2. Nazi Economic Policies
Exam Specifications
Key issue:
To what extent did Germans benefit from Nazi rule in the 1930s?
Economic policy: increased employment through public works programmes, rearmament and conscription; self-sufficiency
Social policy: standards of living; promises to the German people; effects of Nazi policy on the lives of women; effects on culture
Racial persecution: the Jews and other alien groups, e.g. gypsies.

3. What does this image have to do with the Nazi regime?

4. Hitler and the economy
The Volkswagen car was introduced by the Nazis as a cheap luxury for German workers.
The idea was that workers could pay weekly sums in order to hire out the vehicle.
When they had paid enough it would be theirs.

5. Germany 1933 By January 1933, unemployment had reached 6,000,000.
No one would loan Germany the Weimar Government couldn’t do anything to help the unemployed.
Hitler was elected on a promise to give the German people ‘Bread & Jobs.’

6. Hitler’s economic aims.
Autarky/Self Sufficiency
Strengthen Germany’s military.
Get people into jobs.
Modernise.

7. Self-sufficiency
In Hitler’s mind, Germany lost world war one because they had run out of imported goods.
If another war was coming, he needed to ensure that Germany was producing everything she needed without needing to import from other countries.
It was called “Autarky”.

8. The Four Year Plan
To achieve this, Hitler introduced a Four Year Plan that he hoped would get the job done.
Germany improved the production of natural materials such as coal and oil, and of artificial products such as rubber and textiles.
However, Germany never became self-sufficient and still imported 1/3 of her goods when war broke out in 1939.

9. Labour
The state-run trade union, The German Labour Front (Deutsche Arbeitsfront - DAF), was the largest Nazi organization with a membership of 22 million by 1939.
It was responsible for setting wages and working hours, organizing training, dealing with strikes and absenteeism and supervising working conditions.
Kraft durch Freunde (KdF, Strength through Joy) provided opportunities for loyal workers to go on cheap holidays, participate in cultural visits or access sporting facilities.

10. Strength through Joy movement
However, Hitler wanted happy workers so he organised his Volkswagen scheme.
He also sorted out cheap holidays for workers to take once a year.
Actually, though, few workers saved enough money for a car so it was generally unsuccessful.

11. How did Hitler put Germany back to work?

12. Impact of Hitler’s Policies on Unemployment

13. Government Finances

14. Reichsarbeitsdienst – (RAD)
State Labour Service
This was a body created to reduce unemployment by working on public works programmes, such as the autobahns. It was similar to the programmes in other countries (EG New Deal)

15. Public Works Reichsautobahnen Year km total 1935 108 108 1936 979 1087
Total: 3896 

16. Public Works
Source: G. Layton, Democracy and Dictatorship in Germany (2009)

17. Winners and Losers Difficult to assess Job creation
Low Real Wages for Industrial Workers w/ some new compensations (Eigensinn-Alf Lüdtke)
Minor gains for small businessmen and farmers
Heavy Industry!!

18. Marketplace Table 1: What were the main aims of Nazi economic policy
Table 2: Who was Schacht and what was the ‘New Plan’?
Table 3: Who was Goering and what was the ‘Four-Year Plan’?
Table 4: Evaluate the sources on p.128-9
Table 5: What were the successes and failures of Nazi economic policy?

19. Workers were better off
Workers were worse off