Year 11 - History
The NSDAP's 'lean years'
Weimar and Nazi Germany, 1918–39
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This pupil-friendly study guide includes a unit summary, clear notes, common mistakes, and quick questions with answers.
Unit Summary
In this unit, pupils study a modern society and the issues that affected it in great depth over a shorter period. They learn about the key events, developments, people and stories that shaped this modern society over a period of around twenty to thirty years.
Lesson Summary
You will learn to describe how the NSDAP changed between 1924 and 1929.
Key Notes
- Hitler's ideology, outlined in 'Mein Kampf', reshaped the Nazi Party and later impacted Germany as a whole.
- The 1926 Bamberg Conference helped Hitler eliminate socialist elements and solidify his absolute control over the party.
- The Nazis had limited electoral success as political and economic stability weakened extremism.
- The Nazis gained rural support by appealing to struggling farmers, and shifting focus from urban workers to landowners.
- By 1928, the Nazi Party had a national structure, disciplined ideology and tailored propaganda, but lacked mass support.
Vocabulary To Learn
- ideological: related to a system of beliefs or ideas, often political or philosophical
- Führer: meaning 'leader'; a concept used by Hitler to establish himself as the absolute authority of the Nazi Party, promoting total control by a single leader as a solution to political instability
Common Mistakes To Avoid
- The 'lean years' meant the Nazis were completely unsuccessful and struggling in every way.
3 Quick Questions (With Answers)
1. Summarise this historical learning in two key ideas.
Hitler's ideology, outlined in 'Mein Kampf', reshaped the Nazi Party and later impacted Germany as a whole. The 1926 Bamberg Conference helped Hitler eliminate socialist elements and solidify his absolute control over the party.
2. Define this history term and explain why it matters in this topic. 'ideological'
related to a system of beliefs or ideas, often political or philosophical.
3. Correct this common history misconception using evidence language.
Mistake: The 'lean years' meant the Nazis were completely unsuccessful and struggling in every way. Correction: The 'lean years' mainly refers to the Nazis' limited electoral success. While they weren't winning many votes, they were strengthening their organisation, refining propaganda and gaining rural support. These years were crucial for their later rise.
More Lessons In This Unit
- 1923, the Ruhr and hyperinflation Study Guide
- Early unrest and the Treaty of Versailles Study Guide
- Economic recovery under Stresemann Study Guide
- Employment in Nazi Germany Study Guide
- Goebbels and propaganda in Nazi Germany Study Guide
- Hitler's creation of a dictatorship Study Guide
- How Hitler became Chancellor of Germany Study Guide
- Nazi control of the police and the legal system Study Guide
- Nazi racial ideology and the treatment of minorities Study Guide
- Opposition and resistance in Nazi Germany Study Guide
- Social and economic change 1924-29 Study Guide
- Stresemann's international achievements Study Guide
- The early development of the NSDAP Study Guide
- The First World War and the German Revolution Study Guide
- The growth in support for the Nazi Party Study Guide
- The growth of unemployment and rise in support for the Communist Party Study Guide
- The Munich Putsch Study Guide
- The Nazi Party and religion Study Guide
- The persecution of Jews Study Guide
- The Reichstag Fire and the Enabling Act Study Guide
- The Weimar Republic Study Guide
- Threats to the Weimar Republic from the left and the right Study Guide
- Weimar culture 1924-29 Study Guide
- Women in Nazi Germany Study Guide
- Work and life in Nazi Germany Study Guide
- Young people in Nazi Germany Study Guide
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