“Hitler’s pre-war social and economic policies had popular support.” To what extent do you agree with this statement?

The question requires that candidates consider the merits or otherwise of the statement that Hitler’s pre-war social and economic policies had popular support. Candidates may offer equal coverage of social and economic policies, or they may prioritize their assessment of one. However, both aspects will be a feature of the response. Candidates may refer to the New Plan of 1933, the Four-Year Plan of 1936 and attempts at autarky, the extent to which these resolved economic depression or unemployment together with their relative popularity. Some may argue that social policies such as the Nuremberg Laws were largely popular but obviously not with the Jewish minority. Candidates may refer to opposition being present but that it was either ineffective or not significant in size and scope. Some may argue that the Catholic Church opposed some Nazi policies such as the removal of crucifixes from schools. Some policies were unpopular with youth groups, in particular the Edelweiss Pirates, who rejected joining the Hitler Youth. Others may argue that despite the various plebiscites supporting the Nazis, the nature of the Nazi state means it is difficult to judge the level of popular support. Candidates’ opinions or conclusions will be presented clearly and supported by appropriate evidence.

The question required that candidates consider the merits or otherwise of the statement that Hitler's pre-war social and economic policies had popular support. Some candidates produced high quality responses with in-depth knowledge of both social and economic policies and the degree of popular support they enjoyed. Weaker candidates tended to make vague assertions about Hitler's life before he was in power and German dislike of the terms of the Treaty of Versailles.