Nazi Germany
Under Hitler, Nazi Germany became a dictatorship using propaganda, terror and control of youth to enforce its ideology.
▶ Interact
Play with the controls to see the idea in action.
📘 Learn
Under Hitler, Nazi Germany became a dictatorship using propaganda, terror and control of youth to enforce its ideology.
- The Gestapo enforced obedience
- Jewish people were persecuted
- Hitler Youth indoctrinated children
🧠 Quick quiz
Three questions. Score 2 or more to complete the topic.
What is Nazi Germany?
Within History, which covers ancient civilisations, empires, revolutions, world wars and the making of the modern world, this topic explains Nazi Germany. History topics connect events, people and ideas across time, so each one here gives a clear summary and a way to test your understanding.
Check that you can explain Nazi Germany in your own words and give one example from everyday life. If you can do that, you have understood the core idea.
Understanding Nazi Germany helps you explain change over time and judge why events happened, which is the core skill in history essays.
Nazi Germany in detail
Adolf Hitler became Chancellor on 30 January 1933 after the Nazi Party gained votes during the Depression. After the Reichstag fire, he used emergency powers and the Enabling Act (March 1933) to make himself dictator, banning other parties and, in 1934, becoming Führer. The SS and Gestapo used terror.
The Nazis controlled people with propaganda (Goebbels), censorship, education and the Hitler Youth, and persecuted Jews, communists and others. Economic policies reduced unemployment through rearmament and public works. Opposition existed but was dangerous. The regime aimed at war and the creation of living space (Lebensraum) in the east.
How the interactive helps you understand Nazi Germany
Watch the timeline in the interactive. Use any sliders or buttons it offers to change the values and see how the timeline responds.
Before you change anything, predict the result. Then change one value at a time and check whether your prediction was right. This is a quick way to build a correct mental model of Nazi Germany.
Real-life uses and examples
- Build a timeline that shows when Nazi Germany happened and what came before and after.
- Judge how important Nazi Germany was by weighing evidence from more than one source.
- Explain the causes and consequences of Nazi Germany in a well-structured paragraph.
Common mistakes to avoid
- Describing events without explaining why they happened.
- Treating one source as the whole story when you study Nazi Germany.
- Learning the definition without testing it. Use the quiz and the interactive to check that you can apply the idea.
Frequently asked questions about Nazi Germany
What is Nazi Germany?
Under Hitler, Nazi Germany became a dictatorship using propaganda, terror and control of youth to enforce its ideology.
What are the most important points about Nazi Germany?
The main points are: The Gestapo enforced obedience; Jewish people were persecuted; Hitler Youth indoctrinated children.
Why is Nazi Germany useful?
Understanding Nazi Germany helps you explain change over time and judge why events happened, which is the core skill in history essays.
How can I practise Nazi Germany?
Open the interactive at the top of this page and change the controls one at a time. Predict the result before each change, then take the three-question quiz. A score of two or more marks the topic as complete on this device.
Which topics are related to Nazi Germany?
Related topics in History include The Holocaust, The Cold War, The Space Race.