How Did The Economy Change Under The Nazis? (4)

Question 1

What were Hitler’s 3 key aims for the economy of Germany?

Answer 1

1) reduce unemployment
2) make Germany self sufficient
£) control/win over the workers

Question 2

How many Germans were unemployed when Hitler came to power in 1933?

Answer 2

Over 6 million

Question 3

What did Hitler promise the workers in his electoral campaigns if he became their leader?

Answer 3

‘Work and bread’

Question 4

What were the 3 ways of reducing unemployment?

Answer 4

National Labour Service (RAD)
Public work schemes
Rearmament

Question 5

What was the National Labour Service (RAD)?

Answer 5

Took men aged 18-25 to work in the RAD for 6 months
They planted forests, mended hedges and dug drainage ditches on farms

Question 6

What were the RAD given?

Answer 6

Uniforms
Lived in camps
Given free meals

Question 7

How much were the RAD paid?

Answer 7

Only paid pocket money

Question 8

What happened because more people were working in the RAD?

Answer 8

Unemployment figures began to drop rapidly

Question 9

What was the public work schemes/

Answer 9

June 1933: Nazis ordered the creation of a new network of motorways linking Germany’s major towns and cities

Question 10

What did the public work scheme do?

Answer 10

Gave work to nearly 100,000 people
Many new schools and hospitals were built as well
—> created more jobs

Question 11

What is rearmament?

Answer 11

When a country rebuilds its armed forces

Question 12

What did Hitler order the building of (rearmament)?

Answer 12

New tank, battleships, fighter planes and guns

Question 13

What did rearmament create?

Answer 13

Thousands of jobs

Question 14

What did Hitler also introduce (rearmament)?

Answer 14

Conscription
1935: all males aged 18-25 were forced to joined the armed forces for at least 2 years

Question 15

Who was Hjalmer Schacht?

Answer 15

A banker

Question 16

What was Hjalmer’s aims and actions?

Answer 16

To build more weapons which would require a lot of raw material

Question 17

What was the evidence of success for Hjalmer?

Answer 17

Schacht signed deals with countries in South America and South-East Europe to supply Germany with raw materials in return for German-made goods

Question 18

What was the evidence of failure for Hjalmer?

Answer 18

Weren’t self sufficient
Changes were happening too slowly for Hitler
—> Schacht was sacked and replaced by Hermann Goering

Question 19

Who was Hermann Goering?

Answer 19

One of Hitler’s oldest and most loyal colleagues

Question 20

What did Hermann Goering introduce in 1936?

Answer 20

The Four Year Plan
—> to get Germany ready for war

Question 21

How did they get Germany ready for war (Four Year Plan)?

Answer 21

Increased military production
Nazi’s ordered huge amounts of weapons, equipment and uniform
—> created many jobs

Question 22

What were the successes of the Four Year Plan?

Answer 22

Successful in industries like steel and explosives production

Question 23

What were the drawbacks of the Four Year Plan?

Answer 23

Didn’t meet their targets in other key industries, like oil production

Question 24

What did the Nazis hope to make Germany?

Answer 24

Self sufficient

Question 25

What did self sufficient mean?

Answer 25

They wanted to stop trading with other countries and rely entirely on their own resources

Question 26

What kind of alternatives did the Nazis come up with to become more self sufficient?

Answer 26

Made petrol from coal Made artificial wool and cotton from pulped wood Make-up from flour Coffee from acorns

Question 27

How big did the army grow within 5 years?

Answer 27

100,000 to 1,400,000 —> gave even more people jobs

Question 28

Did women who gave up work to have a family count in the official unemployment figures?

Answer 28

No

Question 29

What were part-time workers counted as (unemployment figures)?

Answer 29

Full-time workers

Question 30

What happened to Jews (unemployment figures)?

Answer 30

Forced out of their jobs and replaced by unemployed non-Jews —> Nazis didn’t count these newly unemployed Jews in their figures

Question 31

How did Hitler help the farmers?

Answer 31

He cut the taxes they had to pay and guaranteed that they would not lose their land if they got into debt

Question 32

What were the Laws for the farmers called?

Answer 32

The Reich Entailed Farm Law

Question 33

What were the drawbacks of the laws for farmers?

Answer 33

Annoyed they weren’t allowed to divide their land and give a part to their children

Question 34

What was the German Labour Front (DAF)?

Answer 34

Replaced trade unions Promised to protect the rights of workers and improve conditions

Question 35

What 2 schemes did the DAF run to help improve conditions?

Answer 35

Beauty of Labour (SDA) Strength through Joy (KDF)

Question 36

What was the Strength through Joy (KDF)?

Answer 36

Organised leisure activities to encourage hard work Reward scheme offered cheap holidays, trips to the theatre and tickets to football matches if they met their targets

Question 37

What was the reward scheme for the KDF if they met their targets?

Answer 37

Cheap holidays Trips to the theatre Tickets to football matches

Question 38

What was the Beauty of Labour (SDA)?

Answer 38

Tried to improve the working conditions by installing better lighting, safety equipment, new washrooms, low cost canteens and sports facilities

Question 39

What else did the DAF have?

Answer 39

A scheme to help workers save for a car

Question 40

What was the Volkswagen scheme?

Answer 40

Car that all workers could save towards —> most working Germans could afford

Question 41

What were the benefits for industrial workers?

Answer 41

Industrial production increased Unemployment fell from 5.6 million (1939) to 2 million (1938)

Question 42

What were the drawbacks for industrial workers?

Answer 42

Women and Jewish people were taken off the lists of unemployed people Small businesses suffered

Question 43

What were the benefits for middle classes?

Answer 43

People had access to cheap entertainment and holidays Volkswagen scheme

Question 44

What were the drawbacks for middle classes?

Answer 44

Wages didn’t increase Women were fired from their jobs

Question 45

What were the benefits for big businesses?

Answer 45

Companies like Volkswagen and Mercedes made huge profits

Question 46

What happened in 1941 (war)?

Answer 46

Hitler invaded the USSR —> started well but the Russian winter forced them to stop

Question 47

Impact of WW2 on the economy (rationing)

Answer 47

November 1939: severe food shortages - food and clothing were rationed - hot water was rationed to 2 days per week - people limited to 1 egg per week - alternatives needed —> soaking pine needles for soap

Question 48

Impact of WW2 on the economy (total war)

Answer 48

1942: Albert Speer was made Armaments Minister and organised the country for total war 1944: 7 million foreign workers were drafted in from countries Germany had taken over —> used as slave labour in the factories

Question 49

Impact of WW2 on the economy (bombing)

Answer 49

Cities of Dresden and Cologne were almost totally destroyed by bombing —> Nazi support began to decline 1942: Britain, USA began bombing German cities —> led to no water, electricity or transport Panicked Germans fled their homes and became refugees