then be able to evaluate if he indeed deserves to have a similar reputation and legacy to Caesar, whom he admired and attempted to emulate in his Fascist Dictatorship from 1922-43. There is some excellent video footage to accompany the lesson, together with challenging tasks culminating in a ‘what is the question task’ and an ‘odd one out’ activity. The lesson is enquiry based with a key question using a lightbulb posed at the start of the lesson and revisited to show the progress of learning. The resource includes some retrieval practice on Dictators, suggested teaching strategies, differentiated materials and comes in PowerPoint format if there is a wish to adapt and change.

Rise of Dictators The aim of this lesson is to decide if Castro was a callous or courageous leader of Cuba. Students will learn about how important Cuba was to the USA geographically as well as economically, with the rule of Batista and the corruption in his Government. They will have to decipher some text mapping and dual coding to find this out. They will also be introduced to Castro using video evidence, before given key facts about his rule and his leadership. They will then have to decide where this evidence fits in with their judgements of him being callous or courageous with the extra challenge of judging how strong or weak the evidence is. An extended writing activity with a writing framework and key words to help will enable students to show off their judgements and new found knowledge. The final task is a road mapping exercise with differentiated questioning to see how far they can travel in Cuba. The lesson is enquiry based with a key question using a lightbulb posed at the start of the lesson and revisited to show the progress of learning. The resource includes suggested teaching strategies, differentiated materials and comes in PowerPoint format if there is a wish to adapt and change.

Rise of Dictators The aim of this lesson is to question if Saddam deserves his reputation as the ‘Butcher of Baghdad’. Students are at first questioned as to what they know about Saddam and are given information on the importance of Iraq and the Middle East with its oil rich economies. Some source scholarship analyses the death of Saddam and the reasons why he was executed. Together with a thinking quilt, students learn about Saddam’s brutal reign of terror as head of the Ba’ath Party in Iraq, together with the Iran-Iraq war and his invasion of Kuwait. Thus so far, the lesson appears straightforward and there is little to argue against his reputation. However students will also learn through video and source evidence of revisionist ideas of Saddam and the consequence of his execution with the instability within Iraq today. Thus they will be challenged on their original assumptions and evaluate how this reputation has been given to Saddam; is it just a Western perception? Whilst Iraqis may not necessarily doubt his brutal regime, do they insist life was better than now? The lesson is enquiry based with a key question using a lightbulb posed at the start of the lesson and revisited to show the progress of learning. The resource includes some retrieval practice on Dictators, suggested teaching strategies, differentiated materials and comes in PowerPoint format if there is a wish to adapt and change.

AQA GCSE Germany 1890-1945: Democracy and Dictatorship This lesson explores how the Nazis suppressed opposition in Germany through terror, repression, fear, propaganda and coordination. Most student answers on the police state tend to focus on terror and violence, so hopefully this lesson will re-evaluate their thinking to take into account the ideas of indoctrination and persuasion. Students analyse the types of propaganda used as well as control in all spheres of life before having to explain there was little opposition as asked at the beginning of the lesson. They will also judge how effective the different forms of control are such as concentration camps, the SS and Gestapo, the law courts as well as the use of block wardens. By the end of the lesson, the students are given a GCSE practice question to analyse and mark, with guidance on how to achieve the higher marks with a model answer. The lesson is enquiry based with a key question using a lightbulb posed at the start of the lesson and revisited to show the progress of learning. The resource includes suggested teaching strategies, retrieval practice, differentiated materials and comes in PowerPoint format if there is a wish to adapt and change.

Rise of Dictators The aim of this lesson is for students to judge how much love there was for Mao Zedong in China and his Chinese Revolution. . There is also some retrieval practice which can also be used to tie with the other Dictatorships of Hitler and Stalin. This lesson can be delivered over two as there is quite a lot of information given so that students will be able to make their own assumptions and judgements. The lesson begins with questioning what the students already or might know about China throughout its history. Students will learn about the background of communism in China and Mao’s rise to power as well as his Great Leap Forward, which they will answer key questions on. They will ultimately be required to evaluate Mao’s term in office and decide how much love there was for him amongst the Chinese population with his policies on industry, land reform, women, education and youth for example. There is also an extended writing task to complete for students to show off their new found knowledge. They are some key words and phrases to analyse such as the Long March, collectives, purge, anarchy, the ‘New Leap Forward’ as well as the ‘Cultural Revolution’. The lesson is enquiry based with a key question using a lightbulb posed at the start of the lesson and revisited at the end to show the progress of learning. The resource includes retrieval practice, suggested teaching strategies, differentiated materials and comes in PowerPoint format if there is a wish to adapt and change.