germany - chapter 7 Flashcards
as soon as the nazis came to power, what schemes did they set up to get people back to work
- the national labour service (RAD)
- public work schemes
- rearmament
- ‘invisible’ unemployment
the national labour service (RAD):
- all men aged 18-25 had to spend 6 months in the RAD
- they planted forests, mended hedges, dug drainage ditches on farms
- men in the RAD had to wear uniforms and live in camps
- they were given free meals
- they were paid only pocket money, but at least it was a job - and because more people were working, unemployment began to drop rapidly
public work schemes:
- in june 1933, the nazis ordered the creation of a new network of autobahns (motorways) to links germanys major towns and cities
- this gave work to nearly 100,000 people
- by 1938 around 3800km of highway had been built
- at the same time, a huge number of new schools and hospitals were built, again giving work to more people
rearmament:
- rearmament is when a country rebuilds its armed forces
- hitler was determined that germany should become a great military power again, so he ordered the building of new tanks, battleships, fighter planes and guns
- thousands of jobs were created, and huge government contracts made factory owners and bosses of large businesses a fortune
- these were the people hitler promised to help if he got to power
- hitler also introduced conscription
- from 1935, all men aged 18-25 were forced to join the armed forces for at least 2 years
- within five years the army grew from 100,000 to 1,400,000, giving even more people jobs
‘invisible’ unemployment
- the nazis used a variety of methods to reduce unemployment figures
- for example, women who gave up work to have a family did not count in the official figures
- part time workers were counted as full time
- nazis created jobs by sacking people
- many jews lost their jobs and were replaced by unemployed non-jews
-> the nazis didn’t count these newly unemployed jews in the figures
when did hitler come to power
1933
when hitler first came to power, who did he appoint as minister of economics
Hjalmar Schacht
what was the economy like under schacht
- schacht realised that hitlers plans to build more weapons would cost a lot of money and need a lot of raw material, such as iron, steel, rubber and wood
- germany didn’t have these goods so they had to be brought from other countries, which could be very expensive
- so schacht signed deals with countries in south america and eastern europe to supply germany with raw materials in return for german made goods
- for a short time things went well - weapons production increased and unemployment fell
- but germany was still too dependent on other countries and the changes were happening too slowly for hitler - so he fired schacht and appointed Hermann Goering
when did goering introduce the ‘Four Years Plan’
1936
what was the four year plan
- a scheme to get germany ready for war
- main priority was to increase military production, so the nazis ordered huge amounts of weapons, equipment and uniforms
- this created jobs in steel factories, textile mills and shipbuilding yards
- very high production targets were set (and achieved) in industries like steel and explosives production
- targets were not met in other key industries, like oil production
- despite the huge amount of extra goods and material produced under the four year plan, germany was still not ready for the long war it would become involved in from 1939
- also germany still needed raw materials from abroad so goering attempted to make germany ‘self-sufficient’
how did goering attempt to make germany self sufficient
- self sufficient meant that they wanted to stop trading with other countries and rely entirely on their own resources
- if germany was unable to find particular goods or resources, they would find alternatives to the things it needed, or develop artificial substitutes
- for example, german scientists found ways to make petrol from coal, artificial wool and cotton from pulped wood, makeup from flour, and coffee from acorns
what % of the german population were involved in agriculture and forestry
30%
in the late 1920s why were farmers unhappy
they were suffering, while other were doing well
why did hitler need farmers
he needed them to produce more if the country was to become self-sufficient
how did hitler try to help farmers
he tried to reward them and save them from the worst effects of the depression
he cut the taxes they had to pay + guaranteed they would not be thrown off their land if they got themselves into debt
why did some nazi policies annoy farmers
had a policy that stopped farmers dividing up their land and giving a part to each of their children
- this was an attempt to keep the farms large and under the control of the same family for years to come
didn’t like this as some of the children who were no longer allowed to inherit land left the farms to look for jobs in the cities
what organisation replaced trade unions
the German Labour Front (DAF)
what did the German Labour Front promise to do
it promised to protect the rights of workers and improve conditions
what two schemes did the german labour front run
beauty of labour (SDA)
strength through joy (KDF)
what was the beauty of labour scheme
tried to improve the working environment by installing better lighting, safety equipment, new wash rooms, low-cost canteens and sports facilities
what was the strength through joy scheme
organised leisure activities to encourage hard work. it was a reward scheme that offered cheap holidays, trips to the theatre, and tickets to football matches if workers met their target
work scheme to help workers save for a car:
hitler himself designed a ‘people’s car’, a Volkswagen, that ordinary people could afford
were workers better off or not with the work schemes of the DAF
- although nazis fulfilled promises to provide work, workers lost their rights because trade unions were banned
- workers could not quit without gov permission and were banned from striking
- people could also be forced to work as many hours as the nazis required
- the KDF did provide rewards for germans, with free trips to the cinema and concerts
-> however, some of the holidays, such as cruises around italy or skiing in switzerland, were still too expensive for working class germans
what happened to food due to germany becoming self sufficient
food prices increased
germany was trying to be self sufficient and not rely on imports from other countries
as a result, there was less food in the shops, so shopkeepers charged more because of high demand
what happened nearer the start of ww2 that resulted in germany becoming richer + what imports were made
- the german military won many battles and defeated six european countries within a few weeks of each other
- luxury goods, such as fur coats and perfume, from conquered countries began to find their way back into germany
-> however, most of these goods went to high ranking nazi officials
when did it become clear that germany was doomed to lose ww2
- in 1941, hitlers armies attacked USSR (russia)
- at first, german forces did well, but a freezing russian winter forced the germans to stop
-> their guns wouldn’t fire and they were poorly clothed - soon the huge russian army began to push them back to germany
- in one great battle at Stalingrad, over 80,000 Germans died and 90,000 surrendered
- there were defeats elsewhere too, and then america joined in on britain and russias side
- by the beginning of 1944 it was clear germany was doomed to defeat
what problems did ordinary germans face during ww2
rationing
bombing
problem of rationing during ww2:
- german people soon began to realise how difficult war was when they were not winning
- supplies were needed for the soldiers, so sacrifices had to be made at home
- there were severe food shortages and by NOVEMBER 1939, food and clothing were rationed
- for example, people were limited to one egg per week
- goods like soap and toilet paper were in very short supply and this led to some interesting alternatives
-> it was suggested that soggy, stewed pine needles could be used in a bath instead of soap - hot water was rationed to two days per week
- the nazis responded to these hardships by asking the german people to completely commit themselves to winning the war
problem of severe labour shortages and refugees in ww2:
- in 1942, Albert Speer was made Armaments Minister and was told to organise the country for Total War
-> this meant everything was entirely focused on making weapons and growing food for soldiers - anything that didn’t contribute to the war was stopped
-> for example, beer houses, dance halls and even sweet shops were closed. letterboxes were boarded up - factories were forced to stay open longer, but because male workers were now soldiers fighting in the war, great numbers of women were drafted in to work in them
- by 1944, around 7 million foreign workers had been brought in from countries germany had conquered to work as slave labour in the factories
problem of bombing in ww2:
- from 1942, britain and america began pounding german cities with bombs
- due to the impact of the bombs, there was no electricity, water or transport, and panicked people left their homes to look for refuge (as refugees) in safer places
- there were thousands of deaths and injuries and people had to be retrieved from their homes, by the medical services, which were at full stretch
- the bombing caused flooding, and gas explosions, and there was a constant danger of unexploded bombs
- unsurprisingly, support for the nazis began to weaken
