East Midlands Oral History Archive

Dora's story 1: Living in Nazi Germany

Living in Nazi Germany, offers a way in to Dora's life story through a series of ten extracts from the original interview. In these extracts, Dora talks about growing up and attending school under the Nazi regime, witnessing the disappearance of Jewish neighbours, attending the 1936 Berlin Olympics and the outbreak of the Second World War in 1939. She gives us an insight into the opinions, beliefs and behaviours of a young woman during a turbulent period of 20th century history.

This resource offers:

  • a series of ten interview extracts (numbered 1 to 10) which have been subtitled and are made available through YouTube
  • a Guide for Teachers with curriculum links, full transcripts and suggested learning activities available as a downloadable PDF

Learning at Key Stage 3

Dora's story offers opportunities to:

  • learn about challenges for Britain, Europe and the wider world 1901 to the present day including topics such as the Rise of Hitler and the Nazis, Persecution of Jews in Germany 1933-1939 and Migration and Movement
  • extend and deepen pupils' chronologically secure knowledge and understanding of world history by considering the lives of ordinary people in Germany between 1933 and 1945
  • identify significant events, make connections, draw contrasts, and analyse trends by considering Dora’s life against the backdrop of national and international political upheaval and conflict
  • use historical terms and concepts in increasingly sophisticated ways by using oral history as a historical source and comparing it with other sources
  • pursue historically valid enquiries and create relevant, structured and evidentially supported accounts in response
  • understand how different types of historical sources are used rigorously to make historical claims and discern how and why contrasting arguments and interpretations of the past have been constructed by using first-hand oral testimony and considering the benefits and challenges of this source

01 She just left

In this extract from an interview with Dora in 2004, she talks about a girl from her school disappearing with her family in the early 1930s.

02 Father was always a communist

Dora recalls her uncle holding a communist meeting at his house which was raided by police. He was sentenced to ten years in a prison camp and his adopted daughter was taken away.

03 The first shot I ever heard

Dora relates her experience of hearing a gun fired on the streets of Berlin in 1932 and tells us how she reacted to it.

04 Everything new had a force behind it

Dora talks about how adult and children were expected to use the Nazi salute as a public greeting and the sense of fear that lay behind not complying.

05 They disappeared and nobody heard any more

Dora recalls local Jewish families disappearing in the late 1930s and Jewish businesses being burned down.

06 Gossip

Dora reflects on her mother's habit of gossiping and how she felt that she couldn't trust her.

07 I don't think it was ever mentioned

Dora recalls attending the Berlin Olympics in 1936, watching black athlete Jesse Owens win his race and the reaction of the Nazis.

08 We were in the dark

Dora remembers a synagogue burning down and how she used to think that Jewish families who disappeared had emigrated overseas.

09 A big war coming

Dora remembers how when World War Two broke out everyone around her thought that it would be an easy war for Germany to win.

10 We didn't think about people dying

Dora recalls where she was when the outbreak of war was declared and how everyone around her was pleased that they were at war.
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