1. The Nazi Economy at war 1939-1945

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

3. 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 ?

4. Blitzkrieg
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 % 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)

5. Total War
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)

6. Total War
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

7. 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%

8. 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