The Nazi economy: did Germans benefit? Cambridge IGCSE History revision
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In plain words
In January 1933 six million Germans had no job. By 1939 there was a shortage of workers. That turnaround, more than any speech, is why so many Germans supported Hitler. It is worth asking what it cost, and who paid.
9 things to know
- The Nazis had three economic aims: to end unemployment, to rearm, and to make Germany self-sufficient, so that it would not depend on imports in a war.
- Public works: the government paid for the building of motorways, called autobahns, and for houses and public buildings. This created many jobs.
- The Labour Service: from 1935 all young men had to spend six months doing manual work for the state, for very low pay.
- Rearmament and conscription: from 1935 hundreds of thousands of men were taken into the army, and many more worked in the arms factories.
- Unemployment fell from about six million in 1933 to well under half a million by 1939. The figures were helped by leaving out Jews and women who had been forced from their jobs.
- Workers: trade unions were replaced by the German Labour Front. Strikes were banned, wages stayed low and hours grew longer. In return, workers had secure jobs.
- The Strength Through Joy organisation offered workers cheap holidays, sports and theatre tickets. Workers could save for a Volkswagen, the "people's car", though none received one before the war.
- Farmers were given guaranteed prices and protection from losing their farms. Big business did well out of rearmament and the end of trade unions.
- The cost: people lost their freedom and their rights at work. Food and consumer goods were often in short supply, because rearmament came first. Jews, opponents of the regime and other persecuted groups gained nothing, and lost everything.
Worked example
"Most Germans benefited from Nazi rule between 1933 and 1939." How far do you agree? Plan a 10-mark answer.
- Benefited: unemployment almost disappeared, workers had secure jobs and leisure schemes, farmers had guaranteed prices, and big business had contracts. There was order, and national pride.
- Did not benefit: wages were low and hours long, with no unions and no right to strike. Goods were scarce. Women lost careers. Jews and other minorities were persecuted, and opponents were imprisoned.
- Judgement: many Germans were better off materially than in 1932, and that explains their support. The gains were paid for with freedom, and were denied entirely to those the Nazis excluded.
Tips and tricks
- When you use the unemployment figures, add the caution: the figures left out Jews and women, and were lowered by conscription and the Labour Service.
- Ask "which Germans?" in every answer about benefit. Workers, farmers, big business, women and Jews had very different experiences.
It lands in your notebook with its questions as flashcards.
The Nazi economy: did Germans benefit?: 5 questions and answers
These are the quiz’s questions. Do the quiz first, then come back here for the ones that got you.
What was unemployment in Germany in January 1933?
By 1939 there was a shortage of workers.
What were autobahns?
Building them created jobs.
What replaced the trade unions?
Strikes were banned.
What did the Labour Service require?
The pay was very low.
Why are the Nazi unemployment figures misleading?Stretch
The fall was real, and it was also exaggerated.
Quiz
5 questions
Tap an answer and you’ll see straight away whether it’s right, and why.
Worksheet
3 questions, 14 marks. Write your answers on paper, then check them.
The Nazi economy: did Germans benefit?
Cambridge IGCSE History 0470 · 14 marks · papermunch.org
Name ______________________________ Date ______________
How did the Nazis reduce unemployment?[4]
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Any four: public works such as building autobahns; the Labour Service, which made young men work for the state; conscription into the army; rearmament, which created jobs in arms factories; removing women and Jews from jobs, and from the figures.
What was Strength Through Joy?[4]
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It was a Nazi organisation for workers. It provided cheap holidays, trips, sports and theatre visits. It was meant to keep workers content, since they had lost their trade unions. It also ran the scheme for saving for a Volkswagen car.
Why did many German workers support the Nazis in the 1930s?[6]
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Unemployment had been about six million in 1933, and the Nazis gave people jobs, which mattered more than anything else. Work was secure, and schemes such as Strength Through Joy offered holidays and leisure that workers had never been able to afford. Many also felt pride in Germany's recovery.
Answers: The Nazi economy: did Germans benefit?
- 1. Any four: public works such as building autobahns; the Labour Service, which made young men work for the state; conscription into the army; rearmament, which created jobs in arms factories; removing women and Jews from jobs, and from the figures.
- 2. It was a Nazi organisation for workers. It provided cheap holidays, trips, sports and theatre visits. It was meant to keep workers content, since they had lost their trade unions. It also ran the scheme for saving for a Volkswagen car.
- 3. Unemployment had been about six million in 1933, and the Nazis gave people jobs, which mattered more than anything else. Work was secure, and schemes such as Strength Through Joy offered holidays and leisure that workers had never been able to afford. Many also felt pride in Germany's recovery.