All of the following categories are for student research. Upon selection,
the student will be provided a link to a web site. Below each web site will be a series of
questions to be answered in complete sentences. For time purposes, the student may choose
to highlight and print the questions or print the article.
Your comments and input are appreciated. Please email to: George Carden
| Beer Hall Putsch | Mein Kampf | Individual Responsibility |
Beer Hall Putsch
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Adolf Hitler’s plan to take control of Germany grew out of his experiences as
a corporal in World War I. Like many people who rise to power, their paths are often
littered with failures. The most obvious failure for Hitler occurred in 1923 in what has
become know as the Beer Hall Putsch. This failure put Hitler in jail and changed his
attitude about how to take control of Germany.
Read the following article on the Beer Hall Putsch and answer the questions in complete
sentences.
URL: http://www.historyplace.com/worldwar2/timeline/putsch2.htm
- Make a chart to understand the demise of the German mark showing the marks relationship to the American dollar. Use the time period of Before Reparations, 1922, July 1923, August 1923, and November 1923. This type of inflation is known as “hyper inflation:. What happens to your savings?
- What was Hitler’s plan to overthrow the government?
- Why did Hitler’s attempt fail?
- What happened to Hitler as a result of his failure?
Mein Kampf
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Mein Kampf was written by Adolf Hitler while he was in prison for his failed
attempt to overthrow the German government in the Beer Hall Putsch. The book was
Hitler’s attempt to justify his beliefs. It was also his blueprint to take over
Germany.
Read the following web site and answer the questions in complete sentences.
URL: http://www.historyplace.com/worldwar2/timeline/kampf2.htm
- What does Mein Kampf mean?
- How did Hitler view race equality? Who was superior? Who was inferior?
- According to Mein Kempf, who must the Germans defeat first in the take over of Europe? Why?
- How does Hitler refer to the Jews in Mein Kampf?
Individual
Responsibility 
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In times of war, people are forced to make difficult choices. They may be ordered to act
in ways contrary to their moral beliefs or punished for resisting established authority.
But no matter how people behave and for whatever reasons, each person is ultimately
responsible for his or her own actions. In World War II, the people of Germany found
themselves in this position. Millions of Germans were caught up as victims,
perpetrators, collaborators, bystanders, and heroes. Except for the victims who
had no choice, everyone involved made a personal decision to behave in a certain way and
-- whether they realized or not -- to accept the consequences of their behavior.
- Two of the leading defendants at Nuremberg were Hermann Goering and Carl Doentiz. Read about Goering at the following site:
URL: http://zelda.thomson.com/routledge/who/germany/goering.html
- What sentence did Goering receive?
- Why was the sentence not carried out?
- Some defendants at Nuremberg and in other war crimes trials said they were not guilty
because they were merely following orders from their superiors. Read Principle IV excerpts
at this site:
URL: http://www.worldcitizen.org/ref/nurem.html
- What does this rule say about defendants claiming innocence because they were only
following orders?- In what other ways did Holocaust perpetrators try to avoid punishment for their crimes?
- Do you think the excuse that they were only “following orders” is a legitimate excuse? Why or why not?
Euthanasia
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Euthanasia means “mercy killing”. The taking of someone's life because
the quality of their life is not good. In today’s society, Dr. Kovorkian is making
head lines by helping people die. In Germany in the 1930’s, many doctors were
required to register children who appeared to have physical or mental defects. A panel
then reviewed the doctors notes and made decisions about life or death.
Using the following web site on Nazi Euthanasia, answer the following questions in
complete sentences.
URL: http://www.historyplace.com/worldwar2/timeline/euthanasia.htm
- What process was used to decide if a child would be put to death?
- After the children, who did the euthanasia program target for death?
- What happened as a result of Clemens von Galen’s sermon speaking out against the Nazi euthanasia program?
Hitler becomes Fuhrer
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What Hitler could not accomplish by force, he accomplished by crooked, often
illegal politics.
Read the account of Hitler’s rise to power and answer the following questions in
complete sentences. If you find this interesting, check out “For More On
Hitler”.
URL: http://www.historyplace.com/worldwar2/timeline/becomes.htm
- In what year did Hitler become the Fuhrer?
- What does Fuhrer mean?
- How did Hitler use Paul Bon Hindenburg’s death to become the Fuhrer?
- Why did Hitler have public officials and soldiers swear on oath of loyalty to him and
not the state?
For More Information About Hitler....
Hitler, the Early Years
URL: http://www.historyplace.com/worldwar2/riseofhitler/index.htm
The Death of Hitler
URL: http://www.historyplace.com/worldwar2/timeline/death.htm
Biography on Adolf Hitler
URL: http://zelda.thomson.com/routledge/who/germany/hitler.html
When I Met Hitler
URL: http://fcit.coedu.usf.edu/holocaust/people/arnade.htm
Eva Braun
URL: http://www.routledge.com/routledge/who/germany/braun.html
Nuremberg Race Laws /
Book Burning
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In American Society, we look to the laws to provide a sense of fairness, but in
Germany in 1935, Hitler used the laws to segregate the Aryan from the Jews.
Read the following articles on the Nuremberg Race Laws and Book Burning and answer the
question in complete sentences.
URL: http://www.historyplace.com/worldwar2/timeline/nurem-laws.htm
- Who was a Aryan?
- How did the Nazis define a “full Jew”?
- What happened to the rights of Jews?
URL: http://www.historyplace.com/worldwar2/timeline/boycott.htm
- Describe three laws made by the Nazis intended for the Jews only.
Book Burning
To solidify his hold on the people, Adolf Hitler often had huge rallies and
demonstrations. At one the demonstrations, all books with “UnGerman Ideas” were
burned.
Think about the implications of burning books that do not agree with you ideas. Then read
the following brief article and answer the questions in complete sentences.
URL: http://www.historyplace.com/worldwar2/timeline/bookburn.htm
- Who was in charge of the burning of the books?
- Who were some of the famous authors of books that had “UnGerman Ideas”?
- What did the German-Jewish poet, Heinrich Heine state? What do you think this means?
Eyewitness Account
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For 15 minutes, Hermann Graebe, a German engineer, observed the execution of a
group of Jews. This is his account.
Read and answer the following question.
URL: http://www.historyplace.com/worldwar2/timeline/engineer.htm
- Using at least a half of a page, describe the emotions and feelings you had while reading this article.
To Learn More About Nazi Brutality Read:
Massacre at Malmedy
URL: http://www.historyplace.com/worldwar2/timeline/malmedy.htm
Warsaw Ghetto
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As civil liberties of Jews were destroyed, the Nazis would place many of the Jews
into one area. Finding even this too difficult to police, the Nazis often sealed cities
with walls to control the Jews. Finally, the Jews fought back in the Warsaw Ghetto.
Using the following web site, answer all questions in complete sentences.
URL: http://www.historyplace.com/worldwar2/timeline/warsaw.htm
- Describe the area and population of the Warsaw Ghetto.
- How did the remaining 60,000 Jews resist the Nazis?
- Where did the Jews get their weapons?
- How long did the Jews of Warsaw hold out against the Nazis?
- What was the final results of the Jewish resistance?
- What would you have done if you were a Jew in Warsaw?
Dehumanization
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In order to kill without mercy and feelings, Nazis dehumanized their victims -- the
Jews. The process forced the Jews to live like beast making them to appear subhuman.
Read the following account and answer the question.
URL: http://haven.ios.com/~kimel19/method4.html
- What is dehumanization?
- Why did the Nazis depend so heavily on dehumanization for completion of the Final Solution?
- According to Primo Levy, what does it mad when prisoners are described as “broken in?”
Kristallnacht
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“The night of the broken glass.” Many historians consider this the
beginning of the Holocaust.
Read the article on Kristallnacht and answer the following questions.
URL: http://www.mtsu.edu/~baustin/knacht.html
- What was Kristallnacht (the night of broken glass)?
- What excuse did the Germans use to launch Kristallnacht?
- Why is Kristallnacht regarded as the beginning of the Holocaust?
- Why do some scholars now argue against the translated term “Crystal Night”?
To Learn More About Kristallnacht...
URL: http://www.historyplace.com/worldwar2/timeline/knacht.htm
I Almost
Killed...
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Confronted face to face with a German SS soldier, Alexander Kimel was forced to
confront his own feelings. Should he shoot or keep his gun hidden? Was he a hero or a
coward?
URL: http://haven.ios.com/~kimel19/angel.html
- In what country did Alexander Kimel live?
- Do you think Kimel acted like a hero or a coward? Support your answer.
Medical Experiments
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At many of the Death Camps, Jews were used in medical experimentations. The
following article gives several accounts of the use of humans as test subjects.
URL: http://www.virtual.co.il/education/education/holocaust/camps/dachau/medical.htm
- Do you think experimenting on humans is ever justified? Support your answer.
- According to these documents, what was the crime for which these individuals were sentenced to lethal experimentation.
For Futher Reading on Medical Experiments....
Mengele...Angle of Death
URL: http://www.candles-museum.com/mengele.htm
Experimentation on Twins
URL: http://www.candles-museum.com/twins.htm
Two Case Studies...Miechalowski & Karolewska testify
URL: http://www.ushmm.org/research/doctors/testimony.htm
Testimony of Irma Grese from Belsen-Bergen
URL: http://www.nizkor.org/hweb/camps/bergen-belsen/belsen-trial-05.html
Poster Propaganda
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Page
Propaganda is one of the most useful tools in swaying the individual, the masses, or even
the nation. The Nazi, Joseph Goebbles was one of the best at moving the masses and giving
direction to the Nazi movement. America also used propaganda. One of the most effective
ways to use propaganda was through the use of posters. Study the three posters and write a
brief description about the purpose of each poster.
“The Shadow”
URL: http://www.openstore.com/posters/shadow.jpg
“The Sower of Death”
URL: http://www.openstore.com/posters/sowers.jpg
“Riding with Hitler”
URL: http://www.openstore.com/posters/ridewith.jpg
To See More Posters:
URL: http://www.openstore.com/posters
Rudolf Hess
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Page
One of Hitler's most interesting hinchmen was Rudolf Hess. Hess defected to the allies,
but to this day, his motive is unclear. Read the following and see what you can determine.
URL: http://www.historyplace.com/worldwar2/biographies/hess/htm
- What did Rudolf Hess do during WWI?
- What does Hess say about his (and other peoples) loyalty to the Fuhrer?
- Why did Hess fly to Scotland?
- What happened to Rudolf Hess?
More on Nazi Leaders like Hess Read:
Joseph Goebbels
URL: http://zelda.thomson.com/routledge/who/germany/goebbels.html
Hermann Goering
URL: http://zelda.thomson.com/routledge/who/germany/goering.html
More Goering
URL: http://www.historyplace.com/worldwar2/holocaust/h-goering.htm
Heinrich Himmler
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Page
Heinrich Himmler was one of Adolf Hitler’s henchmen. He was the leader of the secret
police known as the SS and was responsible for the extermination of the Jew known as the
“Final Solution”. Read the following article and answer the questions.
URL: http://www.grolier.com/docs/wwii/wwii_himmler.html
- What was the other name for the SS?
- What was the Gestapo?
- What was the SA?
- How was Himmler removed from power?
- How did Himmler die?
For More on Himmler Read:
Biography of Himmler
URL: http://zelda.thomson.com/routledge/who/germany/himmler.html
Night of the Long Knives - Story of the SA
URL: http://www.historyplace.com/worldwar2/timeline/roehm.htm
More Heinrich Himmler
URL: http://www.historyplace.com/worldwar2/holocaust/h-himmler.htm
Reinhard Heydrich, Himmler’s Second in Command
URL: http://www.historyplace.com/worldwar2/biographies/heydrich.htm
Quotes from Himmler
URL: http://fcit.coedu.usf.edu/holocaust/people/DocHimml.htm
