A visit to a Nazi girls’ school, recorded in ‘Education for Death’ by Gregor Ziemer in ‘The school bell called the girls…before I visited the classes I spoke to the head teacher. She told me that every class in the school was built around a course called ‘Activities of women’. This course was divided into handwork, domestic science, cooking, house and garden work – and the most section – breeding and hygiene. This section dealt with sex education, birth, childcare…’ What does this source tell us about the lessons taken by girls? How did Nazi educational policy affect the education of girls?

Extracts from ‘A Boy in Your Situation’, Karl had a new problem at school – the German teacher Mr Bartholomeus. He had a little swastika badge in his lapel that Karl came to dread. Teachers who wore that badge always seemed to go out of their way to say something unpleasant to Karl, in front of the whole class. Then one day the newspaper said: ‘No Aryan German child is to sit next to a Jew in school.’ That was it. Karl felt an enormous sense of relief. He would not have to go back to school. What does the source tell us about the treatment of Jews within German schools? How did Nazi educational policy affect Jewish school children?

Extracts from A Boy in Your Situation, 1988 In the History classes the French were the hereditary enemy and all the lessons were about the wars against the enemies of Germany. There were no History textbooks. They had all been withdrawn and until new National Socialist versions come out there was nothing but the teacher, who dictated notes and gave inspiring addresses. He was a reserve officer in the army. He told boys all about it. ‘We have got marvellous tanks now, fantastic; and good guns to use against French tanks.’ What was the purpose of this lesson? How did Nazi educational policy affect the education of boys?

A German mother tries to fight the Nazi education of her children, ‘ Darkness over Germany ’, I think that the only thing to do is to follow what they are taught very carefully and then point out to the children what is not true…I go over their lessons…where there is a lot of propaganda and tell them what is Nazi nonsense and what is real. How could parents influence their children’s education? Why was this a dangerous thing to do? What does this source tell you about the concerns of many German parents?

What can you see in this source? How did the Nazis encourage young people to join the Hitler Youth?

What can you see in this source? How did the Nazis encourage young people to join the Hitler Youth?