Night
Night: A WebQuest
During World War II, many Germans followed their leader, Adolf Hitler, in the running of concentration camps and in the murdering of millions of Jewish people as well as homosexuals and the disabled.
- How could someone willingly imprison and murder innocent people?
- Were these German soldiers innately evil?
- Were they somehow different from you or me?
- Would you have stood up for the Jewish people or would you have followed Hitler and the rest of the citizens?
For this webquest, you are a German citizen during World War II. You will be looking at the different aspects of life that German citizens experienced. You will be subject to the same propaganda that the Germans were and you’ll be making notes during each step. You will be carrying out several tasks along the way.
Before You Begin
- Open a document in Microsoft PowerPoint (highly-recommended) or Corel Presentations and save it as ‘webquest’. Your responses will be completed in the form of a presentation, each question on a new slide. Please create a cover slide for this web quest. All responses should include representative photos as well.
Question One: The Rise of the Nazi Party
- As a German citizen, you have found yourself an unemployed soldier after World War I. The Nazi party wants your support. Research the following links to learn about how the Nazi party came to power.
- Your reflection question is: What aspects of the Nazi party would have seemed appealing to you as it rose to power? Would it have been enough to make you join in the days before the war?
- Web Link:
Question Two: Propaganda
- Whether you chose to join the Nazi party or not is now no longer an issue. They have seized the government and they have begun to put their plans into motion. However, they still need the support of fellow Germans if they are to carry out something like the Holocaust while also fighting a World War. Hitler was known for his incredible use of propaganda during this time period. German propaganda during WWII is still one of the most common examples of propaganda.How affective was it? You decide. Find some links (and use the one below) to learn a bit about German propaganda and see some examples of it.
- Your reflection question is: What is it about propaganda that might appeal to a young person? Would propaganda like this have had an effect on you? Explain.
- Web Link:
Question Three: The Making of a Soldier
- You have served as a German soldier in World War I. Your country needs your service yet again. You have been assigned to be a SS (Schutzstaffel) soldier.As an SS soldier you began as a unit of the army that served as Hitler’s bodyguards. Later, you are assigned as concentration camp guards. Use these links to find out about the German army. You can look at uniforms, copies of orders sent, and brief overviews of the different factions of the army.
- Your reflection question is: What did it mean to be a German solider during WWII and The Holocaust?
- Web Links:
Question Four: Welcome to Auschwitz
- In the novel Night, a life at Auschwitz consisted of hard labor, constant physical and mental abuse, and an all encompassing fear of death. Elie Wiesel expressed the effects of Auschwitz on him. What, then, were the effects of Auschwitz on the SS soldiers who guarded the camp? SS soldiers like you for instance. Look through these images of concentration camps. These images would have been what you as a soldier saw everyday. How might this affect you?
- Your reflection here is not a direct question. Simply view these images and then write a reflection as an SS officer about what it is you witness daily.
- Web Links:
Question Five: Personal Stories
- The final question in this WebQuest asks you to look at and compare two personal stories from survivors of the Holocaust, like Elie Wiesel. Using the site below, find and read two of the brief accounts, comment upon what you have read, and offer your own opinions.
- Web Link:
