Social and Economic Impact

Youth movements helped produce commited Nazis.

• For Nazis to remain strong- youth loyalty was essential
• Youth movements- taught children Nazi ideas
• Propaganda- young people would be more successful

• Hitlers Youth- founded in 1926
• Boys 14+ were recruited
• 1936- compulsory
• Hitler Youth became part of the SA
• Promising boys- sent to Hitlers schools- trained to lead
• Wore military styled uniform, trained- prepared for war- many joined the army

• Girls 14-18 joined the League of German Maidens
• Trained- domestic skills, cooking & sewing
• Sometimes- camping & hiking

• Reich Youth leader introduced- 1933 & youth movements increased in importance
• Second World War- Hitler Youth contributed to war effort (eg. farm work, collecting donations of Nazi charities etc)

Nazis took over in Schools and Universities.

• Learning Nazis propaganda
• No jewish people could teach
• Most teachers- joined 'Nazi Teacher Association'- trained in Nazi methods
• Children- report teachers who didn't use them
• Subjects rewritten to fit with Nazi ideas
• Taught to be anti- Semitic- lost war because of communists & Jews
• Physcial education became more important for boys- war games with live ammunition
• Universities- students burned anti Nazi & Jewish books- jewish lecturers were sacked

Women were expected to raise large families.

• Nazis wanted little freedom for women
• Role- support families at home & provide children
• League of German Maidens- spread idea- honour to produce large families- given awards for doing so
• School- studied cookery
• Should marry an Aryan husband
• Banned from being lawyers- 1936 & Nazis tried to stop them folowing other professions
• Shortage of workers- 1937- more women had to go back to work

The Nazis saw the Church as a threat.

• Many Nazis- against Christianity- peace- incompatible with Nazis ideas
• But, didn't want to risk an immediate attack
• Hitler- signed agreement with Catholic Church- 1933- promised not to interfer with each other
• However some Catholic protest against Nazi policies

• Hitler- tried to unite different Protestant Churches- one Reich Church
• Placed Nazi Bishop Ludwig at its head
• Some churches split off in protest- formed the Confessing Church
• Clergy who stood up to Nazis regime- concentration camps

Most Church members supported the Nazis.

• Little opposition from Christian groups because- stopped spread of communism- hostile to religion
• Number of church members- opposed Nazis
• Martin Niemoller- Lutheran minister objected to interference & one of founders of confessing Church- 1937 used sermon to protest against persecution of Church members- concentration camp
• Clemens August von Galen- Catholic Bishop of Munster- used sermons to protest (euthanasia of disabled & Nazis racial policies)- need to maintain support of German catholics- prevented execution
• Dietrich Bonhoeffer- Lutheran theologian & pastor- opposed from start- joined resistance- helped Jews escape & plotted to kill Hitler. Caught & spent 1 year in prision- then executed

Hitler gave work to millions of unemployed.

• Huge programmes of public works- gave thousands of jobs
• From 1933- Auto Bahns (huge motorways)- unemployment fell dramatically
• However- Nazis- fiddled with statistics- unemployment look lower
• eg. Didn't count women or Jewish people- invisible unemployment

People were encouraged to work by rewards.

• Men 18-25yrs could be recruited- National Labour Service- given jobs
• Got rid of trade unions- had to join Labour Front
• 'Strength through Joy' programme- provided cheap holidays & activities 
• 'Beauty of Labour'- factory owners- improve conditions for workers
• Output increase & unemployment almost ended
• Volkswagen (the people's car)- ambition for people to aim for
• Wages still low & workers weren't allowed to strike or campaign

The new plan made Germany more self sufficient.

• Industrial growth- buying more raw materials abroad
• Importing more than exporting- economic problems
• Schacht (Minister of economy)- brought in the new plan 1934
• Strictly control imports & encourage exports- more self sufficient
• Porduction increased & unemployment fell
• Schacht resigned- felt increased focus on weapons production was damaging the economy
• Control of the economy fell to Goring

Hitler re-armed the German Military

• Built up army secretly- breaking treaty
• Hitler- sacked some generals & replaced them with Nazi suporters
• Goring was in charge of Luftwaffe (air force)
• 1935- military conscription was introduced
• 1936- four year plan- prepare for war- industrial production increased
• Trying to be self sufficient but- 1939- stil imported 1/3 of its raw materials

The Nazis hoped to change German Society completely.

• Policies- affected many aspects- education, working conditions & law 
• Big impact on attitudes & treatment of social groups
• Propaganda- spread ideas that society was chaning
• Portrayed themselves- defying treaty- taking pride back
• Economic recovery 1930- seemed like lives were improving
• Volksgemeinschaft- perfect community- working hard for the same aims- seemed attractive to a lot of people

The Nazis didn't change every aspect of German Society.

• Changes- not so deep
• Propaganda- things seemed greater than they were
• Wasn't necessary to join Nazis 
• Some parents didn't want children joining Hitler Youth
• Many resisted propaganda- dangerous
• Health reforms- Weimar Republic- Nazis said they did it
• Nazis discriminated 
• Still strong social divisions despite Volksgemeinschaft 

Many groups in society felt better off.

• Nazis- focused on gaining support of workers (eg. 'Stengthen through joy')
• Value of Germany's production went from 58,000 million marks in 1932 to 93,000 million marks in 1937
• Small business owners- able to advance- appealed to middle class

• BUT- workers & small business owners weren't really better off
• Cost of living rose- 25%
• Wages didn't go up
• Trade unions were banned, as was the right to strike or resign
• Small businesses had to pay high taxes

The Nazi economy had to prepare for the Second World War.

• 1936- Goring put in charge of economy 
• Aim- Germany more self sufficient
• Hitler combined economic & military policy- being geared for war
• Four year plan- 1936- concentrated on war preparations
• Workers- retrained in jobs- help war effort (eg. producing weapons)

The Outbreak of War forced changes in the economy.

• Start- economy wasn't ready
• Production for war increase- expense of domestic goods
• Nazis needed- build up weapon & chemical industries & increase agricultural output
• Outbreak- 1/4 workforce focused on weapons. 2yrs later 1/3- working hours increased
• Production- inefficient- took raw materials from East (occupied) & used slave labour
• 1942- Albert Speer- in charge of war economy
• By focussing completely on war effort & increasing efficiency- increased weapons production
• Allied bombing was taking its toll on industry

The outbreak of War had a dramatic effect on Society.

• At first- civilians didn't suffer badly
• Did have to make sacrifices- longer hours & lower wages
• Foreign workers brought into Germany
• Business people resented outbreak of War- rationing of clothing & food (1939)
• Women & Children had to work- 1941- forces doing badly in Russia
• Civilians - being killed by allied bombing raids