Teacher's Notes link to National Curriculum On-line

Was Hitler a Passionate Lunatic?

PRO Ref: Source 1 - FO371/20733, Source 2 - FO371/20733, Source 3 - INF 13/217, Source 4 - FO 408/67

This exercise is good for getting pupils to look at conflicting evidence and assessing their reliability. The two accounts from German portray Hitler in the lunatic light whereas the biography makes him sound quite astute. The cartoon, on the other hand clearly exaggerates Hitler’s characterisitics. However, it does bear some resemblence to the film footage of him at Nazi Party rallies!

This exercise can be used as an introduction to looking at the issue of appeasement and the decisions that were made in the run up to the outbreak of the war. It may help pupils who find it difficult to understand why Britain did not stop Hitler earlier.

A Writing Frame is provided below for those pupils who need some support in order to produce an extended answer.

Writing Frame: Was Hitler a Passionate Lunatic?

 

Sources 1 to 4 are about ...

 

Source 1 suggests that ....

 

The point of view expressed in Source 1 is supported by Source ...

This source gives the impression that ...

 

However, it may not be wise to make a judgement only on these sources because ...

 

On the other hand Source ... seems to indicate that Hitler was ...

 

Taken as a whole, the evidence in Sources 1-4 presents a picture of Hitler that ...

 

Therefore, I feel that Hitler was ... because ...

Schemes of Work logo

Standards link Hot war, cold war: why did twentieth-century conflicts affect so many people? KS 3/4

Standards link How and why did the Holocaust happen? KS 3/4

 

Up