1. How similar were Joseph Stalin and Adolf Hitler?
L/O – To compare the two dictatorships of Josef Stalin and Adolf Hitler
Starter – Hitler and Stalin were rulers of which European countries? Do you know when?

2. Investigating Dictatorships
During the first half of the 20th century, two men from poor backgrounds managed to become dictators of two of the most powerful countries in the world – Josef Stalin in Russia and Adolf Hitler in Germany.
They also became the worst mass murders in history.
So how did they rise to power and how did they change the lives of people in their countries? How similar were their dictatorships?
Adolf Hitler
Josef Stalin

3. Dictatorship vs. Democracy
Both had different political beliefs but both hated democracy. By the mid-1930s, they had established dictatorships but they were not the only ones.
In 1922, Benito Mussolini established a Fascist Dictatorship in Italy. Other parties were banned and nobody was allowed to criticise the government.
In contrast, Britain, France and the USA were democracies. But what was the difference?
Benito Mussolini

4. ACTIVITY 1
Arrange the cards in your envelopes under two headings: Democracy and Dictatorship.
Write a short definition of each concept in your books. No more than 50 words each!

5. ACTIVITY 2
You are now going to investigate the dictatorships of Stalin’s USSR and Hitler’s Germany.
Read the information cards and use them to help you fill in your research tables.
Start by investigating their ‘early lives’ and fill in the first row of your tables.

6. ACTIVITY 2 Category Stalin Hitler similarities Hitler differences
Similarity rating (/10)
Early life
What did they believe in?
How did they rise to power?
How did they keep control?
How did they change people’s lives?
a) work
b) women and the family
c) young people

7. Did we meet our learning objective?
Plenary Questions
Democracy is…
Dictatorship is…
Adolf Hitler was the leader of… and born in…
Josef Stalin was the leader of… and born in…
How similar were the early lives of Hitler/Stalin?
How different were the early lives of Hitler/Stalin?
Did we meet our learning objective?
L/O – To compare the two dictatorships of Josef Stalin and Adolf Hitler