Page 250 - Balancing between the present and the past

Appendix H: Historical contextualization test
Item 1
Dusseldorf, Germany in 1930. Hannes (20 years old) is the son of a man who owns a small factory that makes handmade shoes. One day Hannes meets with his friend Gerd. They talk about the situation in Germany and the upcoming elections. Hannes says: ‘My father’s company might close down. Since the war ended, everything is getting worse and worse. After the economic crisis of 1923, we began to feel some hope again. But now, it is worse than ever. I don’t know how this is going to end. Right now, I still have a job in my father’s business. But when he closes down, I have no idea where to get a job. We have always been wealthy people—and look at us now!’ Gerd replies. ‘You are right. What has happened to our country? Look at what is going on today. No one has work. Hannes replies: ‘My father always says that we were better off during the time of the German Empire. What can we do if our country is suffering from a crisis and the winners of the war are hurting us wherever they can? Our politicians are not decisive and do us no good. It’s time that Germany is ruled by someone who knows what he is doing and who really takes the lead.
Based on the information in this text, explain how likely it is that Hannes will vote for Hitler’s political party: the Nazi Party.
Item 2
Explain what else you should know to answer correctly as to how likely it is that Hannes will vote for the Nazi Party.
Item 3
Read the text about Hannes again. The Nazi Party is Hitler’s political party.
Two statements:
I. Hannes will not vote on the NSDAP. Nobody can approve what this party has
done to the world.
II. Hannes will vote on the NSDAP. Hitler is in his eyes a strong leader.
Try to take Hannes’ perspective and choose the statement that suits his situation best. I do choose statement number: ...... because ...
I do not choose statement number: ...... because ...
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