Economy

Question 1

Name 2 ways Germans were better off under Hitler.

Answer 1

Most German men were in work
Leisure activities and holidays for workers
Improved working conditions (canteens/ sports facilities)
Average weekly wage rose
Volkswagen scheme

Question 2

Name 2 ways workers were worse off under Hitler

Answer 2

Trade Unions banned
Workers had few rights
Few could afford expensive activities and holidays
National Labour Service was poorly paid
Cost of living increased
Average hours of work increased
Volkswagen scheme was a swindle

Question 3

How many people were unemployed in 1933?

Answer 3

6 million

Question 4

In what ways did the construction of the Autobahns improve the economy in Germany?

Answer 4

Provided jobs
Improved efficiency of German industry due to increased speed transporting goods
Swift movement of German troops

Question 5

What is the English name for Reichsarbeitsdienst [RAD]?

Answer 5

National Labour Service

Question 6

When did the RAD become compulsory?

Answer 6

July 1935

Question 7

Who had to serve in the National Labour Service?

Answer 7

All men aged 18-25

Question 8

How long did men have to serve in RAD?

Answer 8

Six months

Question 9

What projects did men in the RAD complete?

Answer 9

Autobahns
Draining marshes for farmland
Tree planting
Building coastal walls

Question 10

Why was the RAD unpopular?

Answer 10

Very low wages
Uncomfortable tented camps
Long hours
Boring jobs
Organised like the army

Question 11

What is invisible unemployment?

Answer 11

Official govt records did not include certain groups or those in RAD

Question 12

Which groups were not included in official unemployment figures?

Answer 12

Jews
Women
Unmarried men (in RAD)
Opponents 
Part time workers classed as full time!

Question 13

How many men were in the German army by 1938?

Answer 13

900,000

Question 14

How much did heavy industry increase 1933- 1939?

Answer 14

Coal and chemicals doubled
Oil, iron and steel trebled
Iron ore extraction x 5

Question 15

What was the DAF?

Answer 15

German Labour Front

It replaced trade unions

Question 16

How did the DAF try to encourage worker to be motivated?

Answer 16

Common spirit

Rather than wages and profit

Question 17

What schemes did the DAF run?

Answer 17

SdA (Beauty of Labour)

KdF (Strength through Joy)

Question 18

What was the aim of Kdf?

Answer 18

To motivate workers by giving them rewards for working hard

Could earn holidays on cruise ships

Question 19

What types of rewards were given in KdF? (Strength through joy)

Answer 19

Theatre performances
Concerts
Hikes
Holidays and cruises
Museum tours
Sports events

Question 20

What was the aim of Beauty of Labour? (SdA)

Answer 20

Improve working conditions
Reduce noise level of machines
Built canteens, swimming pools and sports facilities

Question 21

Why was Beauty of Labour less popular with some workers?

Answer 21

Workers expected to make improvements in their own time

Question 22

What was the aim of the Volkswagen scheme?

Answer 22

Part of KdF
Expand car ownership
Cheap enough for workers to afford
5 marks a week to pay for car

Question 23

Why was the Volkswagen scheme a swindle?

Answer 23

By start of war, no cars had been bought and none of the money was refunded.
Volkswagen switched production to needs of military

Question 24

How well off were farmers under the Nazis?

Answer 24

Farm debts written off
Benefitted from rise in food prices
Suffered from shortage of labour because workers left for better jobs in towns

Question 25

How well off were small businesses under the Nazis?

Answer 25

Curbed influence of large department stores and banned the growth of existing stores
Protected small businesses

Question 26

How did big businesses benefit from Nazi rule?

Answer 26

No longer trade unions
Rearmament led to growth and larger profits
Salary of managers increased 70% 1934-1938
Some did not like Nazi control of wages, profits, imports and raw materials

Question 27

When did Hitler introduce military conscription?

Answer 27

1935

Question 28

How many men were in the German armed forces by 1939?

Answer 28

1,360,000

Question 29

How much money did the Nazis spend on arms by 1939?

Answer 29

26 billion marks!

Question 30

Why were Nazi unemployment figures not quite as good as they seemed?

Answer 30

Unemployment falling globally
Invisible unemployment
Some jobs created by Nazis were not real ‘jobs’ (created by the economy)
Some jobs supported by very high levels of government spending which could not have been maintained