The rise and implications of Nazi racial ideology

Appropriate for grade 11 History

1. NAZI GERMANY &
THE HOLOCAUST

2. LESSON OBJECTIVES
Understand how Hitler consolidated power from 1933
to 1934.
Explain key Nazi beliefs and racial ideology.
Identify the consequences of Nazi control in
Germany.
Reflect on the choices people made under Nazi rule.

3. KEY TERMS
Aryan: A term used by Nazis to describe a "master race" of Northern Europeans.
Gestapo: The Nazi secret police, used to eliminate opposition and enforce Nazi
policies.
Concentration Camp: A place where Nazis imprisoned and often killed political
enemies and minority groups.
Totalitarian: A government that controls all aspects of life, with no democracy.
Social Darwinism: The belief that some races are stronger and more fit to
survive than others, used to justify racial discrimination.
Enabling Act: A law that allowed Hitler to make laws without the Reichstag
(parliament), effectively giving him dictatorial powers.
Gleichschaltung: The process of aligning all institutions with Nazi ideology,
eliminating opposition and enforcing total control

4. The Great Depression (1929) caused
severe economic hardship in Germany,
leading to increased support for
extremist parties.
The Nazi Party gained popularity by
promising to restore order and national
pride.
In 1932, the Nazi Party became the
largest party in the Reichstag but lacked
a majority.
HISTORICAL CONTEXT

5. HITLER’S PATH TO POWER
January 1933: Hitler becomes Chancellor of
Germany.
February 1933: Reichstag Fire blamed on
Communists, used as a pretext to pass
emergency laws.
4,000 Communists arrested.
Civil liberties suspended: police could search
houses, confiscate property, and detain
people indefinitely without trial.

6. HITLER’S PATH TO POWER
March 1933: Enabling Act passed, allowing Hitler to
make laws without Reichstag approval,
dismantling democracy.
June 1934: "Night of the Long Knives" — Hitler
orders the murder of SA leaders, consolidating
power and securing army loyalty.
August 1934: President Hindenburg dies. Hitler
merges the roles of Chancellor and President,
becoming the Führer.

7. Nazis believed in a racial hierarchy with
Aryans at the top.
Jews, Roma, Slavs, and others were
considered inferior.
Inspired by Social Darwinism and pseudo-
scientific racism.
Policies aimed to maintain "racial purity"
and eliminate perceived threats.
Eugenics programs influenced by American
and German scientists promoted forced
sterilizations and other abuses.
NAZI RACIAL IDEOLOGY

8. Germany became a police state, ruled by fear
and violence.
Civil liberties were stripped away.
Concentration camps were established for
political enemies and minority groups.
Opposition became dangerous and often
fatal.
Institutions like the judiciary and army
pledged total loyalty to Hitler.
Propaganda spread Nazi ideology, while the
SS and Gestapo enforced strict obedience.
CONSEQUENCES OF NAZI
CONTROL

9. DISCUSSION
QUESTIONS
1.What factors made Hitler’s rise to power
possible?
2.How did the Nazis use fear and propaganda to
control the population?
3.Why do you think people supported or tolerated
Nazi rule?
4.How did Nazi racial ideology affect their policies
and actions?

10. What event allowed Hitler to pass
emergency laws and arrest Communists?
A) Enabling Act
B) Reichstag Fire
C) Night of the Long Knives
D) Great Depression
UNDERSTANDINIG CHECK

11. What did the Enabling Act allow Hitler to do?
A) Ban all other political parties
B) Control the media
C) Make laws without Reichstag approval
D) Create concentration camps
UNDERSTANDINIG CHECK

12. What was the main goal of Nazi racial
ideology?
A) Promote democracy
B) Maintain racial purity
C) Increase economic growth
D) Strengthen the army
UNDERSTANDINIG CHECK

13. Hitler used legal means to dismantle
democracy and create a dictatorship.
Nazi racial ideology led to devastating
consequences, including the Holocaust.
Understanding the past helps us recognize
the dangers of discrimination and unchecked
power.
CONCLUSION

14. HOMEWORK
Write a short essay (150-200 words) answering the following question:
"How did Hitler use legal means to dismantle democracy and create a
dictatorship in Germany?"
Use evidence from the lesson to support your answer.
Remember to structure your writing with an introduction, body, and
conclusion.