4 Year Plan And War Economy Flashcards
Why did Hitler establish the 4 year Plan in 1936 and how effective was it?
-German armed forces must be operational within 4 years
-German economy must be fit for war in 4 years
-Succeeded in the sense that germanys reliance on imports had not increased. However when war broke out, Germany was still dependent on foreign supplies for 1/3 of its raw materials.
Who was appointed Plenipotentiary of the 4 Year Plan by Hitler in October 1936
Goering- who was not an economics expert. Schacht was sidelined and he resigned in 1937.
What were the aims of the 4 Year Plan (Wehrwirtschaft)
-Autarky (economic self sufficiency) to develop substitute products like oil from coal
-regulate imports and exports to give priority to rearmament and war industries
-Control the workforce to gain the best results from them.
How effective was the 4 year plan?
-succeeded in the sense that Germany’s reliance on imports did not increase
-in 1939 Germany still depended on the following:
20% food imports
33% raw materials imports
70% copper imports
60 % oil imports
The Plan created jobs in rearmament factories such as Farben and through conscription and women returning to the work force in the 1937 Duty year.
Workers were controlled in the DAF, SdA and KDF.
-Food shortages occurred due to the focus on rearmament.
-Government finances were in crisis as the economy focused on war production. Under normal economic conditions the government would have been declared bankrupt.
Was Germany’s economy ready for war in 1939?
Tim Mason (Marxist Historian) - argued that Hitler’s war plans increased from 1936, putting huge pressure on Germany’s economy.
-The drive for Wehrwirtschaft with its focus on war industries led to shortages in food and consumer goods. This led to anger amongst Germans and Mason argued that Hitler went to war in 1939 to alleviate these pressures on German consumers.
Richard Overy - argued that Germany went to war in 1939 due to a series of miscalculations and that Germany’s economy was not yet on a war footing because war came too soon. War with Poland meant to be local and not involve Britain and France. This meant German economy was only partly mobilised
What were the strengths of the Nazi economy at war 1939 – 1945 and who was Fritz Todt
Strengths - Hitler issued a series of war economy decrees in December 1939. These suggest that he was planning for a long war. Other factors which confirm this include:
German military expenditure doubled 1939 – 1941
Food rationing in certain items started in 1939
In 1941 55% of workers were involved in war work
Fritz Todt was appointed Minister for Armaments and Munitions in 1940 and his job was to improve the efficiency of the Nazi war economy.
What two factors hindered German war production?
-A duplication of offices/bodies in charge of war planning: different agencies continued to function in their own way and were often in conflict with each other
-The interests of the armed forces: pressed for the very best specifications and, as a result, the drive for quality was pursued at the expense of quantity
Who was Speer and how did he improve the efficiency of the German economy?
-Close friend of Hitler Appointed Minister of Armaments in 1942 and skilfully managed the war.
-Central Planning Board: gave industrialists a considerable degree of freedom, while ensuring that Speer maintained overall control of the war economy. Encouraged industrialists and engineers to join his ministerial team and excluding military personnel from the production process
-Increasing the work force: employing more women in the arms factories, making more effective use of forced labour and preventing skilled workers from being conscripted
What successes did Speer have in German economic planning for war and what factors contributed to Speer’s inability to ensure the German economy was fit for total war?
-Ammunition production had increased by 97% and total arms production by 59%
-By second half of 1944, when war production peaked, there had been more than a three-fold increase since early 1942
-German tanks produced 1940= 1600
1944= 19000
-rivalries with other Nazi groups: Speer up against the power of the Gaueleiters at a local level and the SS remained a law unto themselves. Territories occupied by the Third Reich were not exploited with real economic efficiency
-Impact of allied bombing (Berlin, Cologne, Hamburg and Dresden): caused industrialist destruction and break down in communications and Germany was forced to divert significant available resources towards the construction of anti-aircraft installations and underground industrial sites
