Social Booklet - Peasants

Question 1

How much did agriculture make up Germany’s national income in 1900?

Answer 1

30%

Question 2

How much did agriculture make up Germany’s national income in 1989?

Answer 2

Under 2%

Question 3

From 1971-89, how much did the number of German workers employed in agricultural jobs decline?

Answer 3

49% to 2%

Question 4

Which prominent group relied on farms/agriculture for their income?

Answer 4

Junkers

Question 5

When did the Junkers persuade Bismarck to introduce tariffs to stop the import of cheap grain from Russia and the USA?

Answer 5

1879

Question 6

When was the Agrarian League formed and who was it backed by?

Answer 6

1893, Junkers

Question 7

What did the Agrarian League do?

Answer 7

The Agrarian League was formed to fight attempts by the government to weaken tariffs on foreign imported food (so that Germans would buy German food and therefore pay Junkers)

Question 8

How was agriculture affected during WW1?

Answer 8

• Agricultural production dipped during WW1 due to the loss of workers to the front line. Moreover, fertiliser and fuel had to be prioritised for the war effort
• As a result, Germany was met with major food shortages, such as the Turnip Winter (1916-17)

Question 9

Problems for farmers in the 1920s

Answer 9

• Further problems for farmers in Germany arose in the 1920s when competition from world markets built up, as well as the use of improved farming practices in Holland and Denmark
• Even before the Wall Street Crash and depression from 1929, German farmers were experiencing a major slump in the value of their goods and this resulted in the widespread bankruptcy and the closure of a number of farms

Question 10

Due to their decline, who did the farmers turn to for support?

Answer 10

The Nazi party, they supported them throughout the 1920s

Question 11

What was the Nazi viewpoint on traditional life?

Answer 11

The Nazis romanticised the unchanging nature of German villages, and promoted the traditional and clear roles of men and women

Question 12

How did the Nazis help the farmers in 1933?

Answer 12

In 1933, they introduced laws to protect farms from being forcibly sold (due to debt and takeovers by Jewish banks), from land being broken up and guaranteed a high price for German produce

Question 13

What process led to the decline in agriculture in the Nazi Germany period?

Answer 13

Industrialisation, focus on war

Question 14

After WW2, what happened to the farmers?

Answer 14

• After WW2, West German farmers benefitted from mechanisation and improved farming practices
• Agriculture became more efficient as smaller farms were consolidated into larger ones, therefore improving the rural economy

Question 15

Why did the farmers decline during the west Germany period?

Answer 15

Farming machinery was subsidised by the government and demand for German produce was high

Question 16

How much did the farmers decline (%) by during the West Germany period?

Answer 16

1959-60 - the rural economy lost 50% of its workforce