Holocaust Memorial Day 2013 - a survivor's story

Sunday 27 January 2013 will mark this years Holocaust Memorial Day - the date when Auschwitz was liberated in 1945.

The BBC will be showing a programme entitled 'Prisoner Number A26188: Henia Bryer' on Sunday evening at 22:25 on BBC One.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b01qfr39

The BBC News website is also running an article about Henia Bryer and her Holocaust survival story. The article can be read here:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-21200051

The Dark Charisma of Adolf Hitler

Starting on BBC2 tonight (12 November 2012), the first of 3 episodes looking at the charisma and personality of Adolf Hitler. Written by Lawrence Rees', aclaimed for his previous series 'Nazis: A Warning from History' and 'Auschwitz: the Nazis and the 'Final Solution', this will be recommended viewing!

'Adolf Hitler seemed an unlikely leader - fuelled by anger, incapable of forming normal human relationships and unwilling to debate political issues. Such was the depth of his hatred that he would become a war criminal arguably without precedent in history. Yet this strange character was once loved by millions. How was this possible, and what role did Hitler's alleged 'charisma' play in his success?'

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b01p01pm

Read an introductory article here... http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-20237437

I was Hitler's neighbour...

A fascinating article about a young German Jewish boy, Edgar Feuchtwanger, who lived on the same street as Hitler in the 1930s. The article details what life was like for him and his family in the 1930s and mentions schooling, Kristaknacht, and it was like living in the same street as the Fuhrer.

Read the article here... http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-20210025

You can also listen to a podacst of the interview with Feuchtwanger here... http://www.bbc.co.uk/podcasts/series/witness

There are also some other interesting podcasts here which may be of interest, such as the one on Lebensborn, the Nazi's secret plan to breed pure Ayran children.

Nazi Legacy: What's in a name?

The names of Himmler, Goering, Goeth and Hoess still have the power to evoke the horrors of Nazi Germany, but what is it like to live with the legacy of those surnames, and is it ever possible to move on from the terrible crimes committed by your ancestors?

Read the full article from the BBC here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-18120890

ww2history.com now free to all!

ww2history.com

This fantastic website, created and maintained by the acclaimed historian Laurence Rees, is now free to all, having previously been only available on subscription.

It is packed with a whole wealth of information which is helpful for the 'From Kaiser to Fuhrer' unit such as an interactive timeline, videos, interviews with leading historians and first hand testimonies.

I will also add some links to the quick link sections as I come across items which tie-in directly to the course, but well worth a look...

http://ww2history.com/

Auschwitz - Then and Now

BBC News article about the publication of a book by the Auschwitz-Birkenau State Museum in Poland. The book shows photographs taken in the extermination camp alongside pictures of the same locations as they are today.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/in-pictures-17095519

New book - 'Eva Braun. Life with Hitler'

A new book on Eva Braun and her role within the inner circle of the Nazi Party.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/books/bookreviews/8874350/Eva-Braun-Life-withHitler-review.html



It is receiving rave reviews in many circles and is said to challenege many of the myths surrounding the role of Eva Braun.

http://www.life.com/gallery/57511/image/109852765/rare-eva-brauns-private-photos#index/0

Preparing for the exam...

I have added some new pages which contain past exam question for each section of the exam. Simply click on the links at the top of this page to access the new pages.


In terms of what will come up... who knows... but what we do know is what will be in Section B!! 
 
Section B will contain one question on each of the controversies. There will be a question on, how responsble was Germany for WW1, and there will be a question on how popular was the Nazi regime.
 
As for Section A... Section A will have questions from 2 of the 4 topics from the specification. These topics are:
 
The Second Reich, c.1900-1919
The Weimar Republic, 1919-1929
The rise of the Nazis, from formation to 1934
Life in Nazi Germany, 1939-45

An excellent website on Nazi Germany

An excellent website on Nazi Germany.

Some really useful summaries of key information and of key individuals.

http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/GERnazigermany.htm

Advice for Section B - Source answers

My top 10 tips to help you with the Source question in section B...

1. Read and analyse the sources carefully, making brief notes by the side to save you time later on. Relate what you have read back to the question.

2. Plan your answers before you start writing.

3. The number of marks is proportional to the time you have (ish)

4. Use the sources as the basis of your answer. This will help keep you focussed. Remeber to give examples from the sources to support your argument.

5. Use contextual knowledge - on Section B questions more marks are awarded for your own knowledge! Use this information to put the sources into context.

6. Cross reference individual points, rather than the sources as a whole.

7. Develop inferences (what does the source suggest to you?) and support these with evidence.

8. Analyse the provenance (Nature, Origin, Purpose). Evaluate the significance of the source and its reliabilty, if appropriate.

9. Weight up the evidence, especially if is asks you for a judgement, eg How far...

10. Dont generalise the sources. Judge each source on its own merits, eg, not all private letters are reliable.

Germany during WW1

A detail article looking at Germany during WW1.

The full article can be found at:

http://www.firstworldwar.com/features/germanyduringww1.htm

Or click the links to read about the following

The Schlieffen Plan

The Battle of the Marne

Falkenhayn and the war of attrition

War on the Home Front

Unrestricted submarine warfare

War and Peace 1918

A bit of fun... causes of WW1 simulation game

Something a little bit different and to give you a break from the heavy load of historiography...

http://www.activehistory.co.uk/WW1_CAUSES/ENGLISH/frameset.htm

Historiography of the Causes of WW1

An excellent summary of the historiography surrounding the outbreak of WW1.

http://www.johndclare.net/causesWWI_Answer1.htm

War by timetable

How far were plans for the 'next war' responsible for the outbreak of war in 1914?

Germany had the 'Schlieffen Plan'

France had 'Plan 17'

Austria Hungary had Plans B and R

Click here to read more...

http://www.firstworldwar.com/features/plans.htm

More detail can be found here...

http://www.worldwar1.com/tlwplans.htm

Edexcel textbook - NEW!

The Edexcel textbook for this unit has now been released.

Available here and all other book sellers!

Sample chapters are also available:

http://community.edexcel.com/files/folders/history/entry1262.aspx