05/07/2016Weimar and Nazi Germany1

2 Hitler's Economic Policy How Hitler Transformed the German Economy

05/07/2016Weimar and Nazi Germany3 Hitler’s economic priorities 1. Drag Germany out of the world recession 2. Solve unemployment 3. Make Germany an “autarchy” – self sufficient 4. Get rid of Jewish industrialists and give their businesses to “Aryans” 4 Transform the economy to focus on rearmament and war

05/07/2016Weimar and Nazi Germany4 Hjalmar Schacht President of the Reichsbank, directed German economic policy promoted trading manufactured goods for cheap raw materials He was against spending out too much on rearmament before the German economy was strong enough Replaced by Hermann Goering in 1936

05/07/2016Weimar and Nazi Germany5 Hitler’s Ideas conquer countries by Blitzkrieg or lightning war, takeover their economies Spread the master race “Lebensraum” Exploit conquered countries so living standards could be maintained at home despite all the money being spent on war 1936 Goering was appointed to introduce a 4 year plan to put Hitler’s ideas into action

05/07/2016Weimar and Nazi Germany6 The aims of the 4 year Plan rearmament “autarky” In 1933 total money spent on the military was 1.9 million marks by 1939 it was 32.3 million!

05/07/2016Weimar and Nazi Germany7 What were the results of this? The size of the German army grew massively Hitler became more confident and started to openly break the Treaty of Versailles Austria 1938 Czechoslovakia 1938 Poland 1939 World war broke out!

05/07/2016Weimar and Nazi Germany8 Was the 4 year Plan a success? Unemployment dropped quickly 4.8 million in 1933 to 0.5 million in 1938 Wages rose slightly but were still lower in 1938 than they had been in 1928 Working hours went up to 49 hours per week in 1939 – 52 hours in 1943 to over 60 hours per week by 1945 There were fewer consumer goods (personal and household goods Trade unions were replaced by “Beauty of Labour” and strength Through Joy” who organised better conditions and leisure activities

05/07/2016Weimar and Nazi Germany9 Were people better off under the Nazis? Unemployment fell everywhere not just in Germany Some people were forced to work on public works There were disadvantages to SDA and KDF – workers had no representation Workers put more into the economy than they got out If you were “Aryan” and of no strong political beliefs life was relatively good