GCSE Exam Predictions 2025: Germany 1890-1945 (AQA)

As someone who’s taught this course for many years, I know how stressful it can feel in the run-up to your GCSE History exams. You’ve done the hard work—now it’s about revising smart and staying calm. That’s why I’ve taken the time to look carefully at the past AQA exams (from 2020 to 2023) for Germany 1890–1945: Democracy and Dictatorship, to help you focus your revision for the 2025 paper.

Let’s be clear from the start: no one can guarantee what will come up. But what we can do is make educated guesses based on patterns, recency, and areas of the syllabus that haven’t been covered for a while. I’ve done exactly that below.

So, What Were Recent Big Stories?

Last year, the exam really zoomed in on:

• Interpretations: The lives of German workers under the Nazis.

• Q5 (Explain Ways): How the Great Depression affected people (1929-32).

• Q6 (Compare Importance): Why Weimar was so tricky to govern in its early years (1919-23), looking at money vs. politics.

• They also had a 'Describe' question on the problems Hitler faced just after becoming Chancellor in 1933.

Because these areas had a starring role last year, it feels less probable (though never impossible!) that they'd be the absolute core focus of the interpretations or the big 12-marker this time around.

Spotting the Gaps: What Hasn't Had Much Airtime Recently?

Looking back over the last few years, some parts of our German story haven't been under the main spotlight quite as much, especially for those high-mark questions:

1. Life under Kaiser Wilhelm II (Part 1): We had a 'Describe' question on pre-1914 problems back in 2020, but the real nitty-gritty – the Kaiser's style, Prussian militarism's influence, the Navy Laws obsession, the rise of socialism – feels a bit overdue for a deeper look.

2. Building the Dictatorship (Part 2): Yes, 2023 asked about initial problems, but the specific steps Hitler took to smash democracy and grab total power (think Reichstag Fire, Enabling Act, Night of the Long Knives) haven't been the heart of a big question recently.

3. Nazi Control & Opposition (Part 3): The police state was touched on in 2022 (Q5), but what about Goebbels and propaganda? Censorship? Nazi culture? And crucially, how people resisted – the White Rose, Edelweiss Pirates, Swing Youth, the July Bomb Plot – could these be explored more?

4. Impact of WWI & Early Weimar Crises (Part 1): While early Weimar governance was covered in 2023, the sheer impact of the war's end, defeat, reparations, the Ruhr invasion, and that mind-boggling hyperinflation haven't formed the core of recent big questions themselves.

Some Educated Guesses..

So, based on avoiding recent repeats and filling those gaps, here's where our thoughts might wander.

• For the Interpretations (Q1-3): Could we see differing views on...

  • How stable (or unstable) Germany really was under the Kaiser?

  • The methods Hitler used to cement his dictatorship (was it more 'legal' trickery or brute force?)

  • How effective Nazi propaganda actually was, or how significant the opposition movements were?

  • Maybe even specific Nazi policies towards groups like women or the churches (though social policy was part of a Q6 in 2021).

• For Q5 (Explain Ways - 8 marks): It feels possible they might ask you to explain...

  • The ways WWI and its messy aftermath (Treaty, reparations, Ruhr, hyperinflation) hammered Germany.

  • The specific ways Hitler dismantled democracy and built his dictatorship (1933-34).

  • The ways Nazi rule specifically changed life for young people OR women OR religious groups.

  • The ways the Kaiser struggled to keep control before 1914.

• For Q6 (Compare Importance - 12 marks): This is where they love pitting two factors against each other. Perhaps comparing...

  • Reasons Hitler got the top job: Backroom deals by Papen/Hindenburg vs. genuine Nazi popularity?

  • How the dictatorship was built: Using laws (Enabling Act) vs. using terror (SS/SA)?

  • How the Nazis controlled people: Propaganda vs. the Police State?

  • The biggest challenges for the Kaiser: Prussian militarism vs. the rise of socialism?

In a Nutshell: Areas to Keep a Close Eye On

It feels like the exam could lean more towards:

• Kaiser Wilhelm's Germany (the pre-1914 stuff).

• How Hitler actually established the dictatorship (the steps from Chancellor to Führer).

• Nazi methods of control (propaganda, terror) and opposition to them.

• The impact of World War One and the chaotic early Weimar years (especially economic chaos).

The Golden Rule (Please Read!)

Now, here's the crucial bit: this is analysis, not prophecy! Exam boards can, and sometimes do, surprise us. Thinking about patterns is helpful for focusing revision, but it's never a substitute for knowing your stuff across the whole syllabus. Please don't skip topics based on these thoughts alone! Cover everything, be prepared for anything, and you'll walk into that exam hall feeling much more confident.

If you're feeling a bit overwhelmed or unsure where to focus, our GCSE guides for AQA at Kingsbridge Education are packed with what you actually need such as clear summaries, countless model answers and integrated flashcards and quizzes to test yourself along the way. Find out more here: https://www.kingsbridgeeducation.co.uk