History · Year 11

Active learning ideas

The SA and Political Violence

Active learning works for this topic because students need to grapple with the mechanics of how democracy was dismantled through legal and extra-legal means. By engaging in debates, evidence analysis, and structured discussions, students confront the reality that oppression often wears the mask of legitimacy, making the historical processes tangible and memorable.

• National Curriculum Attainment Targets
• GCSE: History - Weimar and Nazi Germany

• 15–40 min
• Pairs → Whole Class
• 3 activities

Activity 01

• Inquiry Circle
• 30 min · Small Groups

Inquiry Circle: The Fire Evidence

Students act as 'historical detectives' examining the evidence surrounding the Reichstag Fire. They look at the arrest of Marinus van der Lubbe and the Nazi response, debating whether it was a lucky break for Hitler or a planned 'false flag' operation.

Explain the primary functions of the SA in the Nazi Party's rise to power.

Facilitation Tip

For Collaborative Investigation, assign small groups distinct primary sources (police reports, Nazi propaganda, communist testimonies) to encourage close reading and peer accountability.

What to look for

Provide students with a short primary source quote describing an SA rally or confrontation. Ask them to write two sentences explaining how this event contributed to an 'atmosphere of fear' and one specific function the SA served for the Nazi Party.

• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Create
• Self-Management
• Self-Awareness

Activity 02

• Role Play
• 40 min · Whole Class

Mock Parliamentary Debate: The Enabling Act

Set up the classroom as the Kroll Opera House. Some students represent the Nazis (using intimidation), while others represent the Centre Party and the SPD. They must decide whether to vote for the Act, experiencing the atmosphere of fear that surrounded the actual vote.

Analyze the role political violence played in the German elections of 1932.

Facilitation Tip

In the Mock Parliamentary Debate, assign roles (Nazi supporter, centrist, communist) to push students to defend positions they may not personally hold, deepening empathy and critical analysis.

What to look for

Pose the question: 'To what extent was political violence, specifically the actions of the SA, a necessary component for the Nazi Party's rise to power by 1933?' Facilitate a class discussion where students must support their arguments with specific examples of SA activities and their consequences.

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

Activity 03

• Think-Pair-Share
• 15 min · Pairs

Think-Pair-Share: The End of Liberty

Students read the terms of the 'Protection of People and State' decree. They discuss in pairs which suspended right (e.g., freedom of press, freedom of assembly) was most damaging to the opposition's ability to fight back.

Assess the extent to which the SA's actions contributed to the breakdown of law and order.

Facilitation Tip

During Think-Pair-Share, circulate to listen for misconceptions about legality versus morality, and redirect discussions to the 'veneer of legality' concept explicitly.

What to look for

Present students with a list of actions (e.g., 'holding rallies', 'protecting Nazi speakers', 'clashing with communists', 'disrupting opposition meetings'). Ask them to identify which actions were primarily carried out by the SA and explain the intended effect of at least two of these actions on political opponents.

• Understand
• Apply
• Analyze
• Self-Awareness
• Relationship Skills

A few notes on teaching this unit

Teachers should emphasize the dual nature of Nazi tactics—using violence to intimidate while simultaneously manipulating legal and parliamentary procedures. Avoid framing Hitler’s rise as inevitable; instead, focus on contingency and human agency. Research in historical thinking suggests students benefit from confronting primary sources directly to challenge oversimplified narratives about power and control.

Students will understand how the Nazis exploited crises to legislate authoritarian control while maintaining a façade of legality. Success looks like students articulating the sequence of events, the role of institutions like the Reichstag, and the function of violence in consolidating power, supported by specific evidence from activities.

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Watch Out for These Misconceptions

• During Collaborative Investigation, watch for students assuming the Reichstag Fire was definitively started by the Nazis. Correction: Have groups weigh contradictory evidence (e.g., van der Lubbe’s confession, Nazi inconsistencies) and present findings to the class, modeling how historians handle uncertainty.

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Methods used in this brief

• Inquiry Circle
• Role Play
• Think-Pair-Share