Adolf Hitler

Lesson at a glance

Suitable for: Key stage 3, Key stage 4

Time period: Interwar 1918-1939, Second World War 1939-1945

Curriculum topics: Significant individuals, The Second World War

Suggested inquiry questions: How useful are these documents in evaluating opinion of Hitler’s leadership after 1933?

Potential activities: Students research how Hitler expanded German territory and power in Europe before the outbreak of the Second World War.

Download: Lesson pack

Was Hitler a 'passionate lunatic'?

Hitler is perhaps one of the most reviled historical figures of the 20th century. After he became Chancellor of Germany in 1933 parliamentary democracy came to an end. A timeline of these events in Germany can be found here.

Before the outbreak of the Second World War, in the period 1935-38, Hitler acted against the terms of the Treaty of Versailles by re-arming and re-building the German army through conscription (1935). He also moved troops into the di-militarised Rhineland (1936). He also tried to unite Germany and Austria with the ‘Anschluss’ (1938). Later that year he demanded the Sudetenland, the German speaking part of Czechoslovakia. Throughout this time he made passionate speeches about expanding German territory. These words and deeds worried foreign observers.

Use the sources in this lesson to find out how he was viewed by some of these commentators. Was he to be regarded as a ‘passionate lunatic’ who would take over Europe? Or an odd eccentric who was rebuilding Germany?


Tasks

1. Look at source 1. Report by Mr. Law, a British businessman, who worked in Germany.

  • What impression does this source give of Hitler?
  • Why, in Mr. Law’s opinion, was Hitler dangerous?
  • The ‘bombardment of Almería’ mentioned in the source took place during the Spanish Civil War in May 1937. Find out how Germany was involved.
  • How does Mr Law view the ability of Russia, France, Spain and Britain to prevent war?
  • Does Mr. Law favour granting further concessions to Hitler?

2. Read source 2. This is a report on a conversation with Count Bernstorff, a German anti-Nazi campaigner.

  • Which words suggest that Bernstorff disliked the Nazi regime?
  • What type of leader was Hitler according to this source?
  • Does this account of Hitler back up the view of Hitler in Source 1?
  • What are the strengths and weaknesses of Bernstorff’s account?

3. Look at source 3. Drawing by Richard Ziegler entitled “Unhappy-looking uniformed Hitler” 1944-1945, produced by the Ministry of Information responsible for publicity and propaganda in the Second World War. It also controlled news and press censorship; home publicity; and overseas publicity in Allied and neutral countries.

  • What impression of Hitler does the picture give you?
  • How has the artist created this impression?
  • The government paid the artist to produce this picture. What instructions do you think the artist was given by the government?
  • Can the picture be considered as reliable evidence of what Hitler was like?
  • Does the drawing provide an accurate impression of Hitler as leader of Germany in 1944-45? [Clue: Refer to events during the Second World War at that time]

4. Read source 4. This is a a short description of Hitler prepared by the British Embassy in Berlin.

  • Does this account of Hitler confirm that he was a ‘passionate lunatic’ as described in Source 1?
  • How would you describe Hitler based upon this report?

5. Of the three accounts you have now read, is any one more reliable than the others? Explain your answer

6. You have been asked by the British government to prepare a report on Hitler’s state of mind.

You have been provided with the sources above. Your report should:

  • Explain whether or not you think your evidence is reliable
  • Say whether Hitler is sane or not and provide evidence from the sources to support your answer

Background

When Hitler came to power in Germany in 1933 some people regarded him as a strong leader merely getting back German territory and restoring Germany’s national pride. They thought he would stop once he had reversed the terms the Treaty of Versailles which limited the power and strength of Germany. Others feared that this was only the beginning of a far more aggressive foreign policy. They were to be proved right by Hitler’s decision to takeover of the whole of Czechoslovakia in 1939 after annexing the Sudetenland in 1938. Germany then invaded Poland, bringing about the beginning of the Second World War.

How the British government dealt with Hitler in the run up to the outbreak of the Second World War has come under close scrutiny. Of course at the time, Winston Churchill, no longer in Government from the early 1930s, was a significant critic of the Munich Agreement which allowed Germany to take over Sudetenland in Czechoslovakia an attempt to prevent a war. Churchill continued to criticize Hitler and call for Britain to rearm. When war was declared with Germany in 1939 he returned to power as First Lord of the Admiralty and later became wartime Prime Minister of a national government on 10 May 1940.

Appeasement was the name given to Britain’s policy in the 1930s which permitted Hitler to expand German territory unchecked and did little to stop him in his early moves against the Treaty of Versailles. It was closely linked to the Prime Minister at the time, Neville Chamberlain and was popular although is now regarded as a policy of weakness.

Appeasement found support with the British public who wanted to avoid the huge losses of the First World War. There was a strong anti-war or pacifist sentiment. Britain could not afford the financial cost of another war, nor could France, the country’s main ally.

Of course to have stopped Hitler might have meant declaring war – a massive decision when most countries wanted to avoid war at all costs. Britain kept a close watch on developments in Germany. In particular the government was very interested in Hitler’s personality. They wanted to find out what he was like, what he wanted to achieve for Germany, what kind of leader he was and, strangely enough, if he was sane.


Teachers' notes

The purpose of this lesson is to encourage students to handle conflicting evidence on the character and personality of Hitler and assess their reliability. The first source is an extract from a report by Mr. Law, a British businessman, who worked in Germany provided to the Foreign Office. The second is an extract from an account given by Johann Heinrich Count von Bernstorff, a founding member of the German Democratic Party and a supporter of the League of Nations. He left Germany in 1933 when the Nazis came to power. Both sources present a very unfavourable view of Hitler.

Students later examine a drawing which presents him differently. Why is this the case? The final source offers yet another angle. It is a short description of Hitler prepared by the British Embassy in Berlin. Students are required to contrast this to the earlier sources and consider what factors make a ‘reliable’ source. Does this impact on the value of a source or not?

All sources are provided with transcripts. Students could work on the sources individually or pairs and report back to the group with their findings.

The lesson can also be used as an introduction to a wider enquiry into appeasement and the decisions made by the British Government and others before the outbreak of the war in 1939. Students could use the background notes as a starting point for researching the wider context of appeasement and follow up by attempting the linked lessons on the German re-occupation of the Rhineland and Chamberlain and the Munich Crisis in Related Resources.

Sources

Illustration : INF 2/31 Hitler caught between British and Russian military might

Source 1 – FO371/20733 Report by Mr Law, a British businessman who worked in Germany (1937)

Source 2 – FO371/20733 Report on a conversation with Count Bernstorff (1937)

Source 3 – INF 3/1298: Drawing by Richard Ziegler entitled “Unhappy-looking uniformed Hitler”, 1944-1945.

Source 4 – FO 408/67 A short description of Hitler prepared by the British Embassy in Berlin (January 1937)


External links

Illustrated timeline of events from United States Holocaust Memorial Museum
https://www.ushmm.org/learn/timeline-of-events/1933-1938

BBC history of Nazi Germany
https://www.bbc.co.uk/teach/adolf-hitler-man-and-monster/zbrx8xs

Connections to curriculum

Key stage 3
Challenges for Britain, Europe and the wider world 1901 to the present day: the inter-war years: the Great Depression and the rise of dictators

Key stage 4
AQA GCSE History: Germany, 1890–1945: Democracy and dictatorship
Edexcel GCSE History: c1900–present: Warfare and British society in modern era
OCR GCSE History: War and British Society c.790 to c.2010; attitudes and responses to war

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Lesson at a glance

Suitable for: Key stage 3, Key stage 4

Time period: Interwar 1918-1939, Second World War 1939-1945

Curriculum topics: Significant individuals, The Second World War

Suggested inquiry questions: How useful are these documents in evaluating opinion of Hitler’s leadership after 1933?

Potential activities: Students research how Hitler expanded German territory and power in Europe before the outbreak of the Second World War.

Download: Lesson pack

Related resources

Chamberlain and Hitler 1938

What was Chamberlain trying to do?

German occupation of the Rhineland

What should Britain do about it?