Pearson Edexcel · A-Level · History

    Course version: 9HI0 · Version from Sept 2015

    Controlling the people, 1918–89: attempts to control extremism, 1918–32;…

    Full specification wording

    Opposition, control and consent, 1918–89: Controlling the people, 1918–89: attempts to control extremism, 1918–32; censorship, repression and propaganda, 1933–45; the de-Nazification policies of the western allies, 1945–49; the constitutional and legal response to political extremism, 1949–89.

    This theme traces how German states tried to control extremism across four phases.

    Checked against the Pearson Edexcel 9HI0 specification (opens in a new tab) on .

    • Point 2 of 3
    • 4 key terms

    Study notes

    From the checked teaching notes for this specification point.

    The idea

    This theme traces how German states tried to control extremism across four phases. In 1918–32 the Weimar Republic used emergency powers under Article 48, bans on paramilitary groups and political police to check both communist and nationalist violence, yet courts often treated right-wing offenders leniently. From 1933–45 the Nazi regime combined censorship of press, radio and film, terror through the Gestapo and camps, and propaganda under Goebbels to manufacture consent. After 1945 the western allies pursued de-Nazification: questionnaires, internment, removal from office and denazification tribunals, though Cold War priorities soon softened enforcement. From 1949–89 the Federal Republic used the Basic Law, the Constitutional Court and party bans to defend democracy against extremism at both ends of the spectrum.

    What earns the marks

    • Explains Weimar methods of controlling extremism, such as Article 48 emergency decrees, bans on the Freikorps and SA, and political policing, with reference to the 1920s.
    • Analyses Nazi censorship and repression, including control of the press, radio, film and the Gestapo, and links these to propaganda under Goebbels.
    • Evaluates the aims and implementation of western allied de-Nazification, including questionnaires, internment, removal from office and tribunals, and explains why it was scaled back.
    • Assesses the constitutional and legal response in the Federal Republic, such as the Basic Law, the Constitutional Court and bans on extremist parties, and weighs their effectiveness.
    • Compares phases to judge continuity and change in the balance between repression and consent across 1918–89.

    Common mistakes and how to put them right

    • Treating Nazi propaganda as separate from repression.

      Put it right: Show how censorship and terror enabled propaganda to work.

    • Assuming de-Nazification was uniformly enforced.

      Put it right: Note regional variation and the shift in allied priorities after 1947.

    • Confusing Weimar Article 48 with the Federal Republic's Basic Law.

      Put it right: Distinguish emergency presidential rule from constitutional court-based defence of democracy.

    Exam tips

    • Anchor each phase with one precise example, such as the 1923 banning of the NSDAP or the 1956 ban on the KPD.
    • Use the wording of the question to decide whether you are explaining methods, consequences or relative effectiveness.
    • Plan paragraphs by phase so that change over time is explicit rather than implied.

    Try the lesson

    The start of the Opposition, control and consent, 1918–89: Controlling the people, 1918–89: attempts to control extremism, 1918–32; censorship, repression and propaganda, 1933–45; the de-Nazification policies of the western allies, 1945–49; the constitutional and legal response to political extremism, 1949–89. lesson, made from checked teaching notes for this specification point.

    Have a go first

    Which judicial body was established by the 1922 Law for the Protection of the Republic to prosecute individuals and organisations deemed hostile to the Weimar state?

    Listen

    This theme traces how German states tried to control extremism across four phases. In 1918–32 the Weimar Republic used emergency powers under Article 48, bans on paramilitary groups and political police to check both communist and nationalist violence, yet courts often treated right-wing offenders leniently. From 1933–45 the Nazi regime combined censorship of press, radio and film, terror through the Gestapo and camps, and propaganda under Goebbels to manufacture consent. After 1945 the western allies pursued de-Nazification: questionnaires, internment, removal from office and denazification tribunals, though Cold War priorities soon softened enforcement. From 1949–89 the Federal Republic used the Basic Law, the Constitutional Court and party bans to defend democracy against extremism at both ends of the spectrum. A strong answer earns marks for these points. Explains Weimar methods of controlling extremism, such as Article 48 emergency decrees, bans on the Freikorps and SA, and political policing, with reference to the 1920s. Analyses Nazi censorship and repression, including control of the press, radio, film and the Gestapo, and links these to propaganda under Goebbels. Evaluates the aims and implementation of western allied de-Nazification, including questionnaires, internment, removal from office and tribunals, and explains why it was scaled back. Assesses the constitutional and legal response in the Federal Republic, such as the Basic Law, the Constitutional Court and bans on extremist parties, and weighs their effectiveness. A common slip: Treating Nazi propaganda as separate from repression. Instead, show how censorship and terror enabled propaganda to work. Exam tip: Anchor each phase with one precise example, such as the 1923 banning of the NSDAP or the 1956 ban on the KPD.

    See it

    A top-down flowchart with four phase nodes. The first phase, the Weimar Republic 1918–32, branches into three methods: Article 48 emergency powers, bans on paramilitary groups, and political police. The second phase, the Nazi regime 1933–45, branches into censorship of press, radio and film, terror through the Gestapo and camps, and propaganda under Goebbels; arrows from the censorship node and the terror node both lead into the propaganda node. The third phase, the western allies 1945–49, leads to a single node listing de-Nazification measures: questionnaires, internment, removal from office and tribunals. The fourth phase, the Federal Republic 1949–89, leads to a single node listing the Basic Law, the Constitutional Court and party bans.
    The four phases of attempts to control extremism in Germany, 1918–89, with the methods used in each.

    Key words

    Say what each word means before you turn the card.

    Repression versus consent

    Try answering aloud or in your head before turning the card.

    Propaganda and censorship

    Try answering aloud or in your head before turning the card.

    Emergency powers and constitutional defence

    Try answering aloud or in your head before turning the card.

    Continuity and change across regimes

    Try answering aloud or in your head before turning the card.

    See every definition
    Repression versus consent
    The balance between controlling people by force and manufacturing their agreement, traced across the four phases from 1918 to 1989.
    Propaganda and censorship
    Control of the press, radio and film combined with propaganda under Goebbels, which censorship and terror enabled to work.
    Emergency powers and constitutional defence
    Weimar's use of Article 48 emergency decrees to check extremism, distinguished from the Federal Republic's Basic Law and Constitutional Court defence of democracy.
    Continuity and change across regimes
    Comparison of the four phases to judge how the balance between repression and consent shifted across 1918 to 1989.

    Label the diagram

    Some boxes have lost their names. Pick the right name for each number.

    The diagram again, with 3 boxes numbered instead of named. A top-down flowchart with four phase nodes. The first phase, the Weimar Republic 1918–32, branches into three methods: Article 48 emergency powers, bans on paramilitary groups, and political police. The second phase, the Nazi regime 1933–45, branches into censorship of press, radio and film, terror through the Gestapo and camps, and propaganda under Goebbels; arrows from the censorship node and the terror node both lead into the propaganda node. The third phase, the western allies 1945–49, leads to a single node listing de-Nazification measures: questionnaires, internment, removal from office and tribunals. The fourth phase, the Federal Republic 1949–89, leads to a single node listing the Basic Law, the Constitutional Court and party bans.

    • 1Box 1

    • 2Box 2

    • 3Box 3

    0 of 3 labelled

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