Who Benefitted from Nazi Rule? (Cambridge (CIE) IGCSE History)
Revision Note
How Did Living Standards Change in Nazi Germany? - Summary
Unemployment was one of the factors that helped Hitler gain popularity during the impact of the Great Depression. Many people voted for the Nazi Party because they had promised to make Germany great again. Hitler needed more workers for the production of armaments and the improvement of German infrastructure. Hitler also needed to reduce unemployment.
By 1939, Hitler and the Nazis had successfully reduced unemployment to low levels. At first glance, it appeared that many Nazi employment policies were successful. However, they also excluded certain groups from employment figures, meaning that unemployment was in reality far higher. This is called invisible unemployment.
Hitler also wanted to improve workers’ happiness. The Nazis provided theatre performances and tickets to sports events. Improvements to work facilities were also designed to boost morale and productivity. Wages increased for most throughout the 1930s, but so did working hours.
Many workers experienced better living standards under the Nazi regime. For others, the soaring cost of food prices exceeded the amount of money they were earning.
Businesses under Nazi Rule
Impact of the Nazi Regime on Businesses
Benefits for businesses | Weaknesses for businesses |
|---|---|
The Nazis reduced the threat of workers turning to Communism. The banning of trade unions and strikes made the workforce more productive | The Nazis increased their control over businesses |
The Nazis promised small business owners that they would restrict larger department stores | The government did not fulfil their promise. Large businesses still dominated the market |
Rearmament created opportunities for businesses. The Nazis offered large government contracts for war goods, for example, steel | During rearmament, fewer businesses produced consumer goods |
Workers under Nazi Rule
The Labour Front (DAF)
Hitler disliked trade unions:
He felt they supported left-wing political groups like the Communist Party
Trade unions organised worker strikes, which disrupted the economy
Hitler banned all trade unions in May 1933 using the powers of the Enabling Act
Hitler replaced trade unions with the Labour Front (DAF)
It controlled the rights, hours and pay levels of workers
The Nazis realised that the removal of trade unions would anger many workers
They added separate organisations within the DAF to improve the standard of living. These organisations were:
Strength Through Joy
Beauty of Labour
Strength Through Joy
The Nazis established Strength Through Joy (KdF) in 1933
The KdF aimed to make work seem more enjoyable and prevent unrest
By 1936, there were 35 million members of the KdF
It provided out-of-work leisure activities, trips and holidays to workers
The KdF ran a scheme so workers could purchase a new car:
The Volkswagen - ‘people’s car’ - was an affordable and fuel-efficient car
Workers in the KdF gave five marks per week from their wages so they could eventually receive a Volkswagen
However, car factories switched to producing armaments after 1938 and workers never received their Volkswagens
Beauty of Labour
The Nazis created Beauty of Labour (SdA) programmein in 1934
The SdA aimed to provide better facilities for workers to improve their working environment
It provided facilities such as toilets, changing rooms, showers and canteens
By 1938, around 34,000 companies had improved their facilities
The Nazis expected the workers to build and decorate the new facilities themselves:
For no extra pay
Outside of their typical working hours
Worked Example
What was Strength Through Joy (KdF)?
4 marks
Answers
Strength Through Joy was created in 1933 (1). It provided out-of-work leisure activities, trips, holidays and even cars to workers (1). By 1936, there were 35 million members of the KdF (1). The Volkswagen scheme failed as no worker received their car (1).
Examiner Tip
For a ‘Describe’ question, you should aim to complete the question in four minutes, one minute per point. This will give you one minute to read through your answer.
Impact of the Nazi Regime on Workers
Benefits for workers | Weaknesses for workers |
|---|---|
Strength Through Joy provided out-of-work leisure activities, trips and holidays to workers. The Beauty of Labour aimed to improve working conditions. The Nazis hoped that both policies would make workers happier | Workers were still unhappy with their working conditions. The DAF did not allow workers to strike or negotiate wages and the SdA increased workload |
The Nazis introduced the Volkswagen scheme. The car only cost 999 Reichsmark, more affordable than previously available cars. This aimed to improve living standards for workers | Despite the promise of the Volkswagen scheme, nobody received their car |
Most workers earned more money under the Nazi regime. Skilled workers such as those in the armaments industry earned higher wages | Wage increases were not as impactful due to higher food prices. By 1939, food prices had increased by 20%. As a result, unskilled workers were worse off |
Examiner Tip
Rather than simply concluding whether ‘workers’ received higher wages under the Nazi regime, consider that many workers received higher rates of pay and could therefore pay increased prices, while other workers were worse off because their wages could not keep up with food prices. This level of analysis is useful if you answer the ten-mark “How far do you agree” where you need to provide a balanced argument.
Farmers under Nazi Rule
Impact of the Nazi Regime on Farmers
Benefits for farmers | Weaknesses for farmers |
|---|---|
The Nazis believed in the ‘Blood and Soil’ mentality. Hitler spoke about how true Aryans had farming ancestry. This meant that the Nazis valued farmers much higher than urban workers | The Nazis increased their control over farmers. They told farmers what produce they should grow. This created anger in farming communities |
The Reich Food Estate helped to regulate the food market. It offered farmers guaranteed customers at fair prices | Farming communities continued to be poor. Many children of farmers moved to towns and cities for better wages |
The Reich Entailed Farm Law gave farmers more protection. It did not allow banks to repossess property if farmers fell into debt | Banks became reluctant to lend money to farmers |
The Unemployed under Nazi Rule
Around six million Germans were unemployed by 1932 because of the Great Depression
When Hitler became Chancellor in January 1933, five million Germans were still unemployed
Reducing unemployment was a key focus for the Nazi Party because unemployed workers:
Could support other groups such as the KPD
Were not contributing to society or the economy
By 1939, the Nazi Party reduced unemployment to around half a million people:
Decreasing Unemployment in Nazi Germany
Year | Unemployment |
|---|---|
1933 | 4,800,000 |
1934 | 2,700,000 |
1935 | 2,100,000 |
1936 | 1,500,000 |
1937 | 900,000 |
1938 | 500,000 |
1939 | 300,000 |
The Nazis created a number of policies to reduce unemployment
National Labour Service (RAD)
Set up in 1933
Provided paid work for the unemployed:
Workers carried out public jobs such as repairing roads and planting trees
From 1935, it was made compulsory for unemployed young men (18-25 years old) to join for six months
The pay was poor and many workers complained about the food, having to wear uniforms and working conditions
There were 422,000 members in 1935
Autobahns
The Nazis wanted to create an approximately 11,000 kilometres autobahn (motorway) system to improve transport around Germany:
Hitler personally started the project in September 1933
By 1935, the project had 125,000 workers
Around 3,500 kilometres had been completed by 1938
The Nazis financed other public works in Germany:
These included roads, bridges and sports facilities such as the Berlin Olympic Stadium
Spending on public works more than doubled from 18 billion marks in 1933 to 38 billion marks in 1938
The New Plan
Hitler appointed Dr Schacht as Minister of the Economy
He was a well-respected banker
He had helped to resolve the hyperinflation crisis in 1923
Hitler tasked Schact to:
Reduce unemployment
Recover Germany’s economy from the effects of the Great Depression
In 1934, Schact developed the New Plan. The plan consisted of:
Cutting welfare spending
Investing in industry
Creating trade deals with other countries, for example, Hungary
By 1936, the New Plan recovered the economy and reduced unemployment
Rearmament
Hitler wanted to increase the size of the military because it would:
Restore Germany’s pride
Make Germany stronger
Provide jobs for the unemployed
The terms of the Treaty of Versailles limited the army to 100,000 soldiers
Hitler ignored this and announced conscription in 1935
By 1939, there were around 1.4 million men in the German armed forces
The Nazis also needed to produce more weapons and armaments to supply their larger army
Spending on armaments increased from 3.5 billion marks in 1933 to 26 billion marks by 1939
Employment in aircraft construction increased from 4,000 people in 1933 to 72,000 people by 1935
Invisible Unemployment
Invisible unemployment refers to people who do not have full-time jobs but are not counted in official unemployment statistics
Nazi Germany did not include many people in their employment figures
Schemes to tackle unemployment were too expensive to become long-term policies
A focus on rearmament only created jobs if Germany was preparing for war
Worked Example
Describe Nazi measures to reduce unemployment
4 marks
Answer:
The Nazis created public work projects like the building of the autobahn (1). All 18 to 25-year-olds had to join the National Labour Service for six months (1). Rearmament meant more people employed in industries like armaments and engineering (1). Women were encouraged to leave employment and were not counted as unemployed (1).
Examiner Tip
This style of question does not require you to explain your answer. The Cambridge IGCSE gives you a point for each relevant piece of information that you write in your answer.
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