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Teaching the Holocaust and other Genocides

Flames of Intolerance: The 1933 Nazi Book Burnings and the Fight for Intellectual Freedom

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Activity Overview
This learning activity provides insight into how the Nazi ideology sought to eliminate ideas that contradicted their political beliefs. Students will also learn that books by Jewish, communist, socialist, and pacifist authors, as well as works of art deemed "degenerate," were targeted. The event served as both a symbolic and practical demonstration of the Nazis' attempt to control thought and culture. 
Grade Level
7-12
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.
RH7: Integrate visual information (e.g., in charts, graphs, photographs, videos, or maps) with other information in print and digital texts.
RH9: Analyze how two or more texts address similar themes or topics in order to build knowledge or to compare the approaches the authors take.
WHST6: Gather relevant information from multiple print and digital sources, using search terms effectively; assess the credibility and accuracy of each source.
WHST7: Draw evidence from informational texts to support analysis, reflection, and research.
Social Studies Framework
8.6 WORLD WAR II: The aggression of the Axis powers threatened United States security and led to its entry into World War II. The nature and consequences of warfare during World War II transformed the United States and the global community. The damage from total warfare and atrocities such as the Holocaust led to a call for international efforts to protect human rights and prevent future wars.
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.
SEL Benchmarks
1A. Identify and understand their emotions and how emotions relate to their actions. Use understanding of emotions to inform actions.
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 understand the historical context, motivations, and consequences of the Nazi book burnings in May 1933.  
Students will analyze primary source quotations from contemporaneous figures and evaluate the event’s symbolic significance in the broader scope of totalitarian control and resistance. 

Essential Questions
  • Why do authoritarian regimes often target intellectuals and writers? 
  • How does controlling knowledge shape people’s perceptions of reality? 
  • Can you think of modern examples where censorship of ideas has been used to control society? 
Materials

Book Burning Narrative
List of Targeted Authors
Quotations
Lyrics for Feuersprunge (English Translation)

Activity

Read the narrative, (distribute Feuersprunge lyrics, Targeted Authors) and answer discussion questions.  

Discussion Questions

1. What symbolic purposes did the Nazi book burnings serve, beyond simply destroying literature? 

2. How did the history of book burnings in Germany help make the Nazi burnings more acceptable or understandable to the public? 

3. Why were certain authors and books specifically targeted by the Nazi regime, and what did this reveal about their broader ideological goals? 

4. How did student groups, teachers, and librarians contribute to the book burnings, and what does this suggest about the role of ordinary citizens in enforcing totalitarian policies? 

5. What role did propaganda and media (like radio and film) play in amplifying the message of the book burnings? 

6. How did the attack on the Institute for Sexual Research reflect the Nazi Party's stance on sexuality, science, and minority rights? 

7. Why was the burning of books seen by the Nazis as necessary to “purify” German culture, and what dangers does this pose in any society? 

8. How did international reactions, such as those from Helen Keller and Albert Einstein, help to frame the Nazi book burnings on a global stage? 

9. In what ways does the Nazi campaign against “un-German” ideas resemble other historical or modern efforts to control or censor information? 

10. What lessons can we learn from the Nazi book burnings about the importance of protecting intellectual freedom and resisting censorship in today’s world? 

Quote Analysis (Group Work) 
Split students into small groups. Assign each group one quotation from the quotation page. Have them answer: 

  1. Who said it, and in what context? 
  2. What is the speaker warning against or defending? 
  3. How does this quotation reflect broader ideas about freedom and oppression? 
Culminating Activities
  • Essay Assignment: 
    • Write a 750–1000-word essay analyzing how the 1933 book burnings represented both symbolic and literal attacks on freedom. Use at least two quotations from the lesson and connect the event to other instances of censorship in history. 
  • Creative Writing Option: 
    • Imagine you come to school and your favorite book is removed from the library. You find out your two best friends’ favorite books were removed as well. Write a journal entry reflecting your thoughts and fears.
  • Write a Letter: Ask students to write a letter addressing book burnings. The letter should include: 
    • An expression of their views on the event. 
    • How they might feel about the censorship of ideas. 
    • What they believe should happen to the books and the ideas behind them. 
    • A final statement on the importance of free expression. 
  • Essay Assignment: Write a short essay discussing how censorship and the suppression of knowledge affect a society. Use the example of the Nazi Book Burnings and compare it to a modern example of censorship or control of information. 
  • Research Project: Choose a famous intellectual or writer who was targeted by the Nazi regime (e.g., Thomas Mann, Albert Einstein, Bertolt Brecht). Research their life and works, and write a report on how their ideas were suppressed and why their contributions were important.