Horst-Wessel-Lied

High school (ages 12+)
History & Culture

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/horst-wessel-lied

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. What is the primary function?Served as the official anthem of the Nazi Party (NSDAP) from 1930
2. What is the national anthem status?Designated as a co-national anthem of Germany from 1933 to 1945
3. Why was it banned after World II?After the war, the song was linked to the Nazi crimes, especially the Holocaust. Because it could encourage hate and new Nazi ideas, German and Austrian authorities made it illegal to play or share it.
4. Who wrote the lyrics of the Horst-Wessel-Lied?Horst Wessel, a member of the Nazi Party’s paramilitary group, wrote the words before he died in 1930.

Sturmabteilung (SA): The original paramilitary wing of the Nazi Party, known for its street violence and intimidation tactics.
Vergangenheitsbewältigung: A German term referring to the process of confronting and coming to terms with the past, particularly the Nazi era.
Propaganda: Information, often biased or misleading, used to promote a particular political cause or point of view.