The persecution of Jews
Lesson details
Learning outcome
I can describe how the Nazis' persecution of Jews changed between 1933 and 1939.
Key learning points
- Nazi persecution of Jews escalated gradually.
- The 1933 boycott marked the first state-backed antisemitic action by the Nazi regime.
- The Nuremberg Laws of 1935 legally stripped Jews of citizenship and rights in Germany.
- Kristallnacht in 1938 was a state-orchestrated pogrom falsely presented as public outrage.
- By 1939, Nazi persecution intensified amid fears of war and the drive to remove Jews from German life.
Keywords
Conspiracy - a secret plan by a group to do something unlawful or harmful
Boycott - a situation in which people refuse to buy, use or do something because they do not approve of it
Antisemitism - hate directed at Jewish people, or cruel or unfair treatment of people because they are Jewish
Citizenship - the status of being a legal member of a country and having rights and responsibilities because of it
Pogrom - an act of organised cruel behaviour or killing that is done to a large group of people because of their race or religion
Common misconception
Hitler invented antisemitism.
Antisemitism had deep roots across Europe and the wider world long before Hitler. The Nazis built on these longstanding prejudices, turning them into official state policy and using them to justify persecution.
Teacher tip
Give pupils a set of Nazi actions (e.g. 1933 boycott, Nuremberg Laws, Kristallnacht, dismissal of Jewish teachers, red ‘J’ passport stamps). In pairs, they rate each 1–10 for severity and justify. Then reorder them to show how persecution escalated.
Content guidance
Depiction or discussion of discriminatory behaviour
Depiction or discussion of discriminatory behaviour
Depiction or discussion of sensitive content
Depiction or discussion of serious crime
Depiction or discussion of violence or suffering
Depiction or discussion of violence or suffering
Supervision
Adult supervision required
Licence
Lesson video
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Prior knowledge starter quiz
6 Questions
Q1.What was the main goal of Nazi racial ideology?
Q2.Match each Nazi belief to its correct description.
to improve society through selective reproduction based on genetics
to improve the population through selective reproduction based on race
a medical operation to make it impossible to have children
Q3.The Nazis believed that were racially inferior and only fit to be used as enslaved people for Germans.
Q4.Which of the following statements reflect Nazi racial beliefs as described by Hitler and the Nazi Party?
Q5.The Nazis sent Roma and Sinti people to camps before later deporting them.
Q6.What does the Nazi term 'untermensch' mean?
Assessment exit quiz
6 Questions
Q1.Why did the Nazis back down after the April 1933 boycott?
Q2.The Nuremberg Laws of 1935 stripped Jews of their and banned marriage between Jews and ‘Aryans’.
Q3.Why was the Nazi persecution of Jews difficult to predict in the early 1930s?
Q4.Which of the following were actions taken by the Nazi regime after Kristallnacht?
Q5.The Nazis built on deep-rooted beliefs, turning them into official state policy to justify persecution.
Q6.What was the goal of the Reich Centre for Jewish Emigration, created in January 1939?
To help you plan your 11 history lesson on: The persecution of Jews, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...
To help you plan your 11 history lesson on: The persecution of Jews, 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.