Lesson 4: Obedience, Roles, and Institutions

How did ordinary people and institutions contribute to mass violence?

Obedience
Authority
Conformity
Institutional responsibility
Complicity
Collaboration
Bystander
Moral agency

D2.His.4.9-12
Analyze complex and interacting factors that influenced the perspectives of people during different historical eras.

D2.His.14.9-12
Analyze multiple and complex causes and effects of events in the past.

D2.His.16.9-12
Integrate evidence from multiple relevant historical sources and interpretations into a reasoned argument about the past.

Students analyze explanations, evaluate claims about responsibility, and synthesize evidence from multiple perspectives, skills emphasized in SAT and PSAT historical reasoning questions.

This lesson focuses on the role of individuals and institutions in carrying out the Holocaust. Students examine how obedience to authority, professional norms, and institutional expectations shaped behavior. The lesson moves beyond description to analysis, asking how participation occurred even among people who were not ideological extremists.
DOK: 3

Connections to how institutions shape behavior and how individuals navigate responsibility within systems of authority.

Only fanatics participated in genocide
Individuals had no choices once orders were given
Institutions operate independently of human decision-making
Responsibility rests solely with top leaders

Case studies focused on specific roles or professions
Guided discussion questions with evidence prompts
Small-group analysis before whole-class synthesis
Sentence starters for analytical writing

Short written response analyzing a specific role or institution

Group discussion synthesis identifying patterns of participation

Exit response explaining how institutions influenced individual behavior

Student reading and question worksheet

Short case studies or excerpts describing roles

Charts showing institutional structure and responsibility

Teacher-facilitated discussion