Nazi: Economy

Question 1

What was agreed at the conference in Lausanne

Answer 1

That depression made reparation payments impossible, so they did not pay them.

Question 2

Why were the nazis not concerned with losing trade with the USA

Answer 2

They weren’t as concerned as previous governments, as they didn’t intend to rely on foreign trade

Question 3

‘New plan’

Answer 3

Trade treaties with countries like Hungary and Yugoslavia.
Involved trading goods rather than paying for imports

Question 4

What was the nazis goal with the first 4 year plan in 1933

Answer 4

Wanted to achieve autarky, and to target unemployment and agriculture

Question 5

From 1932-36, how had unemployment figures changed

Answer 5

1932 - 30% of workforce unemployed
1936 - 7.4% unemployed

Question 6

How did the nazis create jobs and employment

Answer 6

• depression hit lowest point and started to turn around
• business began employing again
• nazis manipulated statistics (eg. Jews couldn’t work so thus were not in the stats)
• women discouraged from working
• nazis and businesses created work, even if temporary

Question 7

What was the RAD

Answer 7

Schemes for unemployed people which gave:
-manual work, but less pay than unemployed pay.
-basic food
- labour camp accommodation
-

Question 8

How did the RAD schemes increase the general amount of work created

Answer 8

Had road-building schemes, thus increasing car manufacture, thus creating work and improved communications, helping to move goods and raw materials more effectively

Question 9

Who was the minister of Agriculture and what did he do initially

Answer 9

Alfred Hugenburg, increased import tariffs on agricultural products, thus making German ones cheaper. He also banned banks repossessing farms in debt, made margarine manufacturers utilise German butter inside it.

Question 10

What is the RNS (Reich food estate)

Answer 10

Set up by the next agricultural minister, Richard Darré, helped regulate food production and distribution. Also set prices and farm wages

Question 11

What was introduced on may 6th

Answer 11

The German labour front (DAF)

Question 12

What was the DAF

Answer 12

Voluntary to join it (but became harder for non-members to find work).

It’s organisation of working conditions allowed big companies to further exploit workers, as they could set their own conditions.

Question 13

What were the problems faced by Schacht by 1935

Answer 13

Countries were demanding cats, and not trade, for their goods, eg.Bulgaria wanted money for their oil now. This was bad as Germany wasn’t completely self-sufficient yet and needed material for rearming, plus big lack of meat and fat in the country.

Question 14

What is a command economy and how did this apply to the nazis

Answer 14

Economy where the state decides how much to produce.

The Nazis set up state control over industry and agriculture as they rebuilt economy.

Question 15

Why did the state have high-foreign debts in 1936

Answer 15

Due to the raw-material imports for rearmament and creation of work

Question 16

Basis of the second 4 year plan.

Answer 16

Tight focus on autarky and war prep. Goerring, who was in charge, controlled all business/agricultural production.

Question 17

How many department were in the second 4 year plan

Answer 17

There were 6:

1. Raw material production
2. Agricultural production
3. Distribution
4. Labour
5. Prices
6. Foreign exchange

Question 18

What do some argue caused the 4 year plan

Answer 18

The failure of Schacts ‘New Plan’ which failed to solve problem of giving enough raw materials for rearmament as well as tolerable levels of consumption. It’s wasn’t a comprehensive and co-ordinated plan, rather many individual measures in specific areas.

Question 19

Problems faced by nazis in 1939

Answer 19

• Farming and industry not always meeting the 4 Year Plan targets set by the command economy
• Propaganda to persuade people to switch from meat to eating fish, and eat jam with their bread, not sausage. Had some success as jam consumption trebled between 1928 and 1938 -but this was less successful than had been hoped.
• Shift to command economy made the Nazis unpopular with several groups that had previously supported. They resented Nazi levels of control, E.g. big industrialists and manufacturers of consumer goods.
• country was also not ready for war

Question 20

Who did Hitler make minister of armaments and munitions, and their aim

Answer 20

Fritz Todt, with aim organising industry to full production.

Question 21

What was the Central Planning board (1942)

Answer 21

Set up in April 1942, was to distribute raw materials, decide on whether to build a factory or extend an existing one, and to organise transportation.

Question 22

Why did production in 1942 have to be more mechanised

Answer 22

Had to become more mechanised as thousands of skilled workers were being conscripted and replaced by less-skilled women and foreign workers.

Question 23

What % of workforce had turned into the army by 1944

Answer 23

13%

Question 24

How had production changed from 1940-1944

Answer 24

It was almost 3 times that of 1940 in 1944. For example, monthly production of 200 cm searchlights was 20. This rose to 150 by the end of 1944.

Question 25

How many million marks had been spent in 1936 and then 1943, on military

Answer 25

1936 - nearly 11 million marks

1943 - 112 million marks

Question 26

Economy was overstretched in 1945, and what had war production been affected by

Answer 26

• allied bombing which wiped factories, towns, transport links out
• loss f lands that gave raw materials, E.g. loss of Upper Silesia’s coal
• damage to water, electricity and gas supplies