The Nazi Economy at war 1939-1945

THREE STAGES 1) 1933-1936 Schacht – ‘economic recovery’ 2) 1936-1939 Goring – ‘Four Year Plan’ 3) 1939-1945 The Nazi Economy at war

1939 - War Economic needs during war? 1) Meet military demands – organisation of labour and production of armaments 2) Ensure that the German population is stable, a satisfactory level of consumption. ‘Guns and Butter’ Focus – were the Nazis successful at meeting these demands between 1939-1945?

Blitzkrieg 1939-1941 Some believe that there was only a partial economic mobilisation until 1942/3 but others dispute this and say the Nazis went well beyond the demands of Blitzkrieg and a limited war Initial victories gave the impression that the economy had not been stretched by war – however this was far from the truth War decrees announced by Hitler in Dec 1939 attempted to outline every aspect of war production e.g. submarines and aircraft. Led to military expenditure doubling between 1939 and 1941 Rationing introduced, German labour force mobilised for war. By 1941 55% of workforce involved in war related work – 20% decline in civilian consumption How successful was economic mobilisation? Use table 2.5 and the text – highlight how successful mobilisation was (Layton table 2.5 p.44 and limitations of mobilisation p.44/5)

Total War 1941-1945 By end of 1941, Germany at war with Britain, the USSR and the USA December 1941 ‘Rationalisation Decree’ reform of economy to eliminate waste of labour and materials Feb 1942 – appointment of Albert Speer as Minister of Armaments April 1942 – Central Planning Board – Speer as director of Central Planning was able to maintain overall control of the war economy Introduced – employing more women in arms factories, making effective use of concentration camp prisoners as workers, prevent skilled workers being lost to conscription. How successful was he? (Layton p.46/7)

Total War 1941-1945 Hitler had been confident of victory against the Soviet Union and believed gaining access to its raw materials and fertile farmlands would solve the problems of the German economy When the German advance was halted in Dec 1941, he realised Germany had to prepare for a long struggle – early 1942 he took the first steps toward implementing a total war strategy Appointed Albert Speer who succeeded in raising the production levels of vital weapons and equipment

1945 - COLLAPSE Policy of ‘scorched earth’ and the destruction of all industry as the Allies crossed the borders of Germany in early 1945 resisted by Speer Jan 1945 German economy in a state of collapse – partly due to the impact of allied bombing 1944 the Allied campaign reduced the production of essential war materials by 40%

plenary Read through the revision hand out and highlight any key facts/figures you could add to your arguments for/against the Nazis meeting the economic demands of total war Complete the ‘prioritisation’ activity at the top of the second part of the sheet