Germany in the 1930s: The Slump Years

The Impact of the Recession upon 1930s Germany 1929 Wall Street Crash – collapse of American banks led to the US recalling its debts, and stopping its investment in Germany under the Dawes plan Designs of the Young Plan never came to fruition High levels of unemployment in Germany when Hitler was elected Chancellor in 1933, marking the end of the period often described as the ‘golden age’ of the Weimar Republic Lack of faith in Weimar Republic, and move towards radicalism in politics – support for KPD and NPD, and the political success of the National Socialists

Labour policy ● Abolish existing trade unions and centralise (enforce unity ASAP) ● 'no scope is allowed for collective negotiations between bodies of workers and bodies of employers' ● Betriebsordnung (rules of procedure), were set down for factories or businesses with more than 20 employees, regulating: – Working hours – Penalties – Grounds for dismissal – Holidays etc.

Business Organisations ● All public organisations are headed by the Nazi party ● Regulations on how business organisations were to be run: – Article 1: “In a business undertaking, the employer, as leader, and the employees, as followers, shall work together to further the purposes of the undertaking, and for the common good of the People and of the State.” ● Emphasis on 'leaders' rather than owners, 'powers' instead of rights (Ashton) ● Leadership principle: 'primus inter pares'

Insurance ● Unemployment declined – Parts of Unemployment Insurance would go towards creation of new jobs, and eventually into Pensions Insurance (partially by 1937), and into the financing of marriage loans (by Dec 1937) ● Promotion of work-based welfare ● 1937 – compulsory federation of each type of insurance fund (and many smaller societies merged into larger ones) ● 1939 – end of self-government of social insurance

Labour Front (DAF) ● Replaces Trade Unions – NOT a workers' organisation, an organ of the Party. ● Voluntary, but virtually everyone is a member (exc. Jews) ● Officials are appointed by the Party. Membership includes employers and employees (primus inter pares) ● Accept that some work-related sacrifices must be made sometimes for the good of the Party – wage cuts, longer hours, etc. when necessary.

Employment ● Under von Papen: – Capital expenditure on roads, canals, various projects, funded by the creation of a central bank credit. – Subsidies given for house repairs and improvements, tax exemptions for new cars for the motor industry, tax exemptions for profits when spent on renewal or replacement of plant – Great increase in 'substitute employment' – Military service – Women taken off job market, also freeing up jobs for men, and means they aren't included on unemployment figures.

German welfare and its impact upon women Commonly held view that German welfare was distinctly pro-natalist, encouraging women to be housewives and have large families 1933 Marriage loans for wives who gave up work to marry (this condition only lasted until 1936) 1934/9 Reform of income tax to favour families 1936 Monthly child allowances for those with 5 children (later 3). Initially means-tested However, as Bock argues, these policies were similar to other European countries, with Italy, Sweden and Spain also having marriage loans, and child allowances and tax reforms being common practise across Europe between the late 1920s-40s Women dependent on men  child allowances paid to husbands, not women Anti-natalism – mass sterilization (1933), forced abortions (1935) and marriage restrictions