Need help with History of Nazi Germany (Excelsior)

Discussion in 'General Distance Learning Discussions' started by revamp, Feb 21, 2004.

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  1. revamp

    revamp New Member

    Hello everyone,

    The History of Nazi Germany is the last exam I need to take in order to complete my BSL. I have successfully taken many other ECE exams and DSST exams, however, this is my first essay style. I'm a pretty decent writer and essays don't intimidate me. The amount of material that I need to read and be able to compare and contrast is what has me worried. I can read a couple books and have a good idea of what is going on, but it seems that grading depends heavily on one's ability to cite numerous and varying sources in one's answers. YIKES! Can ANYONE help me feel better about this exam? I need to knock it out in the next few weeks and I can't find ANY info on it....not here, not on excelsior's EPN, not ANYWHERE! Has anyone else taken this exam? Any and all help will be GREATLY appreciated!
     
  2. I took a class called Modern Europe 1890-1945, which detailed the rise of Nazi Germany. You have to understand WWI and the Treaty of Versailles as the root of the Nazis. Get a book on modern European history. Remember Hitler used democratic means to come to office; in other words, the party was elected. It was the failure of the Weimar Republic (uncontrolled inflation, collapse of middle class) that helped the Nazi's gain ground. While the entire world was mired in the Great Depression, Hitler used deficit spending (building up the military) to end unemployment. The German people were happy to get back to work and there was initial prosperity under Hitler.

    As for the rest of Europe, both Britain and France were smarting from the effects of both WWI and the Depression, so they weren't interested in getting into a conflict with Hitler. The key word to use in your essay when referring to other countries is appeasement.

    The Nazi's or 3rd Reich were anti-communist, anti-gay, anti-Jew, anti-gypsy, anti-dissenters, etc. Their Aryan superiority beliefs were based on the work on scientific racism, which originated in the US during the Gilded Age.

    If you can get hold of the miniseries aired last year about Hitler, you should watch it because it is fairly accurate.

    Review: Brown Shirts, Night of the Long Knives, Night of Broken Glass, Nuremberg Laws, Treaty of Versailles and Reparations, Appeasement, genocide, "living room" and belief that Slavic people would become servants to the superior Germanic/Aryan race.
     
  3. Guest

    Guest Guest

    I have book titled The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich: A History of Nazi Germany, by William Shirer. The book is critically acclaimed and consists of nearly 1200 pages.

    I will be more than happy to lend it to you, if you'd like. Let me know.
     
  4. Dennis Ruhl

    Dennis Ruhl member


    A hard read but excellent. No mistaking which side Shirer was on (American).
     
  5. Deb

    Deb New Member

    Other books

    Two more books to recommend are John Keagen's "World War II" and, believe it or not, "Complete Idiot's Guide to Nazi Germany". I used both these books during a WWII class. You might also check out the first two episodes of World at War.
     
  6. revamp

    revamp New Member

    Thank you for all your help!

    I appreciate all of your suggestions and especially the offer to borrow the book! I do have, though, the guided learning package from excelsior which includes the following texts:

    Excelsior Course Guide

    The History of Nazi Germany: A book of readings

    World War II: Roots and Causes, Eubank

    Profiles in Power: Hitler, Kershaw

    The Nazi Revolution: Hitler's Dictatorship and the German Nation, Mitchell

    The Holocaust: Problems and Perspectives of interpretation, Niewyk

    Inside Hitler's Germany, Sax & Kuntz

    Videocassettes--A History of Hitler's Empire. Professor Thomas Childers


    In addition to ALL of these, which Excelsior apparently expects me to refer to during my answers, I also have The Complete Idiot's Guide to Nazi Germany AND a study guide written by a student.

    I have read a couple of the books already but the sheer amount of literature that Excelsior wants you to have a clear understanding of is daunting. The sample questions seem to weigh more heavily on what the different historical and academic theories are of the rise of Nationalist Socialism rather than the facts. If the exam covered historical record alone, I could very easily read 1 or 2 texts and have a firm understanding of the era (which I have already done) What is killing me are the Thousands of pages that I havent yet read and what the differences are between them.

    :confused:
     
  7. Orson

    Orson New Member

    One strategy that works...

    A this late date, here's what works for me:

    First, limit yourself! - there's just too much to prepare for to plow through everything. Try and prep for, say, one-third or even one quarter of the issues in the study guide - but no more!

    Second, have a good overview. The Childers' lecture and the relevant chapters of a survey text should do. Think of this as the overarching outline of the course.

    Third, select relvant portions of Eubank's collection of primary documents. At this level, if you want to score an "A," you need to make a couple references to these to get it!

    Finally, use a thorough survey with a good index like Klaus P. Fischer's Nazi Germany: A New History. Then, using the issues or questions you've selected from the study guide, work backward: use the index to study and outline answers!

    At a late date, given the freedom of essay format, less is more. Concentrate of re-reading what you've limited yourself to mastering.

    Be creative during the exam - try to use all you know to develop a fresh analysis of the questions before you, that contains all the relevant (but not too detailed) facts - i.e., show what you know - but also show that it fits well. Good convincing and cogent analysis is, in the end, up to you, the essay writer.

    --Orson
     
  8. revamp

    revamp New Member

    Thank you for giving me direction

    Orson,

    Thank you for your post! I feel a little calmer already. I know that I shouldn't need to read through everything to score well on the exam, but I was having trouble discerning what texts were most relevant. Thank you for the recommendations. With a slimmer study plan I don't feel quite as overwhelmed.
     
  9. uncle janko

    uncle janko member

    Keegan, not Keagan.
    Shirer is nearly worthless.
    The new Fischer book mentioned above is quite good indeed.
    See also:
    Ian Kershaw's 2-volume bio of Hitler (use the index for events and topics)
    Karl Dietrich Bracher's "The German Dictatorship"
    R. Gellately's "Backing Hitler"
    still worth looking at are George Mosse's "Crisis of German Ideology" and "Nazi Culture" (where he goes off the rails won't matter for your purposes)
    Robert Wistrich's "Hitler and the Holocaust"
    Deborah Dwork & Jan van Pelt's "Holocaust" is brilliant
    Otto Friedrich's old "Before the Deluge" is good on Weimar background
    for historiography, the great John Lukacs' "Hitler of History" is priceless
    in German: books by Eberhard Ja"ckel and Rainer Zitelmann represent respectively leftist and rightist interpretations
    Oh, BTW, spend an hour or so reading "Mein Kampf". Understandably, almost no one does read any of it. Having read the thing cover to cover in German, once I was able to suppress the vomit reflex, there is real insight to be gained into why what happened happened. An hour ought to do you.
    Best wishes, Janko
     
  10. Guest

    Guest Guest

    Shirer's books is CRITICALLY acclaimed and has received rave reviews by such notables as Theodore White ("A monumental work, a grisly and thrilling story."), The NYT ("One of the most important works of history of our time."), and John Gunther ("One of the most spectacular stories ever told.").

    Your personal dislike for me shouldn't cause you to keep others from considering my recommendations concerning important matters. Don't be so " marime," and stop acting like a gajo.
     
  11. uncle janko

    uncle janko member

    Hi Revamp: It occurs to me that too much stuff fell of the back end of the truck. Pick through the list and look at what interests you. Use the indexes. Select chapters that grab your attention.
    A good general history of Germany might help synthesize stuff--
    Gordon Craig, Flenley, William Carr, or the "Concise History of Germany" in the series put out, I think, by Oxford in paperback. (Flenley and Carr are dated but serviceable. That's the difference between history and journalism. History ages. Journalism rots.)
    If you have time to read Bracher and Fischer back to back, plus the hour with MK, plus paging through Mosse's "Nazi Culture" (an anthology of just what it says) and Dwork+van Pelt, you'll be in terrific shape. Oh. One more thing (this is terrible). Alastair (sp?) Hamilton has a brilliant little book from about 1970 called "Appeal of Fascism". The tendency of interwar intellectuals to whore after Communism is fairly well known; this is the other side of that ugly coin. All best wishes, Janko
     
  12. revamp

    revamp New Member

    Whoa, boys!

    Okay then...

    I think the original theme of my request for help has been lost. Here's the key points:

    I have been studying for this exam for 2 weeks already and must have have the exam completed by mid-march.

    I already have MORE than enough reading material (see above) which is listed by Excelsior as necessary reading for the exam. Let me stress, Excelsior expects me to reference THE ABOVE texts during my answers. I dont have enough time to wade through all of that, let alone additional materials, no matter how helpful they may be.

    With that being said, I really am curious to know if anyone on this board has taken this exam before. It seems that no one else has bothered with it (and I can see why) If it wasn't for the fact that I am taking this "Course" through Excelsior to satisfy my residency requirements with them, I would just ditch it and take something else. Unfortunately, that is not an option.

    If all else fails, I will just trudge through to the best of my ability and hope for the best, which has served me well in the past.

    PS--If you want Bush out of Office, then don't vote for Nader!!!
    Bush's 200 Mil in campaign funds is going to go a long ways without his opposition dividing themselves! WTF, Nader???
     
  13. Guest

    Guest Guest

    I forgot that Hugh Trevor-Roper, NYT Book Review, said of Shirer's book, "A splendid work of scholarship, objective in method, sound in judgement, inescapable in its conclusions."

    Shirer was there during the rise and fall of the Nazi's. His is a first hand, eye witness account. It can't get much better than that!
     
  14. Guest

    Guest Guest

    Re: Whoa, boys!

    Well, the best of luck with your test and I hope you have been able to muddle through some of the replies to find a satisfactory answer to your initial post.

    P.S. Bush may have to contend with Judge Roy Moore running on the Constitution Party ticket. So, Kerry will lose votes to Nader and Bush may lose votes to Moore.

    It will be a very interesting election to say the least!
     
  15. uncle janko

    uncle janko member

    Plan B

    Ok, then, plan B:

    Use the study guide as your basic reference. Check the indexes of each of the other books for the major topics cited in the study guide. Handle one topic at a time and write a telegraphic paragraph or so of notes per topic.

    Then go back and pick whichever substantial book looks most winsome to you and read it through rapidly cover to cover, with your handful of pages of notes by your side.

    If Excelsior is looking for causes and theories, check the indexes for "historiography" or names of secondary authors. Write a sentence or two on each secondary author.

    Get a cassette tape. Read your notes aloud and record them. Listen to it in your car or whatever until you are heartily sick of your own voice. ;)

    [If you feel a further need to delve into historiography, the Lukacs book will serve you well.]

    This is how I passed my comps at Torquemada and how I passed the horrific Greek composition exam. If you are as dumb as I am this will work for you.

    Having almost finished your bachelor's, you can surely distinguish what is really worthy of your attention in the assigned materials. Regards, Janko
     
  16. revamp

    revamp New Member

    Thanks, Uncle!

    Thanks for the plan B...as soon as I get past the deadlines and exams, I will most likely re-examine this period using some of the recommended texts. I find it more than a little startling the number of similarities between 1920's Germany and our Political affairs in the US today. For the time being, I have dedicated all of today to watching/listening to the Prof. Childers lectures and I am finding them to be immensely helpful. (surprise, because I usually don't do the video thing, I prefer to read on my own) This guy is a great lecturer and 5 lectures into the 12 lecture series and I already have 20 pages of great notes.

    Also, the idea to write down a specific quote (or idea) or two from each source to implement during the exam is a good one. I can weave it into whatever answer i am giving. to make it appear I am more familiar with the text as a whole than I am.

    Thank Goodness I posted to this forum. You guys have been great. I only hope I can pass along the help to someone else some day. I owe this forum, that's for sure.
     
  17. Orson

    Orson New Member

    Re: Whoa, boys!

    Indeed you do.

    I contemplated taking the exam for a long time; I have the ECE study guide and all the recommended books and more (and almost half of uncle janko's recs) - but no, I did not sit for it. (I have taken "Europe in WWII" at Cornell - Eubank was assigned there - and more recently sat in on a lecture course on Nazi Germany by a one-time student of George L. Mosse of the University of Wisconsin, Madison. This much beloved German history prof at Colorado died last month; he was so influential, motivating, and entertaining that a buddy of mine became a history major just because of him!) But I digress...

    As a history major myself (albeit in US history), stick to my suggestions above about how to narrow and focus your exam prep and you'll do well. Essay exams are always about stringing a relevant array of supporting facts between a provocative thesis statement and a conclusion that restates and sums up the same.

    I decided against taking it myself not because I'm not interested or not well-read in the subject. I decided against the ECE in Nazi Germany simply because I have an excessive abundance of 20th century history in my record - an imbalance, I think, that mis-conveys my interests to graduate admissions committees.

    --Orson
    Ps Oh! And Uncle Janko's "Plan B" post is golden, too! "Recitation" of your notes will build self-confidence in the days before you sit the exam.
     
  18. seekinghelp

    seekinghelp New Member

    The excelsior guide for this test is on ebay for sale now for 40.00 if that helps.
     
  19. seekinghelp

    seekinghelp New Member

    The excelsior guide for this test is on ebay for sale now for 40.00 if that helps.
     

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