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Nazi economic, social and racial policy (BBC) - Coggle Diagram
Nazi economic, social and racial policy (BBC)
The German people had suffered terribly during both the First World War and the Depression and a huge part of the Nazis’ appeal was that they promised to make Germany’s economy strong again.
Hitler aimed for full employment and by 1939 there was virtually no official unemployment in Germany. He also wanted to make Germany self-sufficient, a concept known as autarky, but the attempt to do so was ultimately unsuccessful.
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Invisible Unemployment
Although Germany claimed to have full employment by 1939, many groups of people were not included in the statistics
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Autarky
The policy of autarky attempted to make Germany self-sufficient, so it would no longer be necessary for Germans to trade internationally. In 1936, Hermann Göring was appointed leader of the Four Year Plan (1936-1940). His powers and the plan itself conflicted with Schacht's, the current economic minister, and Schacht resigned in 1937.
The Four Year Plan aimed to speed up rearmament and make Germany self-sufficient to ensure it was ready for war. The measures he introduced, such as tighter controls on imports and subsidies for farmers to produce more food, were not successful. By the outbreak of WW2 Germany was still importing 20% of its food and 33% of its raw materials.
Impact of Nazi economic policies on German people page 2
Big Businesses - The Nazis had promised to curb the power of monopolies, but by 1937 they controlled over 70% of production. Rearmament from 1935 onwards boosted major industrial companies saw their incomes rise by 50% between 1933 and 1939
Small Businesses - Rules on opening and running small businesses were tightened, which resulted in 20% of them closing
Farmers - Having been one of the main sources of their electoral support during their rise to power, farmers benefitted under the Nazis. By 1937, agricultural prices had increased by 20% and agricultural wages rose more quickly than those in industry. The Hereditary Farm Law of 1933 prevented farms from being repossessed from their owners, which gave farming families greater security.
Despite the loss of freedom, life improved in Germany for many ordinary people who were prepared to conform in order to have a job and a wage.
Nazi policy towards workers page 3
Industrial Workers
Before 1933 the Nazis had lacked support amongst the workers, who tended to vote for the communists or the Social Democratic Party. The needs of German rearmament made it important that workers were productive and controlled.
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The New Plan
Dr Schacht, Hitler's first Minister of the Economy, established his New Plan in 1933, with the aim of getting Germany out of economic depression
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His job was to make Germany self-sufficient within four years. This policy, known as autarky, was to ensure Germany's economy was self-reliant so it would not be vulnerable to an economic blockade by opponents during a war (which had happened during WW1)
Four Year Plan
Göring dramatically altered the pace of change in the German economy by bringing about his Four Year Plan.
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