Life under the Nazis Flashcards
how was the economy of Germany 1933
- unemployment = 6 million
- productivity = production down by 42%, exports down by 55%
- farming = price of produce down by 22%
- banks = 5 banks collapsed - ppl lost life savings
what were Hitler’s Economic Policy Demands
- reduce unemployment
- expand + rearm Germany’s army, navy and air force
- make Germany self sufficient + not dependent on foreign trade
> because Hitler was horrified by allied blockade of Germany in WWI which left many Germans starving
who was Hjalmar Schacht + his role
- President of the Reichsbank
> he was given the task of controlling the economy from 1934
in Schacht’s New Plan 1934-36 how did he lower unemployment
- created public work projects - building motorways, public buildings like schools, planting trees
- provided generous marriage bonuses to keep women at home + not work which freed jobs for men
- employed thousands of people in Nazi Party + gov
in Schacht’s New Plan 1934-36 how did he strengthen the economy
- issued mefo bills - credit notes which delayed paying for goods + promising to pay back with interest within 5yrs
- encouraged foreign nations to buy goods in German currency
- created trade agreements with countries in south + eastern Europe
> areas not under influence of USSR, USA, GB, France
what was Herman Goering put in charge of + why
- he was put in charge of the economy with a clear focus on making Germany self sufficient - Autarky
> Hitler felt Schacht’s caution approach was too slow + secretly told Goering to be ready for war in 4yrs
what did Goering’s Four Year Plan 1936-39 achieve / not
- expanded the rearmament industries + those needed to support such industries
- iron + steel use trebled and coal + chemicals doubled
> led to huge increase in gov spending from 3.5 billion marks in 1933 to 26 billion marks by 1939 - breaking terms of ToV, he introduced conscription 1935 - young men had to serve in armed forces
> army inc from 100,00 men in 1933 to 1.4 million in 1939 - however G was still importing 1/3 of its raw materials in 1939
what did the German labour front (DAF) replace
- trade unions which negotiated with bosses for better pay + conditions
> as they were banned in 1933
who was the DAF headed by + how many members did it have
- headed by Dr Ley
- had 22 million members by 1939
what did the German Labour Front have control over
- total control over industrial workers
> setting levels of pays + regulating working hours
> resulted in working hours increased + wages low
What was Beauty of Labour
- tried improving working conditions
> e.g. ventilation, hot meals provided, cleanliness, lighting + health and safety standards
> however the workers had to do all the improvements of painting, cleaning, and building after normal work hours with no additional reward
> those who didn’t help faced risk of dismissal or being sent to the concentration camp
what 2 benefits did the German Labour Front set up
- Beauty of Labour
- Strength through joy
what was strength through joy
- organised leisure activities for workforce e.g. cheap holidays, entertainment; theatre + opera trips, subsidised cheap sport
> the idea was to make longer working hours more acceptable through improved working conditions
what was the Volkswagen scheme
- organised by DAF
- workers paid small amounts of money of their wage as a subscription every week to pay off their own car
> by end of 1938, 150,000 ppl had paid into the scheme
> they were promised to receive their cars
by 1940 but they were never
> because factories shifted to build military
vehicles + their money was never
refunded
what did Hitler say in a speech to women in 1934
- that the woman’s world was ‘her husband, her family, her children and her home’
> German slogan for ‘Kinder, Kuche, Kirche’
(children, kitchen, church)
what was the duty of women
- to stay at home and look after the family
as part for the Law for the Reduction of Unemployment of 1933, what was given to married couples
- interest free loan of up to 1,000 marks
> this provided the woman to give up her job + promised not to re-enter the labour market
> repayment of the loan was reduced by a quarter for each child born
what was the Motherhood Cross + who would get each of them
- (Mutterkreuz) a medal was awarded to mothers of large families
> bronze = 4/5 children
> silver = 6/7 children
> gold = 8/+ children
why did Hitler want more children to be born
- fall in German birth rate
> half the number of babies born in 1933 compared to 1900 - Nazi + Hitler believed that to make Germany a strong country again, they need more Germans, which meant more children
what was the slogan ‘ I have ___________ to the Fuhrer’
’ I have donated a child to the Fuhrer’
when + why did the rate of working women increase again
- 1938
- as conscription + rearmament increased, there was increasing number of jobs in factories + not enough men to do
> also the war in 1939 created a new demand for women workers, so much that their wages increased
what were unmarried women encouraged to do
- have children for Germnay
when + by whom was Lebensborn set up by
- 1935
- Himmler
what was Lebensborn
- ‘fountain of life’
- an organisation set up for unmarried mothers providing them with homes + maternity care
> eventually the SS were involved + they would have sex with women who wanted children but not get married, in order to increase the Aryan race
how many babies were born as a result of SS in Lebensborn
11,000 babies
