Economic Changes - N Flashcards
Why did Hitler become to Fuhrer?
President Hindenburg died.
He was the only person preventing Hitler from having total power in Germany.
How many people were unemployed in 1939 compared to in 1933?
1939- 0.3 million
1933- 6.1 million
Who had to spend 6 months in The National Labour Service (RAD)?
All men aged between 18 and 25.
What did The National Labour Service (RAD) do to help the economy?
They worked on public works programmes or on farms planting forests, mending hedges or digging drainage ditches on farms.
This reduced unemployment.
Why did people dislike the RAD?
They were given a small wage and had to live in camps.
However, they were given free meals.
How did Public Work Schemes improve unemployment?
Created a new network of autobahns (motorways) to link Germany’s major towns and cities together. This created work for 80,000 men.
New schools and hospitals were built.
Building and improving sports facilities such as the stadium for the 1936 Berlin Olympics.
Building and improving public building such as the Chancellery in Berlin.
Planting trees and draining marshes to create more farmland.
How did the German Labour Front (DAF) improve the economy?
Banned strikes and made them illegal.
Workers needed to ask for permission to leave jobs.
Introduced Strength Through Joy (KDF) which encouraged workers to work harder in return for rewards such as theatre trips, evening classes and cheap holidays.
“Peoples Car” was designed which was affordable. This was a scheme which was where workers put aside money in hopes for a free car but the money was actually used by the government to build more weapons.
Increased working hours from 60 to 72.
What was invisible unemployment?
Part-time workers were counted as full time workers.
Women who gave up work to have a family weren’t included in unemployment data.
Nazis created jobs by sacking people such as Jews. Unemployed Jews weren’t included in the data as well.
What was the Beauty of Labour (SDA)?
A propaganda campaign to encourage workers to work hard and not complain.
They tried to improve the workplace by installing better lighting, safety equipment, new washrooms and sports facilities.
What were problems with the economy?
Goering’s autarky was unsuccessful.
Economy wasn’t ready for war in 1939. Germany was still importing 20% of it’s food and 33% of its raw materials.
Ersatz were more expensive and inferior to the products that they replaced.
National debt.
Shortage of agricultural workers due to the drift of poverty which stricken peasants to the towns.
Drive to increase grain production failed and modernisation of farming techniques were limited.
When was conscription introduced?
1935
When conscription was introduced, how long did men (aged 18-25) have to be in the armed forces for?
2 years
How much had the army grown from 1935 to 1940?
100,000 to 1,400,000 men.
How did rearmament improve the economy?
New tanks, battleships, fighter planes and guns had to be built which created thousands of jobs.
Huge government arms contracts made factory owners earn a fortune.
What were the advantages of the Nazi economic policies?
Unemployment was reduced from 6.1 million in 1933 to 0.3 million in 1939.
Average weekly wages rose from 86 marks in 1932 to 109 marks in 1939 despite wage restrictions.
Large businesses benefitted from wage restrictions and loss of trade unions.
Public Work Schemes provided better transpot, services and homes.
Some farmers benefitted from rising food prices, increased subsidies and cheaper labour.
