1. THE POLICIES OF THE NAZI
REGIME
Evil Empire or Modern State?

2. ECONOMIC POLICIES
• Industrial Policies:
– Nazis introduced a four-year plan:
• Germany was to move towards ‘autarky’ or
economic independence.
– Stopped imports and provided subsidies for industry.
• Autarky prepared Germany for war with other
countries.
• Factories set up to produce arms and ammunition.
• Production rose for explosives, coal and steel

3. ECONOMIC POLICIES
• Agricultural reforms:
– Set up the ‘Reich Food Estate’ – To regulate
production, distribution, prices of crops and animals.
• Strict control of farmers
– Nazi government could control food production –
more stable.
– Food prices were maintained at 1928 levels.
– 1933 Farm Law – Farmers assured of sales and
subsidies. Nazis gained support from Germans in
rural areas.

4. ECONOMIC POLICIESECONOMIC POLICIES
• Employment:Employment:
– In June 1933, the Nazis passed a Law to Reduce Unemployment.
– The RAD (National Labour Service) sent men on public works; eg the
autobahns.
– Government spending rose, 1932–38 from about 5 billion to 30 billion
marks.
– Unemployment fell from nearly 6 million to virtually nothing.
– German labour front or the DAF was set up. Non-Nazi labour unions
suppressed.
– DAF tried to improve lives of workers = “Strength through Joy” programmes
- cheap holidays and cruises as well as availability of sporting activities
– DAF programme would enable all workers to own cars. Workers would pay
five marks a week and when they had paid 750 marks they would receive
their own “Peoples Car” – Volkswagen. No cars distributed because war
broke out in 1939.

5. Economic PoliciesEconomic Policies
• Creation of Industrial demand
– Hitler built up the armed forces (e.g. conscription took 1 million
unemployed).
– The increase in armed forces drove demand for soldiers’
equipment. This meant more steel mills, coal mines and factories
were put back into production. The German air force (Luftwaffe)
created jobs for fitters, engineers and designers.
– The German Civil Service under the Nazis needed thousands of
clerks, prison guards etc.
– Unemployment reduced by defying the Treaty of Versailles:
• Treaty restricted the number of soldiers to 100,000 men.
• Hitler defied the Treaty and increased the size of the military to 1.4 million men.
• Increase in armed forces – led to an increase in armaments industry. This
fuelled further job creation in other sectors.

6. Economic PoliciesEconomic Policies
• Incomplete Autarky (Economic Self-sufficiency)Incomplete Autarky (Economic Self-sufficiency)
– Hitler did not want to trade with Britain, France, Russia and the
US. He knew he would have to go to war with them eventually.
– Autarky scorecard:
• Reliance on food dropped significantly but
• …reliance on other countries for other resources still high. Germany’s
rearmament needed lots of raw materials
– In 1939, Nazi Germany still importing more than one third of its
raw materials.
– The only way to be self-sufficient would be to invade other
countries.

7. Social Policies under the Nazis
• Women
• Children and
Youths
• The use of
Propaganda

8. SOCIAL POLICIES
• Women:
– Nazis saw the role of women as good mothers who were responsible for
bringing up their children at home, while husbands worked.
– The Law for the Encouragement of Marriage gave newly-wed couples a
loan of 1000 marks, and allowed them to keep 250 marks for each child
they had.
– Mothers who had more than 8 children were given a gold medal.
– But not all women were happy with the Nazi regime:
– Job-discrimination against women was encouraged. Women doctors,
teachers and civil servants were forced to give up their careers.
– Women were never allowed to serve in the armed forces - even during the
war.

9. CHILDREN AND YOUTHS
• Nazis saw the need to cultivate hardworking, obedient and
healthy Aryan citizens for the future:
– Exerted control over children’s lives – e.g. toys, exposure to
propaganda.
– Exerted control over schools and curriculum.
– Creation of Hitler Youth:
• Further exposed children to the ‘cult’ of Adolf Hitler.
• Provided activities for boys.
• Treated boys and girls as special.
• Created fear amongst parents that their children would report them to
the Gestapo.
• Many of these youths would eventually end up in the German Army
during the Second World War.

10. PROPAGANDA
• Germans were subjected to regular propaganda
under the control of Josef Gobbles.
• Propaganda calculated to glorify Hitler and the
Nazis, encourage people to think highly of Nazism
and justify Nazi policies.
• All forms of media such as the radio, movies,
posters and even stamps was used to put their
message across.
• Strong censorship of other sources of news.

11. POLITICAL LIFE
• By 1933, Nazis had full control over the state
apparatus:
– SS main security force – suppressed the SA.
– Gestapo – The secret police to monitor dissidents
– Concentration camps created for “enemies of the state”
– Intelligence: Informants – Block Warden System.
• By 1935, most of the Nazis’ opponents were
imprisoned or killed. No form of dissent allowed.

12. ANTI-SEMITISM
• Jewish people were persecuted in an
increasingly organized manner:
– Anti-Jewish laws.
– Discrimination against Jewish people
• ‘Crystal Night’ or Kristallnacht – Organized
Nazi attack against Jews.

13. EFFECTS ON THE GERMAN
PEOPLE
• Nazi party members:
– Benefited the most from the rule.
• Ordinary German people:
– Benefits:
• Full employment;
• Strength through joy programme: Free holidays, sports facilities,
subsidised cars.
• Law and order.
• Improved transportation network
• Nazi propaganda gave hope
• Trust in Hitler
• Nazi racial philosophy gave Germans a sense of self-belief.
– Problems:
• Loss of freedom
• Low wages

14. EFFECTS ON THE GERMAN
PEOPLE
• Women:
– Nazis emphasized the role of women as participating
in “Church, Children, Cooker’.
– Many female professionals e.g. lawyers and doctors
forced to give up their jobs.
• Youth:
– Nazi’s approach did not appeal to all youths.
– As the Reich began to lose the war, youth gangs
began to reject Nazi culture and the Hitler Youth.
These gangs were known for opposition to the state.

15. EFFECTS ON THE GERMANEFFECTS ON THE GERMAN
PEOPLEPEOPLE
• Opponents:Opponents:
– Hitler banned all Trade Unions on 2 May 1933.
– Communists were arrested or killed.
– Religious leaders, e.g. Protestant pastors were
persecuted and killed.
– Influence of the Catholic Church and its priests
controlled and monitored.
– Many of those who showed unhappiness or opposed
Hitler were reported to the Gestapo and arrested.

16. EFFECTS ON THE GERMAN
PEOPLE.
• The Untermensch or the ‘Sub Human’
– Jews persecuted, sent to the concentration camps.
– Gypsies also treated as badly as the Jews. 85% of
German gypsies were killed.
– Black people were sterilized and killed.
– Mentally disabled were also killed.
– Physically disabled were sterilized.
– Anti-social elements, e.g. criminals, prostitutes,
alcoholics, pacifists were all put into concentration
camps.

17. EFFECTS OF NAZI RULEEFFECTS OF NAZI RULE
• Many people did benefit from Nazi rule and preferred
the stability offered by Nazi rule compared to the
instability of the Weimar Republic.
• However, Nazi rule = persecution, rule through state
terror and the loss of personal freedoms.
• Nazi forced German people through propaganda and
the various Nazi organizations such as the Hitler Youth
to support discrimination of the Jews and to support the
war effort.
• Minorities were subject to persecution by the Nazis.
• Nazi rule set Germany on a collision course with the rest
of the world in World War 2.

18. Lesson Recall
• What were the three areas of Hitler’s
economic policies?
– Reduce unemployment
– Increase production of armaments
– Establish autarky (self-sufficiency)
• Name one negative effect of Nazi rule