did the german people benefit from hitler ’s rule? lo: to understand and explain how economic...

Did the German People Benefit from Hitler’s Rule?

LO: To understand and explain how economic policies appeared to

bring recovery through jobs, etc

Lesson

1

To what extent did Germans benefit from Nazi rule in the 1930s?

STARTER: Can you name the 7 leading Nazi figures? Give one fact about each

Pictured from left to right are Joseph Goebbels, Robert Ley, Heinrich Himmler, Victor Lutze, Rudolf Hess, Adolf

Hitler and Julius Streicher. (June 9, 1938)

There were three major problems

faced by the German economy when

Hitler became chancellor:

a) international debt

b) agricultural stagnation

c) industrial unemployment.

How did the Nazis address these

problems, and how successful

were their policies? COPY OUT THIS TEXT

LO: To understand and explain

how economic policies

appeared to bring recovery through jobs,

etc

How did Hitler initially deal with unemployment?

Short-term measures:The RAD and the DAF

LO: To understand and explain how economic policies appeared to bring recovery through jobs, etc

The number of unemployed people in Germany came down very quickly after 1933.

6 million people were on the unemployment register in 1933; by 1934 there were 3.8 million. The number went on falling until 1939, when it was 0.3 million.

This was great for Nazi propaganda: Hitler becomes chancellor, and immediately afterwards there are lots more jobs.

The fall in unemployment


COPY OUT THIS TEXT

Unemployment under Hitler


Hitler’s first measure to tackle unemployment was the setting up of the National Labour Service (RAD) to provide the jobs he had promised to the German people.

This organization gave men jobs in public works schemes, for example, building schools, hospitals and motorways and digging drainage ditches.

Men in the RAD had to wear a uniform and live in work camps. Their wages were really only pocket money, but for many this was an improvement on a life with no work. At least they got free meals.

The National Labour Service (RAD)


COPY OUT THIS TEXT

bosses could no longer sack workers on the spotworkers could not leave a job without the government’spermissiononly government-run labour exchanges could arrange new jobsworkers could no longer bargain for higher wagesstrikes were made illegallimitations on the hours a person could work were abolished. Many Germans were working 60–72 hours a week by 1939.

Do you think that the German Labour Front would have been popular with the workers?

Within months of taking power, Hitler decided to abolish all trade unions. In their place he set up the German Labour Front (DAF) run by Dr Robert Ley. Its rules included:

The German Labour Front (DAF)

COPY OUT THIS TEXT

The unemployment figures for Nazi Germany look very impressive, but they don’t tell the whole story.

From 1933, women were no longer included in unemployment figures.

Once the Nazis came to power, most Jews were sacked; their jobs were given to other Germans. From 1935, Jews could no longer hold German citizenship and were removed from the unemployment register.

The unemployed were obliged to take any job offered or else be classed as ‘work-shy’ and imprisoned.

Conscription removed over a million young men from the employment market.

Unemployment – the limits of success


COPY OUT THIS TEXT

How did Hitler and the Nazis deal with the

economy?

Agriculture and Industry


Lesson

2

STARTER:

Comprehension recap questions:

You have 5 minutes to answer these questions in the back of your books:

1.What 3 problems faced the German economy when Hitler became Chancellor in 1933?

2.How many unemployed German people were there in 1933

3.How many unemployed German people were there in 1939?

4.What was the RAD5.What was the DAF

Agriculture: dealt with by

Hugenberg and Darré

'Butter' = consumer goods / food production

The production of food (agriculture) and goods (industry) is sometimes referred to as ‘Butter’. In Nazi Germany 3 specific men were

given the roles of improving both:


Industry:dealt with by Hjalmar Schacht and the ‘New Plan’

World food prices had been low for many decades, which meant Germany had been importing cheap food from abroad. Because of this, German farmers could not sell their food at a price which would enable them to make a good living.

This meant that Germany was usually importing more than it exported, resulting in an unhealthy balance of trade – in other words, a mounting national debt.

Moreover, dependence on imports was preventing Germany from achieving economic self-sufficiency (autarchy), which Hitler felt was necessary in order to prepare the German economy for war.

Problems – imports


Agricultural solutions TASKS: 1. What role did

Hugenberg play in Hitler’s government?

2. What 3 policies did Hugenberg introduce?

3. What role did Darré play in Hitler’s government?

4. What 3 policies did Darré introduce?

5. How popular do you think these policies would be?

AGRICULTURE IN NAZI GERMANYSUCCESSES FAILURES

FARMERS

FOOD PRODUCTION

Over the next couple of slides we will be looking at the successes and failures of Nazi agricultural policies.

Copy out the table. Copy the information from the slides in to your exercise books.

Successes:

Farmers saw their incomes increase

by about 40% between 1928–38.

Food production increased by 20% 1928–38, leaving

Germany self-sufficient in bread, grains,

potatoes, sugar, meat, vegetables and eggs.

Agricultural successes


Failures:

Farmers came to resent the

interference of the Reich Food Estate.

Food production was still not at a level

sufficient to feed the German population without the need for

imports.

Agricultural failures


Industrial solutions – the New Plan


TASKS1.Who was

Hjalmar Schacht?

2.What was the ‘New Plan’?

3.How did the ‘New Plan’ affect foreign and domestic firms?

Industrial solutions – assessment


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A7m6b1cyRyo

The Nazi Economic Miracle? – 5 minutes






How did Hitler rearm Germany?

‘From Butter to Guns’

Hermann Goering, Rearmament and the

Four-Year Plan


'Guns' = rearmament

Lesson

3

STARTER: Complete this missing word exercise


Rearmament was very important to Hitler – he was determined to ‘make Germany ready for war again’. He wanted to conquer the Ukraine and use its resources to make Germany self-sufficient in food and raw materials.

However, rearmament was forbidden under the Treaty of Versailles, so Hitler had to conceal his actions from the Allies.

Because spending had to be concealed, a lot was hidden in a work creation programme – building new runways, barracks and motorways (‘autobahns’). This only provided a few, often highly-skilled, jobs.

Problems SUMMARISE THIS TEXT IN YOUR OWN WORDS


Solution: the Four-Year Plan


The army grew from just 100,000 men in 1933 to 1,400,000 in 1939. These soldiers needed equipping, so 46 billion marks were spent on weapons and equipment, creating thousands of jobs in the arms industries.

Obviously, those doing military service did not count as unemployed – this took 1,300,000 off the unemployment register.

However, Schacht argued that this policy was not providing long-term stability, but merely gearing Germany towards another catastrophic European war.

The Four-Year Plan – assessment


COPY OUT THIS TEXT

REASONS FOR THE SUPREMACY OF HITLER IN THE 1930’S

Communists eliminatedRhineland reoccupationAryan race superiorityBrilliant propagandaTreaty of Versailles disobeyedRearmamentExciting speeches by HitlerEconomic improvementsPaid holidaysArmy support after Night of Long KnivesRecruitment of young into Hitler YouthSwastika gave prideOwn car (Volkswagen)No ‘useless eaters’Support by big business

LO: To understand and explain how economic policies appeared to

bring recovery through jobs, etc

COPY OUT THIS TEXT

In this unit you have learnt about the role played by:

(a) Schacht, (b) Hugenberg, (c) Darré & (d) Goering.

1. Take each of the 4 people (a-d) and in a couple of sentences summarise their role in Nazi Germany

2. Which of these, if any, do you think set out to prepare Germany for war in the years leading up to 1939?

3. Who was most responsible for the ‘Nazi economic miracle’ which saw unemployment all but disappear?

4. How successfully do you think the Nazis solved the unemployment problem?

Plenary




It has been argued that if

Hitler had died in 1939, he would have

been hailed as the greatest

German leader of all

time.

After 1939, with the Second

World War and the

ruination of Germany,

Hitler cannot receive the

same praise.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lhVM0HmGado&feature=fvsr&skipcontrinter=1

10 minute collection of Hitler speeches – good quality

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lhVM0HmGado&feature=fvsr&skipcontrinter=1



To what extent did the German

people benefit from Nazi rule?

TASKConsumable sheet Did the

German People Benefit from

Hitler’s Rule? You need to

summarise the information you have found out

over the last few weeks about life

in Nazi Germany, as

preparation for assessment

tasks

Area of life Positive effects Date Negative effects

Government

• Unlike the Weimar government, Hitler’s government was strong – it passed laws quickly.

1933-

1939

•Germany was totalitarian (Enabling Act: 23/3/33): Hitler was a dictator• Censorship prevented freedom of speech • Propaganda gave people a biased view

Press/Media

• As the press published the positive side of Germany, the morale of the people was boosted.

1933-

1939

• Censorship and propaganda meant people had a distorted view of events. This was bad in the long run.

Did Germans benefit from Nazi Rule?

Did Germans benefit from Nazi Rule?Area of life Positive effects Date Negative effects

Economy

• Reduced inflation and unemployment, e.g. the building of the Autobahns.• He tried to make Germany self-sufficient.• Foreign trade improved, e.g. Volkswagen

1933 -

1939

• Women deprived of jobs, which were given to men. • Minorities lost their jobs, e.g. the Jews (Nuremberg Laws, 1936)Economic growth wrecked.

Military

• The Junkers benefited from rearmament.• Unemployment was reduced by conscription and munitions factories.• Army benefited from military success.

1941-1945: Armed forces defeated

Area of life Positive effects Date Negative effects

Churches

• Catholics were supposed to be protected by the Concordat with the Pope (1933)

1933- 1939

• The Concordat was broken. Protestant ministers were also persecuted, e.g. pastor Niemoller who was sent to Auschwitz. Prejudice and intolerance were encouraged by propaganda, e.g. against Jews, Gypsies, Slavs, Poles and Negros.

Jews etc

1933- 1945

• Minorities were persecuted, e.g. the Jews were exterminated after 1941 (The Holocaust)

Did Germans benefit from Nazi Rule?

Did Germans benefit from Nazi Rule?Area of life Positive effects Date Negative effects

Youth

• Both boys and girls in the Hitler Youth Movement became fit

1933 -

1939

• Narrow-minded youth resulted through propaganda and education, i.e. the education policies of Dr. Robert Ley.

Women

• Like men, they benefited from the effects of economic reform – more wealth.

1933 -

1939

• Women depended on the incomes of men for their wealth: Women lost jobs then regained them as men were conscripted.• Sexist policies, e.g. medals for breeding – gold cross for 8 children.

did the german people benefit from hitler ’s rule? lo: to understand and explain how economic...

Documents

text slide

economic policies

german labour

men jobs

unemployment figures

new jobs workers

german people

hitler s rule