Workers in Nazi Germany Flashcards
What did the Nazis do to new department stores?
Set up a law banning them to protect small businesses
What happened to the number of self-employed craftsmen in the late 1930s?
From 1936 to 1939 the number fell from 1,650,000 to 1,500,000
What happened to the value of craftsmen’s work in the late 1930s?
It nearly doubled from 1933 to 1937
What happened to farm debts and prices?
Some farm debts were written off and all farmers benefited from an increase in food price
What did the government insist farmers do?
Each hen had to lay 65 eggs per year
What did farmers suffer from?
Shortage of labourers- many people left to find better jobs in the city
How did the average salary of managers change in the 1930?
It rose by 70% between 1934 and 1938
What happened if unskilled workers didn’t accept the work they were given by the government?
They would receive no unemployment benefit
All workers had to join what organisation?
The DAF
Who was the DAF run by?
Dr Robert Ley
What did the DAF do?
It put people to work building new autobahns, hospitals, schools and other public buildings
What was the organisation within the DAF which persuaded employers to improve working conditions?
Beauty of Labour
What was KDF, or Strength through Joy?
Another part of the DF, it organised the leisure time of the workers. This meant concerts, operas, theatre, holidays and other things
What did the Volkswagen offer?
It was a chance for the working class to own cars- people could pay slowly into a scheme and then get a car. Many people started paying, but few received a car
What was the RAD, or Reich Labour Service?
It gave 18-25 year old men compulsory 6 month work service. It was unpopular because it was hard, manual labour and it was poorly paid
What happened to the number of working hours in the 1930s?
It went up from 43 in 1933 to 47 in 1939
What happened to unemployment rates in the 1930s?
They went down from 5,603,000 in 1932 to 119,000 in 1939, although this number no longer included women, Jews, soldiers or part time workers
What was Prora?
Essentially a Nazi Butlins. It accommodated 20,000 people at one time
Robert Ley wanted to give how many German workers cheap holidays per year?
14 million
How much did a cruise to the Canary Islands cost?
62 marks- about 2 weeks wages
What did Ley have built to help with the cheap holidays?
2 25,000 tonne liners
What happened to the Volkswagen factory in 1939?
It was turned int a weapons factory
How much did the Volkswagen cost?
990 marks- about 35 weeks wages. Workers paid 5 marks a week until they had paid 750 marks
How many people took part in KDF sports matches per year?
7 million
Give 4 examples of KDF holidays
- Walking in the mountains- 28 marks 2. Skiing in Bavaria 3. Going to Switzerland- 65 marks 4. Tours of Italy- 115 marks
Wages as a percentage of national income declined by what in the 1930s?
From 64% in 1932 to 57% in 1938
People’s right to choose what job they wanted was taken away when?
1933
