👨‍👩‍👧4.3 Employment and the Economy

Question 1

Q1: What was the Labour Front (DAF)?

Answer 1

A1: It replaced trade unions in 1933. Workers couldn’t strike or bargain for better pay, but the DAF controlled wages and working conditions.

Question 2

Q2: What was the RAD (Reich Labour Service)?

Answer 2

A2: A compulsory labour scheme for men aged 18–25. They worked on public projects (like roads), wore uniforms, and lived in camps under strict discipline.

Question 3

Q3: What were the Nazis’ public works projects?

Answer 3

A3: Major building schemes like autobahns (motorways), schools, hospitals — aimed to reduce unemployment and improve infrastructure.

Question 4

Q4: How did rearmament help the economy?

Answer 4

Q4: How did rearmament help the economy?
A4: Building up the military created jobs in factories and the armed forces — key from 1935 when conscription was reintroduced.

Question 5

Q5: What was autarky?

Answer 5

A5: Economic self-sufficiency — the aim to produce all goods and food within Germany to prepare for war.

Question 6

Q6: Why was the drop in unemployment misleading?

Answer 6

A6: Many were in forced or low-paid jobs (e.g. RAD), and women and Jews were not counted in unemployment figures.