Albert Speer and the wartime economy | A Level

AQA GCE A Level Democracy and Nazism: Germany 1918-45

The aim of this lesson is to assess the impact of Albert Speer in armaments production.

The lesson begins with a recap of the policies previously mentioned of Hjalmar Schacht and Goering in his Four Year Plan. Students will assess how much of an impact their policies had preparing Germany for war and if the German economy was on the verge of collapse before from 1942.

Students will learn about the background of Speer and how he implemented reforms and efficiency to turn the economy around with his appointment as Armaments Minister and War production.

There is some source analysis to complete together with a true or false quiz at the end of the lesson.

The exam practice will allow students to evaluate the successes of Speer’s policies as well as questioning deep rooted divisions and problems within the economy, which were unreconcilable and ultimately led to its collapse with the defeat of Nazi Germany.

The lesson is quite literacy heavy and may have to be delivered over two lessons.

An enquiry question posed at the beginning of the lesson will be revisited throughout to track the progress of learning during the lesson and the subsequent unit of work.

The lesson is available in PowerPoint format and can be customised to suit specific needs.

It is differentiated and includes suggested teaching strategies.