Nazi Social Polcies towards workers Flashcards
Why were industrial workers the biggest challenge to the process of Gleichschaltung ?
- given their traditional ties to trade unions and non Nazi political parties
What was the first step to Nazis controlling industrial workers ?
- ban existing free trade unions
When were trade unions banned
- existing free trade unions were banned on the 2nd May 1933.
What was the purpose of the German Labour Front ?
- to coordinate and unite the workers into the National Socialist Regime
What was the German Labour Front
- An organisation which took over the assets of the banned trade unions and became the largest organisation in the Third Reich.
Why did membership of the German Labour Front increase ?
- it was the only officially recognised organisation representing workers
What were the aims of the German Labour Front ?
- to win the workers over to the Volksgemeinschaft
- to encourage workers to increase production
Was the German Labour Front a trade union ?
- GDF was not a trade union
- no role in bargaining over wages and little influence of regimes’ social and economic policy
Why did the German Labour Front have a propaganda department ?
- to spread Nazi ideology among working class Germans
What was the average wage of a worker in 1936 ?
- 35 marks a week
- 10x 1932
What was the Nazi system of labour like ?
- workers had to work harder snd accept a squeeze on wages and living standards
- heavily weighted of the employer and the state
How did the Nazis and Nazi propaganda try to justify working longer and harder ?
- promoted the message that the reward was the knowledge that they were serving the community
Who organised the Volkswagen scheme ?
The DAF
What was the Volkswagen scheme ?
- scheme that gave workers the chance to subscribe to a payment of five marks a week to fund eventually allowing them to acquire a car
Why did the Nazis create the Strength through Joy organisation ?
- could not take workers for granted
- to organise workers leisure time and improved leisure facilities and opportunities
What was the main idea behind the scheme/ organisation of Strength through Joy ?
- workers would gain ‘ strength through joy ‘ by experiencing joy in their leisure
- workers who were refreshed would be more efficient
Through the KdF, what were the workers offered ?
- offered subsidised holidays in Germany and abroad
- sporting activities and hikes
- theatre and cinema visits at reduced prices
What were the secondary aims of the KdF ?
- submerge the individual in the mass and encourage workers to see themselves part of the Volksgemeinschaft
- encourage a spirit of social equality. All KdF activities were organised as a one class basis with no class distinction between rich and poor
- bring Germans from all different regions to break down regional and religious differences and create unity
- encourage participation in sport to improve the physical and mental health of the nation. Every youth in employment was obliged to to undertake two hours of physical education in the workplace
Membership of the Strength through Joy ( KdF ) ?
- Membership of the KdF cam automatically with membership of the DAF
- by 1936, 36 million people
How was the KdF also a propaganda organisation ?
- used its activities to indoctrinate workers and their families into Nazi ideology
How and Why did the KdF become valued by Germans ?
- Offered ordinary germans that had not previously been possible.
How effective was Strength through Joy ?
- 2 million hikes
- 8 million holidays
- 2.5 million concerts
- 22 million sports events
- 13 million shows
Overall success of these schemes and organisation ?
- The evidence from Sopade and Gestapo reports show that workers’ reactions to Nazi scheme to win their support was mixed
How successful were Nazi policies towards workers ?
- trade unions had been abolished which meant workers had no independent means by which they could voice their grievances
- schemes were liked and well received and definitely helped Nazi popularity and tolerability.Also offered workers a means of escaping the boredom and escaping of their working lives
Limitations of success of Nazi policies towards women
- Many workers had been influenced by socialist and communist ideas before 1933 and would therefore had been resistant to Nazi ideology
- Schemes did not help the Nazis won over the workers
