Life For Workers Flashcards
How did DAF (German Labour Front) impact on workers?
This was Nazi organisation that replaced trade unions, which were banned in May 1933 because they could interfere with Hitler’s plans
It was run by Dr Robert Ley
Workers could not strike, bargain for wages or leave their jobs without permission
DAF nearly always followed wishes of employers, rather than employees
Maximum working hours per week were increased from 60 to 72
Bosses couldn’t sack workers on spot
Paid holidays doubled under Nazis
Nazis removed barriers between workers & boss - everyone wore same blue uniforms & ate in same canteen & ate same food
How did KdF (Strength Through Joy) impact on workers?
Scheme set up in November 1933.
Aimed to make workers support Hitler by offering them rewards & keep them occupied outside the workplace with organised leisure activities
It was run by Dr Ley
Activities and rewards included:
Evening classes
Theatre trips
Picnics
Broad range of mass participation sporting events;
Cheap or free holidays - walking holidays in Switzerland & skiing holidays in Bavaria for 28 marks
Two big cruise liners built to sail people around Canary Islands for only two weeks’ wages
Tours of Italy for 155 marks
Life on board cruise ships very regimented - passengers must dress modestly, avoid excessive drinking, not have holiday romances & obey instructions of tour leaders
KdF also started savings scheme for workers who wanted to buy Volkswagen Beetle, known as the “People’s Car”
They were to save 5 marks per week until 750 marks had been paid into the scheme.
How did SdF (Beauty of Labour) impact on the lives of German workers?
Arranged building of canteens, swimming pools & sports facilities
Provided better lighting & ventilation
Improved safety, reduced noise from machines & made factories cleaner
By 1938, Nazis claimed 34,000 businesses improved working conditions & facilities
Tax incentives encouraged employers to do this
Competitions held & prizes awarded for most improvements
Winners issued certificate, signed by hitler, saying they were ‘model firms’
Scheme was also resented by some workers, as they often completed work in spare time, without pay
What was the impact of the Nazi regime on the German workers?
Despite loss of freedom, life improved in Germany for some ordinary people:
60,000 new houses were built
Rent & price controls helped consumers
People enjoyed very varied activities of KdF
By 1938, 10 million people (third of the workforce) had enjoyed state financed holiday
There was full employment
However, not everyone benefitted:
Living standards of German workers in non-armaments industries didn’t really improve
People’s diets became less healthy & monotonous
There was rationing of butter even before World War Two, as Göring wanted “Arms not butter”
Few people actually got to go on cruises
No one received a “People’s Car”. When war broke out in 1939, car production was axed & replaced with making of tanks
Workers had lost right to negotiate wages, strike & change jobs freely
Councils of Trust did little to increase mutual trust in factories between employees & employers
Many workers weren’t impressed by Nazi propaganda, but took advantage of benefits
KdF only popular as it offered them escape from boring & pressured work lives
How effective were the Nazi’s actions towards the German workforce?
Hitler had almost obedient workforce:
For example, they accepted ending of trade unions which had protected their rights
They worked longer hours & asked permission to change job
Workers were more enthusiastic about the KdF than DAF
Some workers & employers remarkably successful at getting around Nazi restrictions
However, control of the workers wasn’t completely successful:
There was also some persistent opposition by ordinary German workers, often helped by communists
They posted anti-Nazi posters & graffiti, or organised strikes even though they were illegal
For example, they went on strike over high food prices in 1935 & during Berlin Olympics in 1936
In Dortmund, vast majority of men imprisoned in city’s jail were industrial workers
There were a few “no-go” areas for Nazi officials in some workers’ areas of towns
How did the RAD (National Labour Service) impact on German workers?
Hitler’s first Economic Minster, Dr Hjalmar Schacht, expanded public works schemes of Weimar Republic and set up National Labour Service (RAD)
RAD used unemployed men between ages of 18 & 25 to build
government-funded motorways (known in German as Autobahnen),
hospitals,
schools
other public buildings, like 1936 Olympic Stadium, & to work as groundskeepers
Men spent 6 months in camps, wore uniforms & received small amount of pay to send back to their families
RAD became compulsory for men in 1935
It was extended to women in 1939
To create as many jobs as possible, manual labour was favoured over use of machines
RAD beneficial to Nazis because:
Provided them with cheap labour
Reduced numbers on unemployment register
Led to network of motorways which could be used for mobilisation of army during war & kept young people occupied
How did the Nazis reduce unemployment?
RAD
Conscription
From 1935 onwards, young men between ages of 18 & 25 conscripted into army for 2 years
Army increased from 0.4 million in 1935 to 1.4 million in 1939
Rearmament
Rearmament was responsible for bulk of economic growth between 1933 & 1938
Millions of jobs created in factories producing new weapons
It started almost as soon as Hitler came to power, but only announced publicly in 1935
46 billion marks spent on it
What did Hitler try to aim for in the duration of his reign?
Autarky - self sufficiency
How did Hitler try to become self-sufficient?
Göring dramatically altered pace of change in German economy by bringing about Four Year Plan
Measures Göring introduced targeted both agriculture & industry. They included:
Establishment of Reich Food Estate (Reichsnährstand)
It strictly regulated what farmers could produce, guaranteed prices for farmers’ produce & gave subsidies to encourage more food production
Tighter controls on imports
Production of ersatz, (i.e. synthetic substitutes for materials which were in short supply)
Coal used to make oil & rubber, acorns to manufacture coffee, paper pulp to produce fabric & flour to create make-up
Slave labour by inmates in concentration camps & forced labour by people transported to Germany from countries occupied by Germany in 1938 and 1939
Building huge industrial complexes, called Hermann Göring Works (for example, mining and metal-works)
