German Economy in WW2

Mind map examining the economy of Germany in WW2

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  • Created by: JMitch
  • Created on: 31-05-13 10:21
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  • German War Economy
    • Chaotic Beginnings
      • At the start of the war conflict between Economics Ministry and Office for 4 Year Plan
        • Unified with creation of office for Munitions under Todt (Later Speer)
      • War economy was not fully mobilised until 1942 - Consumer Goods increased 16% in early years
      • Operation Barbarossa was a turning point - Military expenditure increased 3 fold in 1942 to 56 billion marks
    • Speer & Total War
      • Hitler wanted simplification of the economy
      • Goebbels made the Total War speech - calling for universal labour and closure of non-essential businesses
      • Speer took over running of the Munitions Ministry - began a process of Rationalisation
        • Better use of floor space and less tank & Vehicle models meant productivity increased 32% 1939-43
        • BMW engines increased 200% with an only 12% increase of  labour and an Allied bombing campaign
      • War effort was not coherently organised - Eichmann had control over railways for the Final solution
    • Labour
      • 3.5 million less workers in market by 1940 and a further 3 million less by 1942
      • Labour shortages plugged by POWs and foreigners
        • But non-German productivity was only 60-80% of German productivity
        • Thousands of workers on the V2 project died wanting shelter, food and simple sanitation
      • 8 million slave labourers
      • Only a 200,000 increase in Female Labour and no Female consription
        • Partly because of Nazi ideology
        • Partly because tax benfits encouraged married women not to work - Single women employment at 97%
        • Large numbers of women were employed in the rearmament scheme 1936-39
    • Raw materials
      • Relied on Swedish imported iron and had not reached Autarky
      • Invasions were partly to increase self-sufficiency - 50% increase of iron production to 20 million tonnes
      • Relied on Romanian Oil imports - why loosing Battle of Stalingrad and oilfields of Caucus so significant
      • Steel demand outstripped supply by 30%
      • Coal production stagnated at an increase of 1% - Mainly because Russian Coalfields were destroyed o operated at 1/20th of the pre-war level

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NZLHistory

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A well organised and concise summary of the German economy during WW2. Useful for learning key information.

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