Economic Changes Flashcards
7.1, 7.2, 7.3, 7.4
how many Germans were out of work when Hitler came to power in 1933?
over 6 million Germans
what was the National Labour Scheme (RAD)?
- all men aged 18-25 had to spend 6 months in the RAD
- they planted forests, mended hedges and dug drainage ditches on farms
why was the RAD good?
- the men were given free meals
- earnt some sort of wage
- unemployment figures dropped rapidly
what happened in June 1933?
the Nazi’s ordered the creation of the new network of the autobahns (motorways) to link Germany’s major towns and cities
how much work did the Public Work Scheme give to people?
nearly 100,000 people
how much was built by 1938?
around 3800km of highway
what is rearmament?
when a country rebuilds its army forces- army, navy and air force
what did Hitler introduce in 1935?
conscription
within 5 years how much did the army grow by?
100,000 to 1,400,000
who did Hitler appoint as Minister of Economics?
Hjalmar Schacht- the respected banker
Germany began to get goods from…
South America and South-East Europe
who was Schacht replaced by?
Hermann Goering
in what year was the 4 Year Plan introduced in?
1936
what were the main targets of the 4 Year plan?
- to increase military production- Nazis ordered huge amounts of weapons, equipment and uniforms
- steel and explosives production
Germans began to make things themselves such as…
- petrol from coal
- artificial wool and cotton from pulped wood
- make up from flour
- coffee from acorns
what organisation replaces trade unions?
German Labour Front (DAF)
how much of the German population were involved in agriculture and forestry?
around 30%
what were the DAF’s promises?
to protect the rights of workers and improve conditions
what were the 2 schemes run by the DAF?
- Beauty of Labour
- Strength Through Joy
what was the Beauty of Labour scheme (SDA)?
- tried to improve the working environment by installing better lighting, safety equipment, new wash rooms, low-cost canteens & sports facilities
what was the Strength Through Joy scheme (KDF)?
- organises leisure activities to encourage hard work
- offered cheap holidays, trips to the theatre & tickets to football matches if workers met their targets
what was another scheme the DAF also had?
a scheme to help workers save for a car
what car did Hitler design?
- a “People’s Car”
- a Volkswagen
were ordinary Germans better off or not?
- workers lost their rights because trade unions were banned
- workers could not quit without the government’s permission & they were banned from striking
- people could be forced to work as many hours as the Nazi’s required
- a lot of the holidays provided were too expensive for ordinary German’s
- food cost more than it used to- Germany had no imports from other countries- high demand and little supply- shopkeepers put their prices up
what happened in 1941?
- Hitler’s armies attacked Russia
- freezing Russian winter- their guns would not fire & they were poorly clothed
how many German’s died/ surrendered in 1941?
- 80,000 died
- 90,000 surrendered
what happened in 1942?
Albert Speer was made Armaments Minister and was told to organise the country for Total War
what happened in 1944?
7 million foreign workers were brought in by countries Germany had conquered to work as slave labour in the factories
