What was life like for ordinary people in Nazi Germany, 1933 to 39?
Life in Nazi Germany 1933 to 39: the role and expectations of women, the control of young people through education and the Hitler Youth, the experience of workers, the Nazis and the Churches, and opposition and resistance.
A focused answer to Key Topic 4 of Edexcel's Weimar and Nazi Germany depth study, covering the role of women, the control of youth through education and the Hitler Youth, the experience of workers, the relationship between the Nazis and the Churches, and opposition and resistance.
Reviewed by: AI editorial process; not yet individually human-reviewed
Have a quick question? Jump to the Q&A page
Jump to a section
What this dot point is asking
This is Key Topic 4: what life was actually like for ordinary Germans under the Nazis, 1933 to 1939. You need the experience of women, young people (education and the Hitler Youth), workers, the Churches, and opposition. Paper 3 often asks inference and interpretation questions on Nazi society, so know how Nazi policy affected different groups and how far people supported or resisted the regime.
Women
Young people
Workers
The Churches and opposition
Try this
Q1. What was the Nazi slogan for the role of women? [Knowledge recall]
- Cue. "Kinder, Kuche, Kirche" (children, kitchen, church), the traditional home and motherhood role.
Q2. Explain why workers' lives were a mix of gains and losses under the Nazis. [Short explanation]
- Cue. Workers gained jobs (through rearmament and public works) and benefits like Strength Through Joy, but lost their trade unions, the right to bargain or strike, and faced controlled wages and longer hours.
Exam-style practice questions
Practice questions written in the style of Pearson Edexcel exam questions on this dot point, with worked answer explainers. The year tag is the paper they imitate, not the source.
Edexcel 20184 marksGive two things you can infer from Source A about the role of women in Nazi Germany. Complete the table provided.Show worked answer →
The Paper 3 "inference" question (4 marks). Two marks per inference: state an inference, then support it with a detail from the source. Use the source.
Inference one. I can infer that women were expected to focus on motherhood and the home. (Detail from the source: it shows a mother surrounded by children, suggesting their main role was to raise a family.)
Inference two. I can infer that the Nazis idealised women in a traditional role. (Detail from the source: the image presents the mother as healthy, calm and respected, implying this was the role the Nazis promoted.)
Full marks. Two supported inferences, each backed by a detail from the source. Two marks per inference.
Edexcel 202012 marksExplain why the Nazis tried to control young people in Germany.Show worked answer →
The Paper 3 "Explain why" question (12 marks). Reward at least three developed reasons.
Reason one (to secure the future). The Nazis wanted loyal future soldiers, mothers and party members, so controlling the young would secure the Thousand-Year Reich.
Reason two (through education and youth groups). Schools taught Nazi ideas (race, history and PE), and the Hitler Youth and League of German Maidens trained boys for war and girls for motherhood, shaping beliefs from an early age.
Reason three (to weaken rival influences). By dominating young people's time and ideas, the Nazis reduced the influence of parents, Churches and other loyalties. Conclude by linking these to total control of the young.
Top band. Three developed reasons, each with detail, explaining the control of youth.
Related dot points
- The creation of the Nazi dictatorship 1933 to 39: the Reichstag Fire and Enabling Act, the removal of opposition, the Night of the Long Knives, the death of Hindenburg, and the machinery of control (the SS, Gestapo, propaganda and censorship).
A focused answer to Key Topic 3 of Edexcel's Weimar and Nazi Germany depth study, covering the Reichstag Fire and Enabling Act, the removal of opposition, the Night of the Long Knives, the death of Hindenburg, and the police state of the SS, Gestapo, propaganda and censorship.
- Hitler's rise to power 1919 to 33: the early Nazi Party and the Munich Putsch, the lean years of 1924 to 28, the impact of the Depression after 1929, the growth of Nazi support, and Hitler's appointment as Chancellor in January 1933.
A focused answer to Key Topic 2 of Edexcel's Weimar and Nazi Germany depth study, covering the early Nazi Party and the Munich Putsch, the lean years of 1924 to 28, the impact of the Depression, the reasons for growing Nazi support, and Hitler's appointment as Chancellor in 1933.
- Nazi racial policy and the persecution of minorities (Jews, and other groups), the events of Kristallnacht, the policy towards the racial state, and the Nazi economy of rearmament and self-sufficiency before 1939.
A focused answer to Nazi racial policy and the economy in Edexcel's Weimar and Nazi Germany depth study, covering the persecution of Jews and other minorities, the Nuremberg Laws and Kristallnacht, the idea of the racial state, and the Nazi economy of rearmament and self-sufficiency before 1939.
- The Weimar Republic 1918 to 29: its origins after defeat in the First World War, the strengths and weaknesses of the new constitution, the impact of the Treaty of Versailles, the crisis of 1923 (the Ruhr and hyperinflation), and the Stresemann recovery.
A focused answer to Key Topic 1 of Edexcel's Weimar and Nazi Germany depth study, covering the origins of the Republic, the new constitution, the impact of the Treaty of Versailles, the 1923 crisis (the Ruhr occupation and hyperinflation), and the Stresemann recovery and cultural revival.
- Planning and writing the 16-mark 'How far do you agree' essay across the Edexcel papers, building a balanced, well-supported argument and judgement, and earning the spelling, punctuation and grammar marks.
A focused answer to the Edexcel GCSE History 16-mark essay, explaining how to plan and write a balanced 'How far do you agree' answer with a clear argument and judgement, how to use evidence and stimulus points, and how to earn the SPaG marks.
Sources & how we know this
- Pearson Edexcel GCSE (9-1) History (1HI0) specification — Pearson Edexcel (2016)