Nazi 1.3 Flashcards
What was the Nazis economic aim?
to have economic recovery as quick a possible. they didn’t have to worry about reparations because Bruning said at the Lausanne conference that it was impossible to pay due to the depression
When did the Nazis announce their first 4 year plan?
1 jan 1933
the aim was to achieve autarky
unemployment and agriculture were key targets
What did the nazis do to tackle unemployment?
jews weren’t allowed in civil service and women weren’t allowed to work. Nazis created work and told businesses to do the same.
What 2 employment schemes did the nazis introduce?
- Reich labour service- for the unemployed, provided manual work for less pay, basic food and accommodation
- Road building schemes: increased car manufacture, improved communications and helped move raw materials efficiently
how did the nazis manage agriculture for their desire of autarky?
Hugenberg: increased tariffs to make german produce cheaper, made margarine manufactures put butter in margarine- he resigned
Darre: set up Food Reich State to regulate produce, set prices and farm wages, created jobs for young women to work on farms
Why were the agricultural policies disliked by some?
farmers didn’t want to be told what to produce and how much to sell it for (although it was successful)
How did the nazis manage businesses and the workers?
big businesses like steel industry supported nazis, hitler liked smaller business as they supported him, owner of big shops didn’t. Union was a big issue- had a huge impact of productivity (strikes and lockouts)
What was the DAF?
German labour front- this was the only union- it made it easier for bigger businesses to exploit more workers as they could set their own working conditions
What did the Nazis do for workers?
1 may 1933, the nazis made a traditional socialist workers festival- a holiday
What was the 1935-36 crisis?
Trade was improving significantly with Schacht’s trade policies. however now countries wanted cash for goods not exchange of goods- this was a problem as Germany was not fully self sufficient- they had to choose between food or raw material imports
What is a command economy?
where the state decides what and how much to produce
Why did the Nazis want to create a command economy?
from the start, they wanted state control over the industry and agriculture as they rebuilt the economy
How long did the first 4 year plan run for?
3 years till 1936
What was the second 4 year plan?
this new plan had a tight focus on autarky and preparing for war. Goering was in charge
what was the ‘Guns or Butter’ issue?
there was a conflict between the need for rearmament and the need for food and necessities. hitler said rearmament was the most important concern therefore the nazis used propaganda to educate people to eat less so they can rearm
What was the situation like in 1939?
Although Germany had tight control over the economy, they were nowhere near ready for war because they couldn’t solely focus on war production. Shift to command economy made nazis unpopular with some groups like industrialists
What were the living standards like?
severely divided between pure germans and ethnic minorities
What was the T4 campaign?
1939
to get rid of disabled children. mentally ill and chronically sick. parents were offered to send kids to special clinics where they were killed.
What was the Hashude?
a reeducation centre for families who failed to pay rent, keep job or were alcoholic- people would got there for a year
Did living standards improve for the ordinary worker?
yes, unemployment dropped and real wages rose. strength through joy programmes provided extra loans, food and meds
what was the Nazis take on social welfare?
they had a few programmes for the mother, child and needy, there was a yearly winter aid programmes which distributed food, clothing parcels and ran soup kitchens
Were the nazis prepared for war?
they were more prepared than Britain and France but not as much as hitler wanted, war production wasn’t managed properly, nazis were given more power over the skilled people
Who was Fritz Todt and what did he do?
in 1940, hitler made him minister of armament and munitions with the task of organising the industry to make full production. he said for his plan to work he needed centralised control but no-one listened so hitler did it himself,
who was Albert Speer and what did he do?
He was Todts replacement. he said the same thing as Todt. as a result production becomes mechanised and it was increased rapidly
What happened in 1945 right after the war?
economy was overstretched, this leftest to food shortages, thriving black markets etc
