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Teaching the Holocaust and other Genocides

Affidavit of an American Educator in Germany

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Activity Overview
Students will analyze excerpts of the Nuremberg trial affidavit of Gregor Ziemer, an American educator in Germany, to understand Nazi ideology as inculcated through both the formal educational system and youth organizations. 
Grade Level
10-12
ELA Standards for Literacy in History/Social Studies
RH1: Cite specific textual evidence to support analysis of primary and secondary sources.
RH2: Determine the central ideas or information of a primary or secondary source; provide an accurate, objective summary of the source distinct from prior knowledge or opinions.
RH8: Distinguish among fact, opinion, and reasoned judgment in a text. Identify and distinguish between a primary and secondary source on the same topic.
WHST7: Draw evidence from informational texts to support analysis, reflection, and research.
Social Studies Framework
10.5 UNRESOLVED GLOBAL CONFLICT (1914–1945): World War I and World War II led to geopolitical changes, human and environmental devastation, and attempts to bring stability and peace.
10.5d Nationalism and ideology played a significant role in shaping the period between the world wars.
10.5e Human atrocities and mass murders occurred in this time period.
SEL Benchmarks
2A. Recognize and build empathy for the feelings and perspectives of others.
2B. Recognize and affirm individual identities as well as individual and group similarities and differences, including those rooted in culture, ethnicity, race, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, ability, etc.
3A: Consider individual and collective social, emotional, and physical safety and well-being, as well as social context in making decisions.
Objectives
Students will analyze excerpts from the Nuremberg trial affidavit of Gregor Ziemer to identify key elements of Nazi ideology as presented through education and youth programs.
Students will explain how the Nazi regime used the formal education system and youth organizations to indoctrinate children and shape societal beliefs.
Students will evaluate the role of educators and institutions in promoting totalitarian ideology, considering the ethical implications of education used as a tool for propaganda.

Essential Questions 
  1. How do Nazi educational practices and curriculum explain Nazi ideology? 
  2. How did educational practices support the Nazi belief that the history of the world is race struggle, and only so-called Aryans are superior and have the ability to create culture. 
  3. According to the Nazis, what were acceptable male roles, and what were acceptable female roles? 
Materials

Excerpts from the Ziemer Affidavit

Historical Background 

Gregor Ziemer was an American educator and author who played a significant role in exposing the indoctrination practices of Nazi Germany, particularly regarding youth education. He lived and worked in Germany during the 1930s as the head of the American School in Berlin and had firsthand experience observing the Nazi education system which formed the basis of his book  "Education for Death: The Making of the Nazi" (1941), in which he detailed how the Nazi regime systematically indoctrinated in both schools and youth organizations children and young people which contributed to Nazi atrocities. In 1943, Walt Disney Productions released a short, animated film also called "Education for Death," which starkly depicted the brutal conditioning of German youth. In the United States, both the book and cartoon were used as propaganda to highlight the dangers of totalitarianism.   

The Nuremberg Trials, held from 1945 to 1949, were a series of military tribunals aimed at prosecuting prominent leaders of Nazi Germany for war crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocide. An affidavit by Ziemer was introduced by the prosecuting attorneys. Baldur von Schirach, one of the defendants at the trials, challenged Ziemer’s credibility.  He alleged that Ziemer’s writings contained inaccuracies and were more propagandistic than objective, and therefore he questioned the authenticity of his observations. Ziemer’s affidavit remained part of the trial records, providing insight into the Nazi educational system’s role in shaping German youth. 

Procedure

  1. Divide the class into three groups in which the students will read excerpts from Document 2441-PS (the Nuremberg affidavit of Gregor Ziemer) and answer questions. The groups will then report out to the class the relevance of their sections.   

  2. Distribute the excerpt from Gregor Ziemer’s affidavit, which provides a thorough description of Nazi education and the Hitler Youth. Emphasize that the full document was entered into evidence at the Nuremberg Trial, but the provided excerpt will suffice for this activity. 

Excerpts from Ziemer Affidavit

Group 1 Questions: Excerpts from pages 13-49 

  1. How does the passage on Page 13 reflect the Nazi regime's ideological stance on education and the perceived superiority of German culture? 

  1. What role does propaganda play in shaping the perceptions of both boys and girls in Nazi education? 

  1. Why were boys and girls given fundamentally different educational curricula, and how did this align with the broader Nazi vision of the future? 

  1. What does the emphasis on physical education for boys and domestic education for girls suggest about the Nazi ideal of masculinity and femininity? 

  1. How does the flexible approach to teaching history and biology (as described on Page 17) serve the Nazi agenda? 

  1. Why was it important for the Nazi regime to adjust educational content based on shifting political alliances and conquests? 

Group 3 Questions: Excerpt from pages 128-176 

  1. How did the separation of boys’ and girls’ education reflect Nazi priorities, and what long-term social implications did this create? 

  1. How did integrating chemistry and mathematics with military applications (like explosives and trajectory calculations) prepare students for wartime roles? 

  1. How did Nazi ideology dictate the personal relationships of youth, and what were the social consequences of these doctrines? 

  1. Why did Nazi youth training include exposure to brutality and suffering, and how did this prepare boys for their roles as soldiers? 

  1. How does the progression of oaths throughout a boy’s life reinforce unwavering loyalty to Hitler? 

  1. What are the dangers of promoting action without critical thought, and how did this ideology shape the Third Reich’s approach to education and governance? 

Group 2 Questions: Excerpts from pages 55-107 

  1. How does the uniform and structured lifestyle of the Pimpf serve as a tool of indoctrination for young boys? 

  1. What are the psychological effects of repeatedly instilling the concept of sacrifice and hardness in young boys? 

  1. How did the teaching of geography and racial theories distort young minds to perceive non-Germans as inferior or impure? 

  1. How does the geography teacher’s depiction of America as a “melting pot of undesirables” serve Nazi propaganda goals? 

  1. How did the focus on domestic science, eugenics, and physical education in girls’ schools reflect the Nazi vision of a woman's role in society? 

  1. Why did Nazi ideology emphasize the idea of reclaiming lost territory, and how did this shape the collective mindset of youth?

     

Analytical Questions to consider:  

  1. How does Ziemer portray the impact of Nazi education on youth mentality and What evidence from the text demonstrates the ways in which Nazi ideology infiltrated both the formal and informal aspects of education? 

  1. Analyze how Nazi education used both fear and pride to manipulate students' worldviews. 

  1. How does the concept of "Education for Death" reflect the Nazi regime’s broader social and political objectives? 

  1. What can be inferred about Nazi perceptions of cultural superiority based on the curriculum described? 

  1. How did the Nazis rationalize their education system's emphasis on physical prowess and military readiness over intellectual or creative pursuits? 

  1. What are the dangers of indoctrinating children to believe that sacrificing their lives for land is the ultimate honor? 

  1. How might the glorification of violence and martyrdom in Nazi youth education have impacted the children who grew up under the regime? 

  1. How did the combination of militaristic education, racial purity doctrines, and enforced loyalty contribute to the Nazi regime’s vision of an ideal German citizen?