Nazi Social Polcies towards workers

Question 1

Why were industrial workers the biggest challenge to the process of Gleichschaltung ?

Answer 1

• given their traditional ties to trade unions and non Nazi political parties

Question 2

What was the first step to Nazis controlling industrial workers ?

Answer 2

• ban existing free trade unions

Question 3

When were trade unions banned

Answer 3

• existing free trade unions were banned on the 2nd May 1933.

Question 4

What was the purpose of the German Labour Front ?

Answer 4

• to coordinate and unite the workers into the National Socialist Regime

Question 5

What was the German Labour Front

Answer 5

• An organisation which took over the assets of the banned trade unions and became the largest organisation in the Third Reich.

Question 6

Why did membership of the German Labour Front increase ?

Answer 6

• it was the only officially recognised organisation representing workers

Question 7

What were the aims of the German Labour Front ?

Answer 7

• to win the workers over to the Volksgemeinschaft
• to encourage workers to increase production

Question 8

Was the German Labour Front a trade union ?

Answer 8

• GDF was not a trade union
• no role in bargaining over wages and little influence of regimes’ social and economic policy

Question 9

Why did the German Labour Front have a propaganda department ?

Answer 9

• to spread Nazi ideology among working class Germans

Question 10

What was the average wage of a worker in 1936 ?

Answer 10

• 35 marks a week
• 10x 1932

Question 11

What was the Nazi system of labour like ?

Answer 11

• workers had to work harder snd accept a squeeze on wages and living standards
• heavily weighted of the employer and the state

Question 12

How did the Nazis and Nazi propaganda try to justify working longer and harder ?

Answer 12

• promoted the message that the reward was the knowledge that they were serving the community

Question 13

Who organised the Volkswagen scheme ?

Answer 13

The DAF

Question 14

What was the Volkswagen scheme ?

Answer 14

• 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

Question 15

Why did the Nazis create the Strength through Joy organisation ?

Answer 15

• could not take workers for granted
• to organise workers leisure time and improved leisure facilities and opportunities

Question 16

What was the main idea behind the scheme/ organisation of Strength through Joy ?

Answer 16

• workers would gain ‘ strength through joy ‘ by experiencing joy in their leisure
• workers who were refreshed would be more efficient

Question 17

Through the KdF, what were the workers offered ?

Answer 17

• offered subsidised holidays in Germany and abroad
• sporting activities and hikes
• theatre and cinema visits at reduced prices

Question 18

What were the secondary aims of the KdF ?

Answer 18

• 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

Question 19

Membership of the Strength through Joy ( KdF ) ?

Answer 19

• Membership of the KdF cam automatically with membership of the DAF
• by 1936, 36 million people

Question 20

How was the KdF also a propaganda organisation ?

Answer 20

• used its activities to indoctrinate workers and their families into Nazi ideology

Question 21

How and Why did the KdF become valued by Germans ?

Answer 21

• Offered ordinary germans that had not previously been possible.

Question 22

How effective was Strength through Joy ?

Answer 22

• 2 million hikes
• 8 million holidays
• 2.5 million concerts
• 22 million sports events
• 13 million shows

Question 23

Overall success of these schemes and organisation ?

Answer 23

• The evidence from Sopade and Gestapo reports show that workers’ reactions to Nazi scheme to win their support was mixed

Question 24

How successful were Nazi policies towards workers ?

Answer 24

• 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

Question 25

Limitations of success of Nazi policies towards women

Answer 25

• 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