The Four Year Plan Flashcards
Overview: What three goals had Hitler achieved by 1936?
- The Communists and Social Democrats had been crushed
- German institutions had been Nazified
- ‘The Battle for work’ had been won
By 1936 what had Hitler’s turned his priority to?
waging war
What was Goering’s main goal?
the cooperation of big business
Give an example of a company that willingly cooperated with the Nazis?
I.G Farben
How did I.G Farben cooperat with Nazis?
I.G Farben was given contracts to produce both synthetic fuel and synthetic rubber it later supplied the Nazi regime with Zyklon-B
What was Zyklon B?
a poison gas to kill prisoners at Auschwitz and other extermination camps?
What happened to companies that failed to co-operate with Goering?
they were by-passed and replaced by state-run industrial facilities
Give an example of an instance where Goering bypassed a company that was not willing to cooperate?
1937 the ruhr iron and steel companies refused to invest in expensive new blast furnaces capable of using low–grade german iron ore
goering’s response was to build a state-owned steelworks called Hermann Goering’s works
How many people did Hermann Goering’s Works employ by 1940?
600,000
Hermann Goering Works had branches in what industries?
branched out from just steel marketing into other activites such as coal mining and armaments manufacture?
Was self-sufficiency an aim of the Four Year Plan?
Hitler did not aim to make Germany self-sufficient in all respects, h e knew this was ot possible
he accepted that germany was incapable of feeding itself- which was a reason for why he claimed germany needed ‘lebensraum’
preparation for the war was prioritised over agriculture
What examples are there of how preparations for war were prioritised over agriculture?
- agricultural labourers were drafted into jobs in armaments factories
- land was given over to the armed forces for barracks, camps and airfields
In addition to the Nazis priority of war over agriculture, what is another reason for the failure of self-sufficiency?
many agricultural labourers left the land to seek better-paid-jobs in the cities
What evidence is there of agricultural labourers leaving the land for better-paid-jobs in the cities?
around 1.4 million workers left the land between 1933 and 1939
How did the nazis attempt to reorganise german agriculture?
1933 the Germans passed the reich entitled farm law
What was the reich entailed farm law 1933?
This aimed to preserve medium sized farms by. Ensuring that they were. Passed onto a single heir. Thus the the children who were not heirs had no incentive to stay on the land
What examples are there of the successes of the four year plan?
- German steel production increased in the late 30s
- The production of synthetic rubber successfully reached targets
Laid down in the four year plan
What examples are there of the failures of the four year plan?
- The contribution made to the increase of German steel production by home-produced iron ore was less than expected
- in 1939 production of synthetic motor fuel was well bellow the planned level
- the four year plan played havoc with Germany’s finances the government ran huge budget deficits in the late 30s. Germany lived beyond its means.
What ambitious aim did Hitler express to achieve in the four year plan?
Autarky- economic self-sufficiency
What aim did hitler express for the four year plan?
Autarky-economic self sufficiency
What was the reasoning for hitlers emphasis on autarky in the four year plan?
Hitler was mindful of the impact of the British naval blockade on Germany in the First World War thus he maintained the important need to ensure that Germany could not be starved of vital resource by its enemies
Why did Schaat resign in 1937?
Disagreements over the pace of change, wanted the pace of rearmament to be slowed, this was brushed aside and his influence waned
Who replaced Schaat as economics minister?
Hermann Goering’s, the title he was given was plenipotentiary for the four year plan
had no expertise but was ambitious forceful and determined
How did Hermann Goering’s try to bring about economic self sufficiency?
- Attempts were made to encourage german farmers to grow more food
- industries were required to to use raw materials available in Germany-even if imported raw materials were cheaper or of better quality
- huge amount of investment in efforts to develop artificial substitutes for natural products-artificial replacement good ersatz
- extensive programme of labour retraining to ensure Germany doesn’t run short of worker with essential skills
What examples are there of Goering’s attempts at self-sufficiency?
- German farmers given grants to bring new land under cultivation
- low grade home produced iron ore was used in preference to higher quality imported ores
- the biggest four year plan of all involved building plants to derive motor fuel from coal. Germany had plenty of coal but no oil of its own. There was also heavy investment in ersatz rubbers
What evidence is there of the extent to which german military strength had grown since 1933?
- By 1939 Germany had an army of nearly 4 million men
- an airforce of 3000 warplanes
What concerns did german army leaders have over the issue of whether Germany was ready for war?
When did Goering launch the 4 year plan?
Nuremberg rally 1936
