Nazi Germany 1933-39: Life for Workers 1933-39

Question 1

What major working groups were effected by the regime?

Answer 1

• Peasants and farmers
• Landowners
• Middle Class
• Working Class

Question 2

How did life change for peasants and farmers?

Answer 2

• Industrialisation favoured urban populations
• Farm debts and mortgages were written off
• Tariffs on imported goods maintained
• Reich Entailed Farm Act forbade division of land 1933
• Reich Food Estate 1933 supervised food production, prices and wages

Question 3

Did farming life improve overall?

Answer 3

• Income increased at first
• Growing disillusionment in 1936 due to rural to urban migration
• Acts meant farmers could only pass estates to one child
• Providing for children was difficult
• Issues grew with conscription in 1939

Question 4

How did life change for landowners?

Answer 4

• Initially fearful of Nazi interference with ownership
• Nazis were unconcerned with activities and did not threaten estates
• In 1945 Soviet occupation estates were broken up

Question 5

How did life change for middle class under Nazis?

Answer 5

• Hoped to benefit from Nazis after business dominated 20s
• Largest sector to vote Nazi
• Trading regulations introduced to protect craftsmen
• Benefited from confiscation of Jewish businesses, leading to low interest loans
• Mittelstand declined as could not compete with businesses
• Worsened by Nazi rearmament policy

Question 6

How did life change for workers under Nazis?

Answer 6

• Trade Unions banned 1933, replaced with DAF (German Labour Front)
• DAF membership increased from 5 million 1933 to 22 million 1939
• KdF (Strength through Joy)
• 10.3 million KdF holidays by 1939
• Working conditions regulated by SdA (Beauty of Labour)

Question 7

Summarise working life under Nazis

Answer 7

• Some elements improved through the DAF
• Workers were firmly under government control
• Strike action removed and dealt with harshly

Question 8

What changes were made to working hours?

Answer 8

• Working week increased from 43 hours 1933 to 47 hours 1939

- Workers pressurised to work overtime

Question 9

What changes were made to business?

Answer 9

• Industry was increasing due to Schacht’s plans
• Management salaries grew from 3700RM to 5420RM from 1934-38
• Profits from 2.8% to 6.6%

Question 10

How much did management salaries grow?

Answer 10

From 3700RM in 1934 to 5420RM in 1938

Question 11

What happened to unemployment?

Answer 11

• Dropped 6.1 million 1932 to 0.5 million 1938
• This was because Jews and women uncounted
• Labour Board workers uncounted

Question 12

What happened to German access to goods?

Answer 12

• Access to goods fell in most areas

- From 1927 to 1937, consumption of eggs by working class families fell 404 to 237

Question 13

What happened to wages?

Answer 13

• Real wages only rose above 1929 levels in 1939

- Workers had to pay tax, insurance and DAF contributions