Changes In The Standard Of Living Flashcards
Employment - having work
How the standard of living improved.
With more people in work, more German families had awage (regular money) to help them improve their standard of living. This for many also improved their self confidence as well as their hope for the future.
But hang on, did everyone benefit?
❑ Not everyone was equal:For some people such aswomen, Jews and non-Nazi Party members, getting a job could be hard or even impossible.
❑ Enjoyment of work:Having a job, did not meanenjoying work. For example, young men in theGerman Labour Servicewhich was like being in the army, it was very hard physical work and only lasted for 6 months at a time.
Wages
Wages did improve under the Nazis, especially after 1936 when the country was rearming and many more workers were needed to produce goods for war in the factories.Higher wage earners could also afford luxury goods. For examplecar ownershiptrebled (x3) between 1933-39. But hang on, did everyone benefit?
❑ Jobs were paid differently:Some jobs had better wages than others. A rearmament factory worker would see a better wage increase than those in theGerman Labour Service.
❑ Price inflation:Prices of good actually went up (inflation)by as much as 20% between 1933-39 – this was more than wages and so people’s pay did not seem like an increase.
❑ Low wage earners:Unskilled workers still struggled to cover the cost of essentials such as food due to increased food prices.
Working hours
❑ Longer hours gave some workers a chance to earn more money. But hang on, did everyone benefit?
❑ Longer hours The average working week increased from43 hours (1933) to 49 hours in (1939). This also meant less time with family, less holiday time and not really more pay in some low skilled jobs.
The German Labour Front
Hitler banned the Trade Unions which previously helped support workers rights and pay. In its place, they created the German Labour Front. The German Labour Front set minimum pay levels and a maximum length of the working week.
However:
❑ Workers lost their right to negotiate a wage, they just had to accept the wage they were given.
❑ Workers could be punished if they disrupted work/production.
❑ The maximum length of the working week actually increased by 6 hours compared with what it had been before 1933.
Strength through joy
This organisation was specifically set up to improve the standard of living for workers. It aimed to make workers feel their work was enjoyable and to make sure they linked this joy of work with the Nazi Party.
❑ It provided leisure activities such as sporting events, days out, hikes, films, cheap foreign travel. Workers had to join the Strength Through Joy organisation in order to gain these benefits.
❑ By 1936, there were 35 million members of Strength Through Joy.
❑ The KdF’s biggest scheme was an opportunity to save for a new Volkswagen – People’s Car. Hitler asked Ferdinand Porsche to design it. Workers just had to give 5 marks of their weekly wage to eventually give them a car.
❑ Nobody actually gained a car as production at the car factory changed to armaments in 1938!
Beauty of labour
This organisation pushed businesses to provide better facilities for workers such as toilets, changing rooms, showers and canteens in their factory or workplace. It also gave companies money to help improve their building and decorating costs. By 1934, the Nazi Party claimed that 34,000 companies had improved their conditions.
❑ HOWEVER – Many companies expected the workers to do the building and decorating themselves with no extra pay and beyond their working hours.
❑ Some workers were threatened with the sack if they did not help make these changes.
