Germany, 1918–1945 – The Nazi Dictatorship, 1933–1939 (A-level only):…

The idea

During the Nazi Dictatorship (1933–1939), social policies aimed to forge a Volksgemeinschaft (people's community) by subordinating individuals to the state. Youth were indoctrinated via the Hitler Youth and a Nazified curriculum. Women were pushed into maternal roles, though labour shortages later forced them into factories. Workers lost trade unions but gained benefits via Strength Through Joy (KdF), offsetting the drawback of frozen wages. The Churches faced suppression despite the 1933 Concordat, as Nazism demanded total loyalty. The degree of Volksgemeinschaft achieved was limited; while some enjoyed benefits like employment, drawbacks included pervasive terror, loss of freedom, and the brutal exclusion of minorities.

What earns the marks

• Assess the effectiveness of the Hitler Youth and education system in indoctrinating young people during the 1933–1939 dictatorship.
• Evaluate the contradictory nature of policies towards women, contrasting ideological goals with economic realities.
• Analyse the impact of the DAF and KdF on workers' living standards and morale.
• Examine the regime's failure to fully coordinate the Catholic and Protestant churches.
• Weigh the perceived benefits of the Volksgemeinschaft against the severe drawbacks of Nazi rule, such as repression and exclusion.

Common mistakes and how to put them right

• Stating that all women were successfully removed from the workplace.

  Put it right: Note that female employment actually rose between 1933 and 1939 due to rearmament labour shortages.

• Claiming the Churches were completely destroyed.

  Put it right: Explain that while heavily persecuted, the Churches remained the only major institutions not fully coordinated by the regime.

• Assuming the Volksgemeinschaft was fully realised.

  Put it right: Argue that class divisions persisted and the community was largely held together by propaganda and terror rather than genuine unity.

• Confusing the 1928–1933 collapse of democracy with the 1933–1939 dictatorship period.

  Put it right: Ensure social policies are analysed within the context of the established Nazi regime (1933–1939).

Exam tips

• Use the concept of Volksgemeinschaft as a framework to evaluate the success or failure of specific social policies between 1933 and 1939.
• Contrast the propaganda image of a classless, unified society with the reality of persistent social divisions and terror.
• Highlight the tension between ideological goals (e.g., women at home) and practical necessities (e.g., the need for female factory workers).