Economic Changes in Nazi Germany Flashcards
How many Germans were unemployed in1933 when Hitler came to power?
over 6 million
What four methods did the Nazis use to decrease unemployment?
- The National Labour Service (RAD)
- Public Work Schemes
- Rearmament
- ‘Invisible’ unemployment
Did the Nazis’ methods to decrease unemployment work?
They seemed to as unemployment steadily fell
What was the National Labour Service?
- all men ages 18 and 25 had to spend sixt months in the RAD
- they planted forests, mended hedges and dug drainage ditches on farms
- they wore uniforms and lived in camps but were given free meals and a small wage
What were public work schemes and how did they decrease unemployment?
- a new network of motorways to link Germany’s major towns and cities was built
- this gave work to nearly 100,000 people
- new schools and hospitals were built, creating even more jobs
How did the Nazis’ use ‘invisible’ unemployment to decrease unemployment?
- women who gave up work to have a family did not count in the official figures
- part-time works were counted as full-time
- the Nazis created jobs by stacking people, such as Jews who were then not counted in the unemployment figures
- out-of-work Jews and communists were not counted in unemployment figures
How did the rearmament of Germany decrease unemployment?
- new tanks, battleships, fighter planes and guns were built, creating thousands of jobs
- huge government contracts made factory owners and industrial bosses a fortune
- conscription wa introduced in 1935: all names between 18 and 25 had to join the armed forces for at least 2 years
- within 5 years the army grew from 100,000 to 1,400,000 creating even more jobs
In what ways did the Nazis control workers and reward high production?
- German Labour Front (DAF)
- Beauty of Labour (SDA)
- Strength through Joy (KDF)
What did the German Labour Front (DAF) do?
- replaced trade unions
- made strikes a illegal
- workers needed permission to leave jobs
- promised to protect workers’ rights and improve conditions
- ran two schemes to improve Germans’ lives
What were the two schemes that the DAF ran?
- Beauty of Labour (SDA)
- Strength through Joy (KDF)
What did the SDA do?
- tried to improve the workplace
- eg by installing better lighting, safety equipment, new washrooms, low cost canteens and sports facilities
What did the Strength through Joy (KDF) scheme do?
- organised leisure activities to encourage hard work
- had a reward scheme with cheap holidays, theatre trips and football match tickets if workers met targets
Did the DAF and its schemes improve life for workers?
Yes
- the Nazis provided work
- the KDF did provide rewards for workers such as holidays
No
- the workers lots their rights because trade unions were banned
- workers could be forced to work as many hours as the Nazis required
- one of the Nazis created jobs was by sacking people, such as Jews
- despite the KDF providing holidays as rewards some holidays were still to expensive for most working-class Germans
- food cost more than it used to as Germany was trying to be self-sufficient
What was the economy like under Schacht?
- he realised that imports of raw materials were needed to build more weapons
- he signed deals with countries in South America and south-east Europe to supply raw materials in return for German goods
- for a short time, things went well - weapons production increased and unemployment fell
Why was Schacht sacked and who was he replaced by?
- Germany wa still dependent on foreign raw materials and the changes were too slow for Hitler
- he was replaced by Goering
What was the economy like under Goering?
- introduced the Four Year Plan to increase military production
- high targets were set and met in some industries although not in other key industries
- Germany still needed foreign raw materials Goering tried to make Germany self-sufficient
How did the nazis improve lives for farmers?
- farmers’ taxes were reduced
- farmers could not be thrown off their land if they got into debt
- to keep farms large and controlled by the same families, farmers could not divide land between their children. This was popular with some farmers as it meant farms would be secure for generations
How did the Nazis’ not improve lives for farmers?
- some farmers did not like the law that prevented the division of farms because their children had to look for jobs in the cities instead
- in the late 1930s the Nazis controlled food prices
In what ways did the Second World War create hardships for Germans on the homefront?
- ratining
- total war
- labour shortages
- bombing and refugees
How did rationing create hardship on the home front?
- there were severe food shortages
- food and clothing were rationed
- hot water was rationed
What was total war?
- the Armaments minister organised the country for total war in 1942
- everything was focused on making weapons and growing food for soldiers
- anything that didn’t contribute to the war was stopped
How did total war create hardship on the home front?
- beer halls, dance halls and sweet shops were closed
- letter boxes were boarded up
- factories stayed open longer
How did bombing create hardship on the home front?
- from 1942, Britian and America began bombing Germans cities
- this means there was no electricity, water or transport in many German cities
- thousands lost their homes
- thousands more left their homes to find safety as refugees
