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Students using primary sources



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2.4 Students using primary sources

According to the principles of the ‘New History’, students are encouraged to construct their own stories, explanations and interpretations. This involves examining and making decisions about sources of evidence. In this way, ‘inquiry’ is a key activity in History and SOSE classrooms. As an example, here’s a source that can be used by school students. It’s from a book written by a woman who joined the Hitler Youth as a young girl in Germany in the 1930s.


Inge Scholl recalls the Hitler Youth, 1961.

For we loved our homeland very much – the woods, the great river, and the old gray retaining walls that rose on the steep slopes between groves of fruit trees and vineyards. We were reminded of the smell of moss, of soft earth and spicy apples, when we thought of our homeland. And every square foot of it was known and very dear to us. Fatherland – what else was it but the greatest homeland of all who spoke the same language and belonged to the same people! … And Hitler, as we heard everywhere, Hitler wanted to bring greatness, happiness and well-being to this Fatherland; he wanted to see to it that everyone had work and bread; he would not rest or relax until every single German was an independent, free, and happy man in his Fatherland. We found this good, and in whatever might come to pass we were determined to help to the best of our ability. But there was yet one more thing that attracted us with a mysterious force and pulled us along – namely, the compact columns of marching youths with waving flags, eyes looking straight ahead, and the beat of drums and singing. Was it not overwhelming, this fellowship? Thus it was no wonder that all of us – Hans and Sophie and the rest of us – joined the Hitler Youth.

Inge Scholl, Die Weisse Rose, 1961.
Now, here are examples of the types of inquiry questions that a student could ask about the historical source:
Questions:


  1. Comprehension [identifying explicit information in the source]

Who wrote this account? What word does the author use when referring to Germany? What organisation did the author join?


  1. Interpretation [understanding implicit messages in the source]

The author says that Hitler wanted all Germans to have ‘bread’. In this passage, the word ‘bread’ probably means more than just bread itself. What else could it mean?


  1. Interpretation [identifying concepts represented by some words]

The author seems to enjoy discipline and order. What sentence, or parts of sentences, seems to show that?


  1. Interpretation [identifying values represented in the words]

The author seems to be ‘patriotic’. What sentence, or parts of sentences, seems to show that?


  1. Analysis [identifying the different themes in a passage]

The author describes her love of Germany. What are the other messages in this passage?


  1. Analysis [identifying the different parts of one idea in the passage]

What features of the German countryside does the author like?


  1. Evaluation [asking about the bias of the author]

What seems to be the author’s attitude towards Adolf Hitler? Quote part of the passage to support your answer.


  1. Evaluation [asking about the accuracy of the passage]

The author says that many people were attracted by the marching, the flags, the drums and the singing. How could she know this? Could her claim be inaccurate? Why? How could you go about checking the accuracy of her claim?


  1. Evaluation [asking about the honesty of the author]

This account was written in 1961, almost thirty years after the events it describes. By then, Hitler and Nazism were seen generally as evil forces in History. Would you expect Inge to be honest when recalling her role in the Hitler Youth, and her feelings at the time? Why, or why not? In 1938, Inge’s brother Hans and sister Sophie were executed by the Nazis for organising an anti-Nazi demonstration. Does that information affect how you treat her words? Why? Overall, do you think that Inge’s account is an honest and believable one? Explain.


  1. Evaluation [asking about the representativeness of the source]

Even if Inge is honest about her own feelings, does this prove that all or most young Germans were proud to be in the Hitler Youth? Why, or why not? How could you begin to find out about how other other young Germans thought and felt at that time? As well, remember that this extract is a brief fragment of a much longer book written by Inge. What would you like to ask about what Inge wrote in the rest of the book? Why?

2.5 Students making judgments

All of the answers to the questions above can be used by the student when making a judgment, or an interpretation, about the place of the Hitler Youth in German History. In this case, the particular question being pursued might be: ‘Why did young Germans join the Hitler Youth movement in the 1930s?'. When students make a judgment, it’s important that they acknowledge that they can’t be one hundred per cent positive about that judgment. So their answer might begin: ‘Some important historical sources suggest that many young Germans were keen to join the Hitler Youth. They seemed to be motivated by national pride and their love of Hitler, and also by the strong fellowship that they enjoyed in the Hitler Youth’. At some stage, however, we would expect that students would acknowledge that not all German youth felt that way. We would expect that they would refer to evidence of dissent, reluctance or apathy.





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