The Four Year Plan, incl The Role Of Goring 1936-39 Flashcards
What was the Four-year plan
Hitler’s memorandum of August 1936 outlined his vision of a German economy ready for war within four years
What was the four year plans economy based around and why
The needs of war to avoid prob of WW1 when G Econ unable to cope with a lengthy war
When did Schacht resign as Minister of Economics and who was he replaced by?
Nov 1937 and replaced by less competent Walther Funk
WHO was the leader of the four-year plan
Goring, who had no economic expertise
What were the main aims of the four year plan? (4)
- autarky
- increase agricultural production
- regulation imports and exports
- maintain high employment and retrain some sectors workforce
When did Rearmament start trumping even food production?
By 1939
Goring wanted autarky in what especially
Raw materials esp metals, oil and rubber
What helped maintain high employment levels
Conscription and development of large-scale war industrues
How did Goebbels also try to grow his own personal wealth and influence
Took almost total control over allocation of investment, raw materials and labour
Established ‘Reichswerke Hermann Goring’ which became the largest industrial enterprise in Europe by 1939
What kind of background did Goring have?
A former fighter pilot, military pilot
What did Goring say about ‘Guns vs Butter’?
“Guns will make us powerful. Butter will only make us fat.”
How was there a massive expansion of the armaments industry?
Those businesses which cooperated with the plan benefitted from significant govt investment and contracts eg. Krupps
New areas of weapons production developed eg.
Explosives productions expanded greatly
Through what years was 2/3 investment poured into war industries?
1936-39
By 1939, how much of the workforce was employed in rearmament activities?
40-50%
By 1939, how many men were removed from the unemployment register by conscription?
1 million
How many were unemployed by 1939?
300 000
Jobs provided in state-run orgs like
SS and Gestapo
Women encouraged to stay at home BUT
W demand rapid rearmament Nazis review this policy
By 1937 women required to do a ——
Duty year in factories
By what year were women required to do a duty year in factories?
1937