The Wartime Economy and the Work of Speer Flashcards
What economic problems did Germany face whilst at war?
-Despite ‘Decree for the Conversion of the Whole German Economy onto a War Footing’
-Armed forces suffered shortages of weapons and equipment
-German forces stretched with war in Mediterranean and start of Operation Barbarossa, supply problems hindered war effort
How did Hitler’s anticipation of war effect the economic problems?
-Did not anticipate until at least launch of Operation Barbarossa 1941
-Expected Brit and Fr to accept invasion of Poland - just like his demands with Austria and Czech
-Eco/military planning based on these assumptions - Luftwaffe expansion due complete 1942, build up of navy 1944-5
-4yr plan concentrated in early stages on production, investing in machine tools and developing artificial alternatives to oil and rubber
-Once production took place then full scale-production of armaments could begin
-Outbreak of war Sep 1939 came as surprise and disrupted plans
How did the German armaments production suffer from structural weaknesses?
-Different branches of armed forces demanded high quality and specialised equipment
-Production of different types of weapons = expensive and required high skill labour
-Proportion of labour force before armaments production increased 21%->55%, but supply of weapons grew slowly
-Mass production of standardised weapons = cheaper and capable of producing quantity needed - hw many Ger firms not set up in this way
-Military designed and ordered many different versions of same weapons, making standardisation almost impossible
How did political problems contribute to economic problems?
-Goering in charge of 4yr plan, lacked technical and eco knowledge to do so effectively
-Poor relations with leaders of military, large companies and banks
-Busy building up own economic empire
- War economy needed greater centralised coordination, Goering = incapable
-1939-40 his failings = masked by successes of armed forces
-1941 weaknesses of plan and his management = increasingly apparent
-Albert Speer described his years in charge as incompetent, arrogant and egotistical
Who was Albert Speer?
-Architect
-Joined Nazi Party 1931
-Helped design settlings for Nuremberg rallies and many iconic building incl Hitler’s Reich Chancellery in Berlin
-1942 apted Minister of Armaments
-After Germany’s defeat = tried at Nuremberg -> 20yrs in prison
Explain the rationalisation of production
-Under Speer’s direction, included:
-Central coordination of allocation of labour, equipment and materials to armaments factories
-Concentration of production in fewer factories and on a narrower range of standardised products
-Greater use of mass production techniques
-More shift working to keep factories operating 24hrs a day
What was the ‘production miracle’?
-Results of Speer’s work
-1941-43 Ger aircraft production incr 200%, tank production 250%
-Production of Messerschmitt Bf 109 (one of Ger’s main fighter aircraft) concentrated in 3 factories rather than previous 7
-Despite reduction in factory space, rationalised production methods = production of this aircraft incr 180 per month to 1000 per month
What was the economic impact of allied bombing?
-1942 - May 1945 British and Americans -> sustained bombing offensive against Ger industrial capacity and civilian morale
-Gains in production achieved by Speer 1943-44 occurred despite damage from air raids
-Bombing had impact on production since supply lines = damaged, factories had to disperse and work morale affected
-Jan 1945 officials at Ministry of Armaments calculated bombing = 35% fewer tanks, 42% fewer lorries
-Caused an actual reduction in amount of armaments produced
Explain the mobilisation of the labour force
-Outbreak of war = incr number of men conscripted
-Limited supply of labour force = need to use available labour force efficiently -> using foreign labour
-Large no. non-essential workers released for military service
-Reduction of workers in consumer goods industries with consequent rise in no. employed in munitionms
-The Ger reverse outside Moscow Dec 1941 brought issue to a head
-Efforts to take labour away from civilian work to concentrate on armaments production frustrated by opposition from local Gauleiters who were anxious to keep employment within own areas
-H opposed to using women in industry, shortage cause serious threat to plans to increase production
-Defeat at Stalingrad jan 1943 -> drastic measures
-Even before, H issued ‘Decree for Comprehensive Deployment of Men and Women for Reich Defence Tasks’ - est small committee to oversee mobilisation of labour for war effort
-Decree called that all men 16-65, women 17-45 had to register for work
-Small businesses not essential for work should be closed, employees transferred
-Rigorous ‘comb through’ exercise conducted to identify men who could be released from employment for military service and conscription of labour began to = reality
-Ideological considerations still prevented regime treating women workers same
Explain the use of foreign labour
-June 1940 - spring 1942 foreign workers in Ger industry mainly recruited from occupied countries in W Europe
-After invasion of USSR, dramatic increase in number of prisoners of war, Oct 1941 H agreed Russian prisoners of war = used for slave labour
-Dec 1941 4 million foreign workers employed in Ger
-March 1942 H est Plenipotentiary General for Labour allocation to organise centralised control over procurement and allocation for foreign labour
-Headed by Fritz Sauckel, a Gauleiter - used ruthless force to incr no. foreign workers
-1942-45 he succeeded in rounding up and transporting 2.8 mill workers from E Eur
-Millions of prisoners of war also forced to work in Ger
-1944 7 million foreign workers in Ger and another 7 mill in occupied countries doing work for Ger
-Conditions = harsh, wages low, living conditions, discipline severe
-Volunteer ‘guest workers’ from W Eur given same wages and conditions as Ger workers
-Forced labourers from E paid about half
-Prisoners of war and concentration camp in mates also used as slave labour, without payment, on starvation rations
-All Ger corporations e.g. Thyssen, Krupp and I.G. Farben used same foreign forced labour during war yrs
-Most Ger factories had foreign labourers
-Estimated by 1944 made up 1/4 Ger labour force
Summarise wartime economy and the work of Speer
-Undoubtedly problems for Ger industry in supplying armed forces fast enough and in sufficient quantities
-Occurred despite economy having been placed on war footing 1936 and mobilisation of labour and capitals for armaments industries at start of war
-Such structural problems together with political chaos -> insufficient and uncoordinated use of resources allocated to armaments production
-Speer’s appt production problems largely solved, industry began to produce weapons in necessary quantities
-Happened despite Allied bombing campaign that subjected most Ger cities and industries based in them to severe destruction
