1G: Germany and West Germany, 1918–89

Recommended textbooks for this unit, available from Amazon:

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Official Edexcel Textbook	My Revision Notes

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1 Political and governmental change,  1918–89

Creation and collapse of the Weimar Republic, 1918–33: creation of a republic, 1918–19; overcoming challenges to the democratic constitution, 1918–29; collapse of democracy, 1930–33.

Nazi dictatorship, 1933–45: establishing a dictatorship, 1933–34; nature of Nazi government, 1934–39; government in wartime, 1939–45.

Return to democratic government, 1945–89: creation of the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG), 1945–49; consolidation under Adenauer and Erhard, 1949–65; maintaining political stability under Brandt, Schmidt and Kohl, 1965–89.

2 Opposition, control and consent,  1918–89

Opposition to government, 1918–89: the impact of Versailles, political extremism and crises, 1918–33; opposition and dissent in Nazi Germany, 1933–45; political dissent and active challenge, 1949–89.

Controlling the people, 1918–89: attempts to control extremism, 1918–32; censorship and repression, 1933–45; the constitutional and legal response to political extremism, 1949–89.

Popular support and political persuasion, 1918–89: the nature of support for the Weimar constitution, 1918–32; support for the Nazi regime and the use of propaganda, 1933–45; the de-Nazification policies of the western  allies, 1945–49; the nature of support for democracy in  the FRG, 1949–89.

3 Economic development and policies, 1918–89

Reacting to economic challenges, 1918–32: economic crises and government response, 1918–23; policies for recovery, 1924–28; impact of, and response to, the Great Depression, 1929–32; changing living standards, 1918–32.

Controlling the economy, 1933–45: attempting economic recovery, 1933–36; creating a command economy, 1936–39; changing living standards 1933–39; impact of war, 1939–45.

Creating a social market economy, 1945–89: economic recovery, 1945–55; the ‘economic miracle’, 1955–66; surviving economic challenges, 1966–1989; integration into the European economy, 1949–89; changing living standards, 1945–89.

4 Aspects of life in Germany and West Germany, 1918–89

Attitudes towards women, 1918–89: the role and status of women, 1918–1932; the impact of the Kinder, Küche, Kirche policies and the Second World War on women’s lives,  1933–45; the role and status of women in the FRG.

Education and cultural developments, 1918–89: education in the Weimar Republic; cultural experimentation, 1918–32; Nazi education and cultural policies, 1933–45; education in the FRG, including post-war re-education policies; cultural and generational tensions in the FRG.

Attitudes towards ethnic minorities, 1918–89: the status of, and attitudes towards, ethnic minorities, 1918–32; Nazi racial policies, including the Final Solution; the status of, and attitudes towards, ethnic minorities in the FRG.

How far was Hitler’s foreign policy responsible for the Second World War?

The influence of German history on Nazi foreign policy.

Hitler’s ideas and his role in the shaping of Nazi foreign policy.

The reasons for the German invasion of Poland in 1939.

The contribution of other nations to the outbreak of war.