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AQA GCSE History (Germany 1890-1945) Smart practice A mixed round aimed at your weak spots
Unit 1
Part one: Germany and the growth of democracy
Germany and the growth of democracy
Kaiser Wilhelm and the difficulties of ruling Germany
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Impact of the First World War
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Weimar democracy
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Unit 2
Part two: Germany and the Depression
Germany and the Depression
The impact of the Depression
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The failure of Weimar democracy
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The establishment of Hitler's dictatorship
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Unit 3
Part three: The experiences of Germans under the Nazis
The experiences of Germans under the Nazis
Economic changes
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Social policy and practice
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Control
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Social policy and practice

Practise 44 exam-style questions on Social policy and practice for AQA GCSE History (Germany 1890-1945). Write your answer as you would in the exam and get it marked in seconds against the mark scheme, point by point, with an AI tutor on hand if you get stuck.

  • 44 questions
  • 1–12 marks each
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20 questions, marked as you go

Sample questions with model answers

Here are 4 of the questions in this topic, each with a model answer, an explanation of why it earns the marks and the mark scheme an examiner would use.

Question 1

2 marks

Apart from Jews, name two groups of people who were persecuted in Nazi Germany because they did not fit Nazi ideas of a racially 'pure' and healthy national community.

Model answer

Roma and Sinti (Gypsies), and people with physical or mental disabilities.

Explanation

Nazi racial ideas held that the 'Aryan' race was superior and must be kept 'pure' and healthy, so groups seen as racially inferior (Jews, Roma and Sinti, Slavs) or as a burden on the national community (the disabled, 'asocials', homosexuals) were persecuted. Measures ranged from compulsory sterilisation and imprisonment in camps to mass murder.

Mark scheme
  1. 2 marks

    One mark for each of two groups, e.g. Roma and Sinti (Gypsies); people with physical or mental disabilities; people with hereditary illnesses; Slavs (such as Poles and Russians); Black Germans; 'asocials' (beggars, the homeless, alcoholics, the 'work-shy'); homosexual men.

    Max 2. Accept 'Gypsies' as used at the time. Accept 'the mentally ill' or 'the disabled'. Do not accept political opponents such as communists, or Jehovah's Witnesses, who were persecuted for their beliefs and actions rather than these ideas.

Question 2

4 marks

Interpretation A: from an interview with a man who joined the Jungvolk, the junior branch of the Hitler Youth, in 1934 at the age of ten. The interview was recorded in 1985. (Written for practice.)
For a boy from a poor family the Hitler Youth was wonderful. We went camping and hiking, sang around the campfire, played sport and learned to read maps. There were trips to places my parents could never have afforded. Nobody cared whether your father was a factory worker or a doctor: we were all comrades in the same uniform. Of course there was politics too, but we hardly noticed it. We felt important, and we believed that the future of Germany belonged to us.

Interpretation B: from a book about young people in Nazi Germany written by a historian in 2005. (Written for practice.)
At first many young people were attracted by the adventure and comradeship the Hitler Youth offered. But once membership became compulsory, much of the enthusiasm drained away. Meetings were taken up with drill, marching and lectures on Nazi ideas, and many teenagers resented being ordered about by leaders hardly older than themselves. Some stayed away whenever they could; others joined unofficial gangs such as the Edelweiss Pirates. The Hitler Youth trained a generation for war, but it never won the hearts of all of Germany's young people.

Why might the authors of Interpretations A and B have a different interpretation about the Hitler Youth?

Explain your answer using Interpretations A and B and your contextual knowledge.

Model answer

The authors had very different experiences and purposes. The author of A joined the Jungvolk in 1934, when the Hitler Youth was still voluntary and its camps, hikes and trips were new and exciting. As a ten-year-old from a poor family he gained opportunities he could not otherwise have had, and he was probably too young to see the political purpose behind the activities. He is also remembering his childhood more than 50 years later, which may make him nostalgic. The author of B is a historian writing in 2005 who has studied evidence about many young people over the whole period. This includes the later 1930s, after the 1936 Hitler Youth Law and compulsory membership in 1939, when reports showed boredom and absenteeism, and the growth of groups such as the Edelweiss Pirates. So A reflects one boy's early experience, while B gives an overall assessment with hindsight.

Explanation

Level 2 explains the difference from the provenance - one boy's memories of the voluntary early years against a historian's study of the whole period - and uses contextual knowledge such as compulsory membership from 1939. Simply saying 'A was there, B was not' is Level 1.

Mark scheme
  1. 4 marks

    Levels of response (4 marks).
    Level 2 (3-4 marks): Developed explanation of why the interpretations differ, based on their provenance (e.g. A is the personal memory of a boy who joined in 1934, before membership was compulsory, and who gained opportunities from it, while B is a historian writing in 2005 who has studied evidence from many young people across the whole period, including the later 1930s and the war), supported by contextual knowledge.
    Level 1 (1-2 marks): Simple explanation: identifies a reason from the provenance (e.g. A was there, B is a historian) with little development.
    0 marks: nothing worthy of credit.

    Indicative content (not a checklist; credit other valid points): A is one man's memory of his own childhood; he joined in 1934, when the Hitler Youth was still voluntary and its activities were new and exciting, so his experience reflects the early years; he was ten, too young to notice the political purpose; as a boy from a poor family he gained trips and activities he could not otherwise have had, which fits the Nazi idea of the Volksgemeinschaft; recalling his childhood more than 50 years later, in 1985, may be nostalgic; B is a historian writing in 2005 who can use many kinds of evidence, such as reports on absenteeism and boredom, the Hitler Youth Law of 1936 and compulsory membership from 1939, and the growth of the Edelweiss Pirates and Swing Youth; the historian looks at the whole period and at all young people, not one boy, and with hindsight knows that the Hitler Youth prepared boys for war; their purposes differ: A shares personal memories, B aims to give an overall, critical assessment.

Question 3

8 marks

In what ways were the lives of young people in Germany affected by the Hitler Youth and the League of German Maidens between 1933 and 1939?

Explain your answer.

Model answer

The Hitler Youth and the League of German Maidens took over much of young people's free time. Evenings and weekends were filled with meetings, sport, hikes, camps and parades. For many young people, especially from poorer families, this brought new opportunities: trips, camping holidays and, for some, the chance to become leaders. Wearing the same uniform also made many feel part of the Volksgemeinschaft.

Boys and girls were prepared for very different futures. Boys in the Jungvolk and the Hitler Youth did military drill, map reading, shooting practice and war games so that they would be fit and obedient soldiers. Girls in the Young Girls' League and the League of German Maidens did sport to keep healthy, but also learned cooking, housework and childcare to prepare them to be wives and mothers.

All members were indoctrinated. They sang Nazi songs, learned racial ideas and swore loyalty to Hitler. Because so much time was spent in the movement, the influence of parents and churches was weakened, and some children even reported their parents or teachers for criticising the regime.

The effects changed over the 1930s. Once other youth groups were closed, the Hitler Youth Law of 1936 was passed and membership became compulsory in 1939, the Hitler Youth became less of an adventure and more of a duty. Some young people grew bored with the drill and stayed away, and some joined groups such as the Edelweiss Pirates. Jewish young people were excluded completely.

Explanation

Level 4 needs several developed ways, linked - for example contrasting boys and girls, or showing how compulsion after 1936-39 changed young people's experience. A list of activities without explaining how lives were affected is Level 2.

Mark scheme
  1. 8 marks

    Levels of response (8 marks).
    Level 4 (7-8 marks): Complex explanation of changes: several developed explanations of ways young people's lives were affected (e.g. their free time, the different training of boys and girls, indoctrination, relationships with family and church, compulsion), linked together - for example showing how experiences differed or changed during the 1930s - supported by specific, accurate knowledge.
    Level 3 (5-6 marks): Developed explanation of two or more ways, supported by relevant knowledge.
    Level 2 (3-4 marks): Simple explanation of one way.
    Level 1 (1-2 marks): Basic explanation: general statements with little specific knowledge.
    0 marks: nothing worthy of credit.

    Indicative content (not a checklist; credit other valid points): free time: evenings, weekends and holidays taken up with meetings, camps, hikes, parades and sport; boys (Jungvolk from 10, Hitler Youth from 14) did military drill, map reading, shooting practice and war games to prepare them to be soldiers; girls (Young Girls' League from 10, League of German Maidens from 14) learned domestic skills, health, sport and preparation for motherhood; indoctrination: racial ideas, Nazi songs, loyalty oath to Hitler, propaganda; national community: uniforms and camps mixed classes and gave some poorer children new opportunities and leadership roles; relationships: time away from family and church weakened their influence; some children were encouraged to report parents or teachers; compulsion: rival groups closed, Hitler Youth Law (1936), compulsory membership (1939); some young people were bored or resented it, and some joined the Edelweiss Pirates or Swing Youth; Jewish young people were excluded from these organisations.

Question 4

12 marks

Which of the following was the more important reason why Nazi policies towards young people were not completely successful:
- problems within the Hitler Youth itself
- the appeal of alternative youth groups such as the Edelweiss Pirates and the Swing Youth?

Explain your answer with reference to both bullet points.

Model answer

Problems within the Hitler Youth were an important reason why Nazi youth policies were not completely successful. In the early 1930s the Hitler Youth was attractive because it was new and voluntary, but once rival groups were closed, the Hitler Youth Law of 1936 was passed and membership became compulsory in 1939, it became a duty rather than an adventure. Activities became more military, with endless drill, marching and lectures on Nazi ideas. Many groups were run by leaders who were only a little older than the members and who were often resented. Reports in the late 1930s show growing boredom and absenteeism, and in wartime many experienced leaders were called up into the armed forces, so the quality of activities fell.

The appeal of alternative youth groups was also important. The Edelweiss Pirates, mainly working-class teenagers in western cities such as Cologne, Düsseldorf and Essen, wore edelweiss badges, went on their own hikes and camps, sang songs mocking the regime and sometimes attacked Hitler Youth patrols. In the war some sheltered deserters and escaped prisoners. The Swing Youth, mostly middle-class teenagers in cities such as Hamburg, danced to banned American jazz and swing music, used English slang and wore fashions the Nazis hated. These groups showed that some young people rejected the conformity of the Nazi youth movement, and Himmler took them seriously enough to order that Swing Youth ringleaders be sent to concentration camps.

Overall, problems within the Hitler Youth were the more important reason. The alternative groups were much smaller - they involved thousands of young people, compared with about 7 million members of the Hitler Youth by the end of 1938 - so on their own they could not undermine Nazi youth policy. More importantly, they were largely a result of the Hitler Youth's problems: young people joined them because they were bored by drill and resented being ordered about. The Hitler Youth's own failings explain why many young people were unenthusiastic and stayed away, while the alternative groups were the most visible sign of that wider failure rather than its main cause.

Explanation

Level 4 explains both bullets with specific evidence - compulsion, drill, young leaders and absenteeism; the Edelweiss Pirates and Swing Youth - and reaches a sustained judgement, for example by weighing the small size of the alternative groups or showing how one factor caused the other. Answers that only describe the Edelweiss Pirates are Level 2.

Mark scheme
  1. 12 marks

    Levels of response (12 marks).
    Level 4 (10-12 marks): Complex explanation of both bullet points: explains how problems within the Hitler Youth (e.g. compulsion, military drill, boredom, young leaders, absenteeism) and the appeal of alternative groups (e.g. the freedom, music and rebellion offered by the Edelweiss Pirates and Swing Youth) each limited the success of Nazi youth policy, supported by specific, accurate knowledge, leading to a sustained judgement about which was more important.
    Level 3 (7-9 marks): Developed explanation of both bullet points, supported by relevant knowledge.
    Level 2 (4-6 marks): Simple explanation of one or both bullet points.
    Level 1 (1-3 marks): Basic explanation of one or both bullet points: general statements with little specific knowledge.
    0 marks: nothing worthy of credit.

    Indicative content (not a checklist; credit other valid points): Problems within the Hitler Youth: after the 1936 law and compulsory membership in 1939 it lost the excitement of a voluntary movement; activities became more military, with drill, marching and lectures; many leaders were teenagers who were often resented; reports in the late 1930s noted boredom and absenteeism; some parents and churches disliked the time it took and its hostility to religion; in wartime experienced leaders were called up and activities turned to war work. Alternative youth groups: the Edelweiss Pirates (from the late 1930s, mainly working-class teenagers in western cities such as Cologne, Düsseldorf and Essen, including groups such as the Navajos) wore edelweiss badges, went on their own hikes and camps, sang changed songs mocking the regime and sometimes fought Hitler Youth patrols; in the war some sheltered deserters and escaped prisoners; the Swing Youth (mainly middle-class teenagers in cities such as Hamburg and Berlin) danced to banned American jazz and swing, used English slang and dressed to shock; Himmler ordered that their ringleaders be sent to concentration camps. Possible judgements: the problems within the Hitler Youth were more important because they drove young people away in the first place, and the alternative groups were small, with thousands of members against millions in the Hitler Youth; or alternative groups were more important because they gave young people a way to reject Nazi values openly; the two were linked, since boredom with the Hitler Youth helps explain why the alternatives appealed.

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