The growth of the urban working class

Question 1

Kaiserreich Germany

Answer 1

• social insurance included sickness insurance in 1883 which provided 13 weeks pay for 3 million workers, accident insurance in 1884 have 13 weeks payment financed by employers, and old age pensions from 1889 for those over 70 (most were dead)
• unemployment only went above 3% in one year from 1900 to the war, and average wages increased 25%
• however living conditions were poor with 30% of families living in destitution
• Caprivi was a closet socialist who banned Sunday work and stopped women working more than 11 hours a week
• Bülow extended accident insurance and the ban on child labour

Question 2

Weimar germany-

Answer 2

• BILL OF RIGHT- introduced freedom of speech and religion, as well as better sick pay, unemployment benefits and welfare payments
• Real wages increased by 9% in 1927 and 12% in 1928
• stinnes liegen act legitimised unions and secured a 8 hour day
• 2 million new houses built to accommodate for 4x population in urban areas
• GNP increased significantly between 1925-29 and reached pre war levels in 1927

Question 3

Nazi Germany

Answer 3

• The Nazis did solve the 40% unemployment through public work schemes like the RAD, with 5 billion RM invested into such schemes which reflected the work of the new deal in USA
• working class grew 10% in Nazi germany
• KDF holidays increased from 2.3 million to 10.3 million from 1934-38
• unemployment reached 35,000 out of 25 million males, KDF provided 7000 paid jobs and 135,000 voluntary roles
• however production was geared towards the war effort and commercial industries declined to practically nothing by 1940
• 20% of workers were immigrants by 1944 and so they were unprepared to help the war effort

Question 4

West Germany

Answer 4

• Population fell from 23% to 8% in rural areas between 1950-1970
• investment from Marshall aid showed the importance of capitalism in Germany and led to the movement from heavy industry to more refined industries like electrical and engineering
• Frankfurt and Hamburg emerged as Industrial powerhouses in Germany amid another small industrial revolution, facilitated by Erhard
• 75% of people lived in towns of over 10,000 in the west compared to 57% in the east
• 14 million ‘guest workers’ came to W germany over the period