the national socialist economy an economic miracle?
TRANSCRIPT
THE NATIONAL SOCIALIST ECONOMY
AN ECONOMIC MIRACLE?
A WORLD-WIDE CRISIS…
• The Wall St Crash in October 1929 shocked the developed world.
• Businesses everywhere suffered either because they depended on US investments or because they needed the trade that growing unemployment simply prevented.
Queues of unemployed in 1930
…NOT JUST A GERMAN ONE
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1933
UKGERMANY
USA
• 6 million Germans [a third of the total workforce] became unemployed.
• Millions more ate sub-standard diets.
• In the UK socialists became popular, in Germany & Balkan states fascists came to power.
Unemployment in millions in 1933
HITLER’S ELECTION PROMISES
• “History will judge us according to whether we have succeeded in providing work.”
• He did it by:1. A 4-year plan that broke
the Treaty of Versailles.2. Forcing women & Jews
out of jobs but not registering them as unemployed.
THE 1ST 4-YEAR PLAN
• Led by the banker, Hjalmar Schacht.
• Aim: to reduce unemployment.
• Methods: expanding the public works schemes already begun by Bruning and von Papen.
Chancellor Heinrich Bruning
WHAT WERE PUBLIC WORKS?
• Jobs paid for by the government, not private businesses.
• The main purpose was to provide work &, at the same time, build up Germany’s armed forces again.
• “Lebensraum,” Hitler’s aim, would require force to invade other countries.
Mass tank production, despite Versailles
HOW WAS IT DONE?
• Railways, roads & ports were improved, & the autobahn were built.
• The armed forces & munitions factories employed millions, eg. Army grew from 100,000 to 1,400,000 in 2 years (1936).
How one of Schacht’s schemes looks today
HOW IT WAS DONE contd.
• 2 year conscription was introduced.
• Reich Labour Service Act: “Arbeitsdienst.”
• Trade Unions were abolished (kept wages low – never above 1932 levels).
• Kraft Durch Freude gave poor workers incentives and bonuses to raise morale.
AUTARKY
• To prepare for war & stop foreign trade sanctions preventing expansion, Germany needed:
• Autarky (economic independence).
• This was the aim of the 2nd 4-Year Plan.Hermann Goering, leader of the 2nd 4-Year Plan
THE 2ND 4-YEAR PLAN
• Was led by Hermann Goering.
• Aim: to increase at any cost production of scarce & strategic materials, eg:
1. Iron ore
2. Fuels
3. Fats
AN ECONOMIC MIRACLE?
• Employment: 5 million jobs were created & virtually full employment was reached in 2 years. By 1939 there was a labour deficit.
• But the jobs were public-funded & did not create wealth by manufacturing goods for sale & export; they actually cost money!
• Balance of trade deficit was huge: 432M marks in 1938 alone, meaning that Germany was really bankrupt!
• Autarky: always failed to reach targets, so they anticipated annexing resources from conquered enemies.