Web viewMost Germans disliked the corruption of the SA and welcomed the strong action against it. President Hindenburg’s telegram to Hitler read:

National 5 Germany Questions

2013

2012

5 marks

6 marks

Evaluate the usefulness of source A as evidence of the Hitler Youth 6 marks

4 marks

5 marks

Source A

World War One had a devastating impact on Germany. Throughout World War One, the people of Germany had been led to believe by their government that they were winning the war. Government propaganda had been used to great effect. When the temporarily blinded Adolf Hitler had gone into hospital in 1918 (the result of a gas attack), he, along with many German soldiers, was convinced that Germany was not only winning the war but was in the process of putting together a major military assault on Allied lines. 

Germany itself was being starved of food and all goods as a result of the British Navy's blockade of her ports in the north. With such a small coastline, the British Navy found it a relatively easy task to blockade her. German troops were poorly equipped and what food there was went to the war effort leaving the people of Germany very short of food.

2011

5 marks

6 marks

5 marks

2009

Evaluate the usefulness of source A as evidence of militarism in Nazi Germany 6 marks

4 marks

Nat 5 Specimen Paper Part D — Hitler and Nazi Germany, 1919–1939

Attempt the following questions using recalled knowledge and information from the sources where appropriate.

1. Describe political problems faced by the Weimar Republic between 1919 and 1923. 5 marks

Source A is about the hyper-inflation in Germany in 1923.

2. How fully does Source A describe the effects of hyper-

inflation? (Use Source A and recall.) 6 Marks

3. Explain the reasons why Hitler was able to become Chancellor in 1933. 5 Marks

Sources B and C are about the Night of the Long Knives.

Source B

Source C

4. Compare the views of Sources B and C about the attitude of Germans to the Night of the Long Knives. (Compare the sources overall and/or in detail.) 4 Marks

2014 National 5 Paper

Part D — Hitler and Nazi Germany, 1919–1939

1. Describe the rights all Germans had in the Weimar Republic. 5 marks

Sources A and B are about hyperinflation in Germany.

Source A

Source B

During 1923, hyper-inflation gripped Germany. On Friday afternoons, workers desperately rushed to the nearest store, where a queue had already formed. It was soul-destroying. When you arrived a pound of sugar cost two million marks but, by the time your turn came, you could only afford a half pound. In the chaos, people pushed prams loaded with money. Life became nightmarish. We were devastated as life savings became worthless.

On the morning of 30 June 1934, Rohm and other SA leaders were arrested and eventually shot. Hitler’s personal popularity soared as a result of the Night of the Long Knives. Most Germans disliked the corruption of the SA and welcomed the strong action against it. President Hindenburg’s telegram to Hitler read: “By your determined action and brave leadership, you have saved the German nation from serious danger.”

Hitler’s courage in taking firm action has made him a hero in the eyes of many Germans. He has won approval and sympathy for the steps he took. People think his action is proof that he wants order and decency in Germany. Reports from different parts of the country are all agreed that people are expressing satisfaction that Hitler has acted against the serious threat posed by Rohm and the SA to Germany and her people.

Workers were paid twice a day and when they were given their wages, they threw bundles of banknotes out of factory windows to waiting members of their families who would then rush to the shops to buy food or coal or clothes before the prices went up. Millions of people faced starvation due to hyperinflation. People such as pensioners who were living on fixed incomes found that prices rose much faster than their earnings.

Almost overnight the life savings of many Germans became worthless. Some workers were paid twice a day and could spend their wages instantly. People who were paid monthly or depended on savings suffered because these could not keep up with price rises. Pensioners lived on fixed incomes. They always received the same amount of money each week. These incomes were now worth nothing. They faced homelessness and starvation.

2. Compare the views of Sources A and B on the effects of hyperinflation on the people of Germany. (Compare the sources overall and/or in detail.) 4 Marks

3. Explain the reasons why Hitler and the Nazi Party attracted so much support by January 1933. 5 Marks

Source C is about Nazi control of people’s lives.

Source C

4.

How fully does Source C describe how the Nazis controlled people’s lives? (Use Source C and recall.) 6 Marks

Hitler and the Nazi Party aimed to control every part of people’s lives, and that included their free time. The KDF (Strength through Joy Organisation) controlled most forms of entertainment. Each year around seven million people took part in KDF sports matches. Mass outings to the theatre and the opera were arranged. The KDF had its own symphony orchestra which toured the country. Workers were also provided with affordable holidays including cruises and walking or skiing holidays.