It seemed that every year in History classes from 6th grade through senior year of high school, a lesson on World War II and the Nazis was included somehow. Everyone knows the textbook story, but the true feelings and moods lie within the primary documents. Letters from families, messages to front lines, and propaganda speeches all deeply explain the background and the movement that was the Nazi movement. I stumbled upon this archive two years ago in another European History class, and I kept it in my favorites for an occasion such as this. The German Propaganda Archive, with help from Calvin University, provides an easily accessible, organized and detailed database of hundreds of primary sources to utilize.
Many categories are listed, spanning from Pre-War material, visuals, anti-semitic attacks, and speeches by many influential leaders. Under the “Visuals” tab, you can access Nazi propaganda posters from the late 1930’s, German and American cartoons, pamphlets, art and many other visual sources. Easily downloadable or printed, primary sources provide an incredibly interactive tool for better engagement in the classroom.
Instead of struggling for ways to link World War II to feelings at home, you can pull presidential speeches, motivational “war bond” posters and read workers accounts of wartime. I actually used some propaganda posters of Nazi soldiers for a lesson in Urbana Middle School this year. I could imagine easily structuring an entire unit on WWII using this site alone for my sources and activities. At the bottom of the homepage, there are several links to outside pages and other guides to the history behind propaganda. Feelings and emotions are usually the hardest to convey so students can understand, but with first-hand accounts of soldiers and citizens attitudes become clearly conveyed. Overall, I would recommend this site to any US, European or World History teacher in secondary education. Simple and organized, the site allows these primary sources to reach learners effectively on a topic filled with emotional accounts and historical interest.
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