Concentration Camps Pre-1939

Active learning helps students grasp the nuanced evolution of concentration camps before 1939 by making abstract historical processes concrete. When students analyse sources, debate perspectives, and map changes over time, they move beyond memorisation to understand how systems developed gradually and how different groups were affected differently.

• Year 11
• History
• 4 activities
• 35 min–50 min

Learning Objectives

1. Identify the initial groups targeted by concentration camps established before 1939 and explain the stated purpose for their internment.
2. Analyze the gradual expansion of the concentration camp system, tracing its evolution from holding political dissidents to wider societal control.
3. Evaluate the methods used by the Nazi regime to disseminate information about concentration camps and assess their impact on public awareness and fear.
4. Compare the legal status of individuals detained in early concentration camps versus those interned in later stages of the system.

Jigsaw

⏱ 50 min·Small Groups

Jigsaw: Phases of Camp Evolution

Divide class into expert groups, each assigned a phase (1933 political prisons, 1934-1935 expansion, 1936-1938 terror tools, 1938-1939 pre-war scale). Groups analyse provided sources then regroup to teach peers and co-create a class timeline. Conclude with whole-class synthesis of changes.

Prepare & details

Explain the initial purpose and target groups of the concentration camps before 1939.

Facilitation Tip: For the Jigsaw activity, assign each expert group a phase of camp evolution and provide a set of primary sources to annotate before teaching their findings to classmates.

Setup: Flexible seating for regrouping

Materials: Expert group reading packets, Note-taking template, Summary graphic organizer

• Understand
• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Relationship Skills
• Self-Management

Experiential Learning

⏱ 45 min·Pairs

Source Carousel: Targets Over Time

Set up six stations with primary sources (photos, reports, prisoner accounts) on different target groups. Pairs spend 5 minutes per station noting purpose shifts, then return to base to compile evidence into a table. Discuss patterns as a class.

Prepare & details

Analyze how the concentration camp system evolved from political prisons to instruments of terror.

Facilitation Tip: During the Source Carousel, place targets on separate stations and have students rotate in small groups to record evidence on a shared chart, forcing them to compare and contrast Nazi policies over time.

Setup: Varies; may include outdoor space, lab, or community setting

Materials: Experience setup materials, Reflection journal with prompts, Observation worksheet, Connection-to-content framework

• Apply
• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Self-Awareness
• Self-Management
• Social Awareness

Experiential Learning

⏱ 40 min·Small Groups

Role Cards: Psychological Impact Debate

Distribute role cards representing ordinary Germans (shopkeeper, teacher, worker). In small groups, students use evidence to argue how camp knowledge affected daily life and compliance. Vote on strongest impacts and link to Nazi control.

Prepare & details

Assess the psychological impact of the camps' existence on the wider German population.

Facilitation Tip: For the Role Cards debate, assign roles that represent different societal perspectives (e.g., prisoner, guard, journalist) and require students to use evidence from their previous activities to justify their positions.

Setup: Varies; may include outdoor space, lab, or community setting

Materials: Experience setup materials, Reflection journal with prompts, Observation worksheet, Connection-to-content framework

• Apply
• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Self-Awareness
• Self-Management
• Social Awareness

Experiential Learning

⏱ 35 min·Pairs

Map It: Camp Network Growth

Provide blank Germany maps. Individuals or pairs plot camp locations from 1933-1939 using data cards, annotating target groups and purposes. Share maps in a gallery walk to assess national psychological reach.

Prepare & details

Explain the initial purpose and target groups of the concentration camps before 1939.

Facilitation Tip: In the Map It activity, provide an outline map and have students collaboratively plot the growth of the camp system, using data from the Jigsaw and Source Carousel to label each site and explain its significance.

Setup: Varies; may include outdoor space, lab, or community setting

Materials: Experience setup materials, Reflection journal with prompts, Observation worksheet, Connection-to-content framework

• Apply
• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Self-Awareness
• Self-Management
• Social Awareness

Teaching This Topic

Teaching this topic effectively requires balancing sensitivity with historical accuracy. Avoid presenting the camps as inevitable or monolithic; instead, emphasise how policies escalated in response to political and social contexts. Research shows that students engage more deeply when they see the camps as part of a broader system of control, not isolated events. Use structured discussions to help students process the emotional weight of the material while maintaining focus on evidence and analysis.

What to Expect

By the end of these activities, students will clearly distinguish between the early purpose of concentration camps and their later functions. They will identify key target groups at different phases and explain how fear, labour, and punishment were used to enforce conformity. Most importantly, they will challenge oversimplified assumptions through evidence-based discussion.

Watch Out for These Misconceptions

Common Misconception

During the Jigsaw: Phases of Camp Evolution, watch for students assuming camps targeted only Jews from the start.

What to Teach Instead

Direct students to the expert group materials for 1933-1935, which focus on political opponents, and ask them to present this evidence first before discussing later phases.

Common Misconception

During the Source Carousel: Targets Over Time, watch for students interpreting early camps as extermination centres.

What to Teach Instead

Have students highlight language in the 1933-1935 sources that describes forced labour, detainment, or 're-education,' and contrast it with later sources that describe harsher conditions.

Common Misconception

During the Role Cards: Psychological Impact Debate, watch for students oversimplifying public awareness or indifference.

What to Teach Instead

Prompt groups to cite specific evidence from the Source Carousel or Map It activity, such as media reports or prisoner releases, to support their claims about societal reactions.

Assessment Ideas

Discussion Prompt

After the Jigsaw: Phases of Camp Evolution, pose the question: 'How did the initial purpose of concentration camps differ from their function by 1938?' Ask students to identify at least two distinct target groups and two different reasons for internment for each period, citing evidence from their notes.

Quick Check

During the Source Carousel: Targets Over Time, provide students with a short, anonymized quote from a contemporary newspaper or personal letter discussing rumors of arrests or camps. Ask them to write one sentence explaining how this quote reflects the psychological impact of the camps on the German population.

Exit Ticket

After the Map It: Camp Network Growth, have students list one specific group targeted by early concentration camps and one specific group targeted by later camps. Then, ask them to write one sentence explaining a key difference in the *reason* for their internment.

Extensions & Scaffolding

• Challenge: Have students research and present on a lesser-known camp or prisoner group not covered in class, comparing its purpose and conditions to those studied in the activities.
• Scaffolding: Provide sentence stems for the Role Cards debate, such as "As a [role], I believe the psychological impact on society was _____ because..." to guide weaker students.
• Deeper exploration: Assign a comparative analysis of Nazi camps and other 20th-century detention systems (e.g., Soviet gulags, Japanese internment camps) to contextualise the uniqueness and commonalities of Nazi policies.

Key Vocabulary

Schutzstaffel (SS)	Initially Hitler's personal bodyguard, the SS grew into a vast organization responsible for state security, including the administration of concentration camps.
Reichstag Fire Decree	Issued after the 1933 Reichstag fire, this decree suspended civil liberties and allowed for the detention of political opponents without trial, facilitating the creation of early camps.
Gleichschaltung	The process of Nazi coordination, aiming to bring all aspects of society under the control of the Nazi Party. Concentration camps were a tool in enforcing this conformity.
Asocials	A broad category used by the Nazis to label individuals deemed undesirable or disruptive to the social order, including vagrants, alcoholics, and those considered racially inferior.