Nazi economic, social and racial policy Flashcards
Who was The National Labour Service Corps (Reichsarbeitsdienst, RAD) made compulsory for from 1935?
Men aged 18-25
When was the RAD extended to women?
1939
What was the intention of the RAD?
To encourage the spirit of National Socialism whilst also providing Germany with a cheap labour force
How did Nazis keep down unemployment figures?
- Dubious methods e.g. not including Jews
- Build up of armed forces
What was the result of Nazi road building programmes?
7000kms of autobahns built
How many workers were listed as unemployed out of a workforce of 25 million in 1939?
35,000
When was conscription reintroduced and what effect did this have on the German army?
- 1935
- The army grew from 100,000 in 1933 to 1,400,000 by 1939
What happened to heavy industry usage between 1933 and 1939?
Heavy industries such as coal and chemical usage doubled
How many marks were spent of rearmament?
- 3.5 billion marks were spent on rearmament
- This increased to 26 billion by 1939
How many members did the DAF have by the end of 1939?
22 million members, making it the largest organisation in Nazi Germany
What did the DAF include?
Employers and workers and was supposed to represent the the interests of both
What were members of the DAF given?
- Relatively high wages
- Job security
- Social and leisure programmes
What was the Volkswagen scheme launched by the DAF in 1938?
- Gave workers an opportunity to buy their own car
- Not a single customer took delivery of a car as production shifted to military vehicles in 1939
What was the Strength through joy (KdF) programme?
- Set up to improve leisure time for German workers
- This included concerts, sporting events and holidays
How many people went on KdF holidays in Germany in 1938?
10 million
What was the Beauty of Work programme set up by the KdF?
- A programme set up to improve working conditions
- It organised the building of canteens, swimming pools and sports facilities
What was the Nazi view of women?
- Very traditional
- Nazi ideals suggested that the ideal woman did not wear make up, did not work and did not hold an interest in politics.
- Women were encouraged to keep healthy and wear their hair in buns or plaits.
- Women were discouraged from slimming as this was bad for childbearing
What was the Law for the Encouragement of Marriage and when was it introduced?
Introduced in 1933 to increase Germany’s birth rate.
What happened on Hitler’s mother’s birthday?
- Medals were awarded to women with large families
What was the Lebensborn (Life Springs) programme?
Set up to force unmarried women to become pregnant by ‘racially pure’ SS men