Living standards in Nazi Germany Flashcards
(40 cards)
What did the Nazis set up in 1933 to provide paid work for the unemployed?
The National Labour Service (RAD)
What work did members of the RAD perform?
Public works: repairing roads, planting trees and draining marshes
In what year did all young men have to serve in the RAD for six months?
1935
How many men were in the RAD by 1935?
422,000
Give THREE reasons why the RAD was unpopular
1) It was organised like an army: workers wore uniforms, lived in camps and did military drill
2) Rates of pay were very low
3) Poor food and working conditions
What was the autobahn project in Nazi Germany?
A planned 7,000-mile network of dual-carriageway roads (motorways) to improve transport around Germany
When did Hitler personally start construction of the very first autobahn?
September 1933
In what month and year was the first stretch of autobahn opened in Germany?
May 1935
How many men were employed on the autobahn project by 1935?
125,000
How many kilometres of autobahn had been built by 1938?
3,500km
How did the amount of money spent on public works change between 1933 and 1938?
1933: 18 billion marks
1938: 38 billion marks
What were TWO consequences of increased spending on public works in Nazi Germany?
1) More jobs in the construction industry
2) Quicker and cheaper transport for German industry and agriculture
What did Hitler announce in 1935 in defiance of the Treaty of Versailles?
All young German men would have to serve a period in the German armed forces (conscription)
How many men were in the German army by 1939? How did this compare to the limits set in the Treaty of Versailles?
900,000 - or 9 times that in the Treaty of Versailles
How much did the Nazis spend on arms and equipment in 1939? How did this compare to 1933?
1939: 26 billion marks
1933: 3.5 billion marks
How did the number of people employed in aircraft construction change between 1933 and 1935?
1933: 4,000 people
1935: 72,000 people
What do some historians argue about the Nazis and unemployment?
They didn’t really reduce it: the real unemployment figures were almost 1.5 million higher than the official figures
Give THREE ways the Nazis may have made unemployment ‘invisible’
1) Women and Jewish people who lost their jobs didn’t show up on the unemployment register
2) Men who were unemployed were given jobs in the Labour Service or public works
3) Hundreds of thousands of people in prisons or concentration camps did not appear in the unemployment figures
What were the benefits of reduced unemployment for workers?
More people could enjoy the benefits of a regular income, improving their standards of living
How much did wages increase by between 1933 and 1939?
20%
Whose wages rose more quickly: RAD workers or arms workers?
Arms workers
How much did food prices go up by between 1933 and 1939? Why is this important?
20%
Higher wages were cancelled out by higher prices (real wages did not change)
Why were rising prices not an issue for high earners?
They could pay the extra cost of food and have money left over to buy luxury goods
Why were rising prices an issue for low earners?
They had to use their extra wages to cover the higher costs of essentials like food
