7.3 Were Germans Better Off Under The Nazis?

Question 1

What groups made up the largest social group in Germany in the 1930s

Answer 1

Working-class Germans: shop workers, builders and secretaries

Question 2

How did the Nazis win support of workers?

Answer 2

By banning trade unions and establishing organisations such as the German Labour Front (DAF) to bring workers under Nazi control

Question 3

What was the German Labour Front (DAF)?

Answer 3

An organisation that replaced trade unions. It promised to protect the rights of workers and improve conditions

Question 4

What two schemes did the DAF run?

Answer 4

• Beauty of Labour (SDA)
• Strength through Joy (KDF)

Question 5

Beauty of Labour initials

Answer 5

SDA

Question 6

Strength through Joy initials

Answer 6

KDF

Question 7

What did the beauty of labour scheme do

Answer 7

• improve working environment
• installed better lighting, safety equipment, new wash rooms, low cost canteens and sports facilities

Question 8

What did the Strength through Joy scheme do?

Answer 8

• organised leisure activities to encourage hard work
• reward scheme that offered cheap holidays, theatre trips and tickets to football matches if workers met their targets

Question 9

What other scheme did the DAF have?

Answer 9

• workers save up for a car
• Hitler helped to design a Volkswagen — a ‘people’s car’

Question 10

Were workers better off under the Nazis

Answer 10

• although Nazis provided work, workers lost their rights because trade unions were banned
• workers could not quit without government’s permission and were banned from striking
• workers could work as many hours as required
• KDF provided rewards but some of the holidays were too expensive for most
• money employees saved up for cars was used for making weapons instead