AQA GCSE History – Germany, 1890–1945: Democracy and Dictatorship

Lesson Title: Hitler’s Move Towards Self-Sufficiency

This lesson explores how the Nazis attempted to make Germany economically self-sufficient (autarky) in the 1930s and evaluates how successful these policies were. Students examine the roles of Schacht and Goering, the Four Year Plan, artificial substitutes, and Nazi policies towards farmers.

Lesson includes:
Key vocabulary and definitions (agriculture, self-sufficiency, autarky).
Teacher-led input on Schacht’s trade deals, Goering’s Four Year Plan, and Nazi farming policies.
Student activities including recap questions, Bronze–Silver–Gold tasks, hinge questions, and peer assessment.
Exam practice: 4-mark “Describe two ways…” question with sentence starters.
Plenary: structured judgement on whether Hitler achieved self-sufficiency by 1939.

Outcomes:
Students will be able to describe and explain Nazi economic policies, assess their impact on farmers, and evaluate the overall success of Nazi attempts to achieve self-sufficiency.