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
