How did Hitler secure his regime?

Who was Speer? Was he important?

chief architect and, later, the Reich Minister of Armaments and War Production

primary brain behind the Nazi military production machine and a trusted confidant who significantly prolonged the war by boosting industrial output

What were the 7 Reich Chambers?

press

radio

theatre

music

film

literature

fine art

What and when was the Editors Law?

1933

censored their own publications in fear

What % did newspaper sales drop by from 1933 to 1939?

10%

When did it become a criminal offence to listen to radios such as Radio London and BBC?

Sep 1939

What did radio ownership rise from in 1932 and to in 1939?

25%

70%

What was Goebbels perspective on the nature of propaganda?

"invisibly, penetrating into every cell of life"

"simplify complicated ways of thinking"

"no idea of aims"

Who was Goebbels? Why was he close to AH?

closest, most loyal, and most powerful lieutenants

master manipulator of mass media

The Creator of the "Hitler Myth"

What was the significance about censorship and propaganda? Was it successful?

used to silence opposition and isolate the German people from the outside world

mobilize the public and build enthusiastic support for the regime

more effective at reinforcing existing prejudices or nationalist feelings than creating new ones from scratch

What reasons did the war youth generation have for supporting Nazis?

children during WW1

believed propaganda

blamed SPD + democrats for defeat

What reasons did the working class have for supporting Nazis?

less support

reduction of unemployment

DAF help

worse living standards as focus was on remarming

What did Plebiscite voting look like? Any Examples? (HINT: 1933 and 1938)

1933:do you agree with the governments decision to pull out form the LON? = 95% in favour

1938: do you support the union of germany and austria (anschluss)? = 99% in favour

What was AH aim for economy? What type of economy did he NOT want?

serve destiny of the aryan race

captalism: decadent focused on profit and not the good of the aryan race

communism: prioritised good of working class not the aryan race

What was AH first priority therefore who did her choose to lead the economy and why?

Job creation

Hjalmar Schacht

Whom did Nazi's give grants to and why?

busnesses: repay debt, new machines and employment

newly wed: furniture

home owners: furniture, repairs + employment like home servants

When did the Reinhardt programme being? How much was funded into it?What was is?

June 1933

RM1,000 milion to public work schemes

public work chemes ex. roads, railways and waterway improvements

How much money did the government spend on work creation in 1933?

RM1985 million

How many jobs were created in 1933-1934?

2.8 mil

How many were unemployed in 1932 and then in 1936?

6.1 million to 1.6 million

What were mefo bills?

like IOU's that allowed gov to buy military equipment and delay payment to the 30s

How much of the military spending was funded by mefo bills?

RM12 bil

What is the balance of trade crisis?

severe economic emergency that happens when a country spends significantly more foreign currency on imports than it earns from exports, leading to a depleted cash reserve, currency devaluation, and crippling domestic shortages

What was the new plan? By who and when?

Schacht in spring 1934

solved Germany's trade crisis by freezing foreign currency spending, banning non-essential imports, and forcing other nations into barter deals where they traded raw materials exclusively for German-made goods

What countries did schacht choose to trade with?

peru brazil ecuador yugoslavia

favourable barter deals becasue trade money never left germany

What was significant about the New Plan? Was it successful?

Dictatorial Control Over the Economy

Prioritization of Rearmament

Economic Imperialism

Ended the Trade Crisis

Fueled the Military Machine

Avoided Inflation

The "Butter vs. Guns" Dilemma

Hitler's Ambition Outgrew It

How much did pork and ham prices raise by in 1934-36?

30%

What did the motto "guns or butter" expose about the Nazi economy?

Goebbels' propaganda could not hide the fact that Germany lacked the resources to simultaneously fund a massive military build-up (guns) and provide basic consumer food supplies (butter) to its citizens, forcing the regime to choose war preparation over public well-being

What was the 4 Year Plan?

Hermann Goering, consisted of:

To increase agricultural production.

Retrain key sectors of the work force.

Government regulation of imports and exports.

To achieve self-sufficiency in the production of raw materials.

Why was the 4 year plan successful?

- coal production increased from 318.7 mil tonnes in 1936 to 380.9 mil tonnes in 1938

- stell production 19.2 mil tonnes in 1936 and then 22.6 million tonnes in 1938

Why was the 4 year plan UNsuccessful?

steel more expensive than imported one

1937 military leaders asked for 750k tonnes of stell got 300k

What were Ersatz? Why was this significant?

low-quality, artificial substitute products

mass-produced to replace imported items

signifying a desperate attempt to achieve economic self-sufficiency (autarky) for war while hiding the severe shortages caused by prioritizing "guns over butter."

When and why did schacht resign?

November 1937

fiercely clashed with Hermann Göring over the direction of the Nazi economy

Hitler's frantic, massive rearmament timeline was economically reckless and would cause inflation and bankruptcy

What is it meant by the command economy?

central power has total authority over the production and distribution of goods and services

What was the Reich Labour Service? What did they do?

mitigate unemployment, militarize the workforce, and indoctrinate citizens with ideology

made compulsory in 1935 for all men aged 18 to 25 to serve for six months before their military conscription

What was the German Labour Front TU (DAF)?

TU banned in 1933

DAF set rights of workers

maximum work and minimum pay

What did the DAF do?

workers had no say in wages or work conditions couldn't strike

monthly subscription too like wtf

What did the KDF do?

6 million theatre tickets given out

What did the SDA do?

2000 canteens built

What was Strength Through Joy (KdF)?

leisure activities including sports, foreign travel, and cultural activities like film and theatre

volkswagen scheme

What was Beauty of Labour (SDA)?

tried to improve conditions in the workplace

canteens, toilets, showers, sports facilities

By 1944 what had the working hours per weeks increased?

60 hours

What was the Volkswagen scheme?

- In 1938, the DAF created the Volkswagen scheme

- This mean that workers could pay 5 marks per week and eventually get a car

- Many paid into the scheme, but no one ever received a car as the Second World War stopped production

What had poverty caused the migration rate per annum to increase to? Why is this important?

2.5% per annum

compared to 1.5% in 1933

What did IG Farben profits raise by between 1938-42?

150%