War economy 1939-1945 Flashcards
what action caused WWII to break out?
Hitler had planned a localised war against Poland
how did the break out of WWII change the economy?
- by the summer of 1941, almost two-thirds of Germany’s industrial workforce was engaged in war-related activities
- German consumption of civilian products had declined by more than 20% between 1939 and 1941.
why did Germany still failed to produce weapons in sufficient quantities to guarantee military success?
- There was no central agency whose job it was to look at the big picture and ensure that there was coherent planning – instead there were many agencies, each with their own priorities.
- By overseeing every stage of the production process, the Armed forces ensured that planning was difficult and production inefficient.
How was it discovered that Germany was under producing war materials?
spring of 1941 when Hitler enquired about aircraft and tanks for the invasion of the Soviet Union. It was discovered that Germany had little more tanks and aircraft to attack Russia than it had to attack Poland two years earlier.
when was Albert Speer appointed as Armaments Minister?
February 1942
why was Albert Speer appointed as Armaments Minister?
As a result of an inquiry in May, following the plan to attack the soviet union, which confirmed the cause to be that too many people were in charge of the economy, coupled with excessive military intervention.
what powers over the economy did Albert Speer have as Armaments minister?
had the admiration of the Fuhrer himself, therefore he used the Fuhrer’s authority to cut through all the various interests to implement a programme of ‘Industrial self-responsibility’.
how was Speer successful in increasing arms production?
- from 1942-44 total arms production increased by 59% in the first six months alone.
- By the second part of 1944, when German war production peaked, there had been more than a three-fold increase since early 1942.
what did Layton think about Speers economic success?
Speers economic success should not disguise the fact that Germany actually had the capacity to produce even more. Speer was not always able to counter the power of Nazi Party Officials at a local level, and the economic agencies of the SS remained a law unto themselves, especially in the conquered lands.
how was speer unsuccessful in managing the economy?
- in 1943, Speer could not reverse the affects of Anglo-American bombing
- ## the use of forced and slave labour and the plundering of occupied land affected that German economy during the war
what does Carr think about Speers success with the war time economy?
argues that centralised planning only partly explains why the German economy was able to sustain the war effort for so long
what action did Speer take to improve the production of arms?
- Controls over industry and constraints were relaxed. In their place, a central planning board was set up. This was supported by a number of committees, each looking after a section of the economy. This gave industrialists freedom, while keeping overall control under Speer.
- Speer encouraged industrialist and engineers to join his ministerial team, and wherever possible, excluded military personnel from the production process.
how was Speers policies as Armaments minister successful?
- considered a ‘production miracle’
- German production increased by 200% from 1941 to 1943
- Aircraft production increases 180% and they produced 1000 fighter planes per month
