The growth of unemployment and rise in support for the Communist Party
Lesson details
Learning outcome
I can explain how the Great Depression led to increased support for the Communist Party in Germany.
Key learning points
- The Wall Street Crash of 1929 triggered a global depression, devastating Germany’s economy.
- American loans funding German businesses were withdrawn and German industry collapsed leading to mass unemployment.
- The Weimar government failed to manage the crisis, with Hindenburg using Article 48, fuelling distrust in democracy.
- Desperation led many unemployed workers to support the Communists, who promised them control over the economy.
- Fear of communism drove many toward Hitler, and violent clashes between Nazis and Communists escalated.
Keywords
Depression - in this context, a period of economic hardship in which there is very little business activity and not many jobs
Common misconception
Pupils may think that most unemployed Germans turned to communism.
While the Communist Party gained support, many Germans, especially the middle class and business owners, feared communism and instead supported the Nazis as a defence against a potential revolution.
Teacher tip
Role-play: Pupils invest in companies, track shares, and take loans as the economy booms. When demand falls, they sell at a loss, and banks call in debts. They update balance sheets (student, bank, company) each round, seeing wealth rise and collapse—visualising the domino effect of a crash.
Content guidance
Depiction or discussion of discriminatory behaviour
Depiction or discussion of sensitive content
Depiction or discussion of violence or suffering
Depiction or discussion of violence or suffering
Depiction or discussion of serious crime
Supervision
Adult supervision required
Licence
Lesson video
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Prior knowledge starter quiz
6 Questions
Q1.What happened to Nazi support during Germany’s economic recovery in the mid-1920s?
Q2.__________ Kampf was significant because it outlined Hitler’s ideological foundation and argued that gaining power legally was more effective than paramilitary violence.
Q3.Where were there small signs of growth for the Nazi Party between 1924 and 1928?
Q4.Match the key figures with their role in the Nazi Party.
leader of the Nazi Party
SA leader who clashed with Hitler
local Nazi leader in the north
Q5.By 1928, what strengths did the Nazi Party have despite its limited support?
Q6.What was the role of the SS (Schutzstaffel) in the Nazi Party?
Assessment exit quiz
6 Questions
Q1.What event triggered the global economic depression that devastated Germany?
Q2.The withdrawal of American __________ after the US economic crash caused German businesses to collapse.
Q3.What was the name of the global economic hardship caused by the US economic crash?
Q4.Starting with the earliest, sort these events into chronological order.
Q5.Chancellor __________ responded to the economic crisis by cutting wages and unemployment benefits, which worsened unemployment and deepened public suffering.
Q6.Why did some Germans support the Nazis instead of the Communist Party (KPD) during the economic depression?
To help you plan your 11 history lesson on: The growth of unemployment and rise in support for the Communist Party, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...
To help you plan your 11 history lesson on: The growth of unemployment and rise in support for the Communist Party, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs.
The starter quiz will activate and check your pupils' prior knowledge, with versions available both with and without answers in PDF format.
We use learning cycles to break down learning into key concepts or ideas linked to the learning outcome. Each learning cycle features explanations with checks for understanding and practice tasks with feedback. All of this is found in our slide decks, ready for you to download and edit. The practice tasks are also available as printable worksheets and some lessons have additional materials with extra material you might need for teaching the lesson.
The assessment exit quiz will test your pupils' understanding of the key learning points.
Our video is a tool for planning, showing how other teachers might teach the lesson, offering helpful tips, modelled explanations and inspiration for your own delivery in the classroom. Plus, you can set it as homework or revision for pupils and keep their learning on track by sharing an online pupil version of this lesson.
Explore more key stage 4 history lessons from the Weimar and Nazi Germany, 1918–39 unit, dive into the full secondary history curriculum, or learn more about lesson planning.