Life in Nazi Germany Flashcards
(15 cards)
What was the name of the Nazi regime for working men?
the RAD 😏😎🤑 (national labour service)
What did men have to do in the RAD?
- All men between 18-25 had to participate for 6 months
- Planted trees, mended hedges, dug drainage ditches
- Given free meals and accommodation
- Paid little, but a job is a job 🤑, and it decreased
unemployment figures
What was the main Nazi public work scheme?
Building autobahns (motorways)
100,000 given work
Also schools and hospitals built
What did Hitler do to facilitate Germany’s rearmament?
Ordered new tanks, planes, ships to be built
Guns and ammunitions to be made
Thousands of jobs created
Factory and business owners profited - Hitler was fulfilling his promises during the election campaign
From 1935, all males between 18-35 had to join army for two years (conscription)
Hitler was determined to rebuild Germany’s military presence
How did Nazis reduce unemployment figures?
- RAD workers counted
- Stay at home wives did not count
- Part-time workers counted as full-time
- Jews fired and replaced with Non-Jewish workers
- The newly unemployed Jews did not count towards the
unemployment figures
What did Hitler do to fuel Germany’s regrowing economy and industry?
- Appointed Schact as Minister of Economics, 1933
- Germany did not have raw materials such as iron, steel,
rubber and wood - Schact signed deals with South American and South-
East European countries to provide these materials in
exchange for German products
Did Hitler stick with Schact?
no his approach was too slow and too dependent on foreign help, so he was replaced by Hermann Goering
What did Goering do to fix the German economy?
Introduced the 4 year plan in 1936 to prepare Germany for war
The priority was to increase military production, so Nazis ordered large amounts of weapons, equipment and uniforms
Created lots of jobs in industry
Production targets were not all met, and Germany remained underprepared for war
What did Goering do to make Germany more self-sufficient?
Stopped trade with foreign countries; Germany had to rely on its own resources
If they did not have a certain product, they would have to find alternatives, such as petrol made from coal, or coffee from acorns
Why were farmers important to Hitler?
- Farmers supported the Nazis as they promised to
support them - Made up 30% of the population
- Hitler needed them as they would help his plans for
German self sufficiency - He rewarded farmers by cutting their taxes and
securing their land even when they were in debt from
the Depression - Some Nazi laws controversial between farmers, such as
laws introduced to stop land being divided between
their children
What replaced trade unions?
The German Labour Front (DAF) which promised to protect worker’s rights, and ran two other schemes which improved the Germans’ lives - the Beauty of labour (SDA) and Strength Through Joy (KDF) campaigns
What was the Beauty of Labour (SDA)?
A scheme created to improve German working environments - fixing lights, installing safety equipment, washrooms etc
What was the Strength Through Joy?
A scheme that encouraged hard work by offering leisure activities (cheap holidays, day trips, sports tickets) as incentives if working targets were met
What was the Volkswagen campaign?
- Ran by the DAF to help workers afford a car
- The Volkswagen was partly designed by Hitler, and
workers would save up 750 marks to purchase an order
number for the car - However, the whole thing was a scam and the money
was used to make weapons, so nobody received their
car
Were workers better off in Nazi Germany?
Nazis did fulfil their promises, and jobs were provided to workers
However, workers lost their rights as trade unions were banned
They could no longer quit without permission, were banned from striking, and could be forced to work as many hours as the Nazis wanted
The rewards the KDF promised were too expensive for most workers, and many holidays as well as the Volkswagen car ended up being lies, and were never given
