The Impact of Nazi Policies on Workers (OCR GCSE History B (Schools History Project)): Revision Note

Summary

Unemployment was one of the factors that helped Hitler gain popularity during the Great Depression. Many people had voted for the Nazi Party because they had promised to make Germany great again. Hitler also wanted everyone to be employed so that they could contribute to the production of armaments and improve German infrastructure.

Although unemployment decreased, wages improved and benefits were made available through the Strength Through Joy programme, not all of the impacts were positive. The cost of many items increased, meaning many workers were worse off than they were before the Nazi Party took power. They also lost many rights and were forced to work longer hours.

The impact of Nazi policies on craftsmen and peasants

Craftsmen

• During the election, the Nazi Party claimed it would help the Mittelstand (small craftsmen)

  • These people were being squeezed out of business by larger firms

• Once in power, the Nazis passed the Law to Protect Retail Trade, which made bigger businesses pay higher rates of tax

  • However, the Mittelstand still struggled to compete

  • The number of Mittelstand fell between 1936 and 1939

Small farmers ("Peasants")

• The Nazi belief that Germany's 'Blood and Soil' was special meant that small farmers were very important to them

• They tried to protect small farmers or "peasants" from large landowners by passing the Reich Entailed Farm Law in 1933

  • This forced owners to pass land on to their eldest son when they died, rather than sell it or divide it up

  • This failed to prevent people from continuing to leave the countryside

    • The rural population fell during the Nazi period in power

The impact of Nazi policies on industrial workers

• 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:

  • Unemployed workers could support other groups, such as the communists, if not properly helped by the Nazis

  • People not in work were not contributing to society or the economy

• By 1939, unemployment in Germany had been reduced to around half a million people:

• The Nazis achieved this reduction in unemployment in several ways

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

  • 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 a 7,000 mile autobahn (motorway) system to improve transport around Germany:

  • Hitler started the project in September 1933

  • By 1935, 125,000 men had been employed to build the motorways

  • Around 3,500 km had been completed by 1938

• The Nazis financed other public work schemes in Germany:

  • Buildings, roads, bridges and sports facilities such as the Berlin Olympic Stadium were built

  • Spending on public works more than doubled from 18 billion marks in 1933 to 38 billion marks in 1938

Rearmament 

• Increasing the size of the military to make Germany stronger and provide more jobs

• 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, which produced more jobs:

  • 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

Changes in the standard of living

• Most workers did earn more money under the Nazi regime:

  • Skilled workers, such as those in the armaments industry, earned higher wages

  • Unskilled workers, such as those in the National Labour Service, did not earn as much

• However, wage increases did not have much impact due to higher food prices:

  • By 1939, food prices had increased by 20%

• Skilled workers could afford the higher food prices and used their extra wages to purchase luxury goods like cars

• Unskilled workers struggled to pay the increased food prices and were worse off

Deutsche Arbeitsfront (The German Labour Front)

• Hitler disliked trade unions:

  • He felt they supported leftist 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

• In its place, the Labour Front (DAF) was created to control the rights, hours and pay levels of workers

  • DAF made employment difficult for many workers

Strength Through Joy

• The Strength Through Joy (KdF) programme was set up in 1933

  • It was a division of the DAF

• The KdF aimed to make work seem more enjoyable and prevent unrest

  • It provided out-of-work leisure activities, trips, holidays and even free cars to workers

• By 1936, there were 35 million members of the KdF

• The KdF ran a scheme so workers could purchase a new car

  • The Volkswagen - ‘people’s car’ - was an affordable and fuel-efficient car that the average German could afford

  • 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 Beauty of Labour (SdA) programme was set up in 1934 as a division of the KdF

• 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

• Many workers were expected to build and decorate the new facilities themselves, for no extra pay and outside of their typical working hours