Hitler's Four Year Plan

Revision notes on the Four Year Plan (1936)

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  • Created by: Becky
  • Created on: 16-04-13 16:24

Why was the Plan introduced and it's aims

Why

  • Hitler was impatient with Schachts's caution
  • 4 September 1936 - Goering put in charge of Four Year Plan
  • priority given to Autarky and rearmament
  • office of the four year plan issued regulations controlling foreign exchange, labour, raw materials and prices

Aims

  • German armed forces must be operational within four years
  • German economy must be fit for war within four years
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Success or Failure

  • aims of autarky were to increase production of key commodities e.g iron and food
  • developed ersatz (substitution) products e.g using coal to produce oil
  • by 1939 Germany still dependent on foreign imports for a third of raw materials
  • expansion replaced autarky
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How significant was the drive for rearmament?

  • example of radicalisation in the Nazi regime
  • 'guns or butter' debate (military need vs consumer goods and food)
  • Tim Mason - Hitler hindered by needing to supply both
  • Richard Overy - periods of economic development (1933-6 public works, economic revival and 1936-9 rearmament) shows that there was no debt, as time was spend on both aspects
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