1. Group Presentations

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Lesson Objectives
To research and create a presentation that compares the aims, achievements, and failures of the domestic policies of authoritarian states

​Lesson Tasks

1. ​Download, read the instructions, and make notes from the Lesson PowerPoint.
2. Each group will research and prepare both a 5-10 minutes Presentation and an accompanying factsheet comparing one aspect of domestic policy from the rule of Hitler and Mao. The choices are: economic policy; political policy; social policy; cultural policy; policy towards women; policy toward minorities.
3. For each presentation, you must include the following information:
   1. What were the aims of this policy?
   2. What were the achievements of this policy?
   3. What were the failures of this policy?
   4. What similarities and differences were there between the two authoritarian leaders?
   5. Perspectives - present at least two rival historians' viewpoints
   6. Conclusion - make a judgement on the overall success and significance of this policy for each leader
4. The factsheets must be at least one A4 side and include detailed information suitable for revision purposes.
5. Once finished, complete this shared comparative table, inputting research information for your groups' area of focus.

Hitler's Germany

• Layton, G. (2011). Access to History: From Second Reich to Third Reich: Germany 1918-45. London: Hodder
  • Economy: 157-185​
  • Education & Youth: 185-191
  • Religion: 192-198
  • Women: 198-204
  • Culture: 204-207
  • Opposition/Minorities/Holocaust: 208-225
  • Propaganda: 235-239
  • Foreign Policy: 245-257

Further Reading

• Lee, S.J. (1998). Questions and Analysis in History: Hitler and Nazi Germany. London: Routledge
• Todd, A. (2002). The European Dictatorships: Hitler, Stalin, Mussolini. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press

Mao's China

• Lynch, M. (2008). ​Access to History: The People's Republic of China 1949-1976. ​London: Hodder
  • Religion: 108-112
  • Women: 112-120
  • Culture: 121-124
  • Education: 124-129
  • Opposition: 129-131
  • Foreign Policy: 134-154
  • Economy: 34-70

Further Reading

• Chang, J. (2005). Mao: The Unknown Story.
• Spence, J.D. (1990). The Search for Modern China. London: W.W. Norton and Company.

2. Revision Table

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Create  your own copy of a revision table like this and complete by researching and making notes on the domestic policies of authoritarian leaders. This will help you to revise in a comparative way.

Domestic Policy	Hitler 1933-1945	Mao 1949-1976
Economic Policy
Political Policy
Cultural Policy
Social Policy
Policy towards women
Policy towards minorities

3. Revision Questions

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When comparing and contrasting the domestic policies of Authoritarian leaders, the following questions maybe useful to you to help you think more analytically about each topic. Try to debate these questions or brainstorm your ideas on them. In thinking about them, you are thinking analytically about the similarities and differences in approach between the authoritarian rulers. This will help you to make critical analysis and evaluative points in your essays:

Economic Policy

• ​What were the aims of policy?
• To what extent did economic policy serve non-economic ends (political and military perhaps?)
• To what extent did standards of living improve?
• Did some sections of society fare better than others?
• Were differences between rich and poor narrowed?
• Compare the impact of economic policy on industry and agriculture.
• Compare the economic performance of countries you have studied with other contemporary countries' economies.
• Were the countries' economies more successful at some times, compared with others?

​Culture and Media Policy

• ​How high a value was placed on culture?
• Were some aspects of culture and the media considered more important than others?
• How, to what extent, and with what results, were (a) the media and (b) culture controlled by the state?
• What was the impact on the quality and variety of culture and the media?
• What balance was struck between indoctrination and entertainment?
• To what extent was culture the product of collective endeavour?

Foreign Policy

• ​What were the aims of policy?
• ​To what extent did foreign policy serve non-foreign policy ends?
• ​To what extent did foreign policy reflect the ideological concerns of the rulers?
• To what extent did foreign policy increase domestic support for the ruler?
  

Education and Youth Policy

• ​What were the aims of policy?
• To what extent was a new system of education introduced?
• What was the relative value placed upon intellectual achievement, physical education and indoctrination?
• What was the balance between academic study and manual labour?
• What was the impact on syllabuses and curricula?
• What was the impact on the teaching profession?
• Did females receive equal treatment?
• What was the reaction of young people?
• Did university education flourish?

Policy towards Women

• ​What were the aims of policy?
• ​To what extent did women work outside the home?
• To what extent were women treated equally in the workplace?
  
• To what extent did women play a part in politics?
  
• To what extent did females receive an equal education?
  
• What support was given to working mothers?
  
• How did the state view the legal position of women, especially in terms of divorce, abortion and birth control?
  

​Policy towards Religion and Minorities

• ​What was the position of religion before revolution?
• ​What was attitude of the authoritarian rulers to religion?
• To what extent did religion threaten the state?
  
• To what extent was religion discouraged and how?
  
• Was religion stronger or weaker as a result of policy, in the short and long term?
  
• To what extent were the rights of minorities respected or removed?
  
• To what extent were minorities the victims of persecution?