Workers & unemployment

Question 1

What was the Nazis’ plan for employment?

Answer 1

To eradicate unemployment, which was seen as a waste of resources and something which would lead to communist support.

Question 2

What were wages like in Nazi Germany?

Answer 2

• They improved, especially in weaponry jobs
• But working hours increased by 6h and living costs rose

Question 3

What schemes did the Nazis introduce to reduce unemployment?

Answer 3

• Labour service (RAD)
• Autobahn building scheme
• Rearmament

Question 4

How did rearmament affect workers?

Answer 4

• Created jobs building weapons
• By 1935, 72,000 in aircraft industry alone
• By 1939, >1.3m working in armed forces

Question 5

What was the Autobahn Building Scheme?

Answer 5

• One of many Nazi schemes designed to create jobs in construction
• Spending on public works increased by 20bn marks 1933-38

Question 6

What was the Labour Service (RAD)?

Answer 6

• Provided public workers for road repairs etc
• Was organised like an army, with poor food and low pay
• 1935: complsory to serve in RAD for 6 moths
• 1935: 422,000 in RAD

Question 7

Name 3 organisations/schemes set up to “benefit” workers.

Answer 7

• SdA: beauty of labour
• KdF: strength through joy
• GLF: German labour front

Question 8

What did the Nazis set up to replace trade unions?

Answer 8

The German Labour Front.

Question 9

What did the GLF do?

Answer 9

• Raised working hours by 6h
• Removed workers’ rights
• Limited corporate freedoms, ensuring businesses operated for the benefit of the Nazi state

Question 10

What was the KdF (strength through joy)?

Answer 10

• Provided leisure activities for workers - sports events, films, shows
• Loyal workers could win holidays
• Promised workers a Volkswagen if they gave 5 marks per week (but they never got one, because the car factory switched to weapon production. They didn’t get their money back either)

Question 11

What was the SdA (beauty of labour)?

Answer 11

• Reduced corporate tax if companies improved worker facilities
• Workers were expected to make the improvements themselves, for no pay
• So only benefitted businessowners

Question 12

How did unemployment (allegedly) decrease?

Answer 12

By 4m after 1933.

Question 13

How did the Nazis reduce unemployment figures?

Answer 13

• Dodgy stats calculations, e.g. from 1935, part-time counted as full-time
• Rearmament and building schemes created short term jobs that couldn’t be economically sustained
• Women +Jews banned from work and not accounted for in calculations
• 100s of 1000s put in prisons and conc. camps - also not counted
• SA, SS and Gestapo weren’t real jobs
• People in RAD basically unemployed