Using the sources and your own knowledge do you agree with the view that "Hitler's masterful organisation of the German economy made him both immensely popular and able to fight a prolonged war to 1945?"

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Using the sources and your own knowledge do you agree with the view that “Hitler’s masterful organisation of the German economy made him both immensely popular and able to fight a prolonged war to 1945?”

        In Hitler’s Four Year Plan Memorandum of August 1936, he outlined that “The German economy must be fit for war within four years.” In order to do this, he believed it was first necessary to “put a stop to the everlasting fluctuations of wages and prices” as set out by Hitler in source one. A scheme such as this would indeed prove “immensely popular.” From the evidence shown in this statement, it could be assumed that it is true to say “Hitler’s masterful organisation of the German economy made him both immensely popular and able to fight a prolonged war to 1945,” however whether these effects were carried to full fruition and indeed whether they were to the fault of the Führer is a matter which may come under scrutiny.

        There is evidence to suggest that many economic plans laid down by Hitler led to the growth and expansion of the economy and the ability to fight a prolonged war until 1945. For example, production levels saw a definite increase between 1933 and 1938 as we can see from source two, particularly production goods. This emphasis on industry would enable the production of more munitions to facilitate the extension of the war. This is backed up in source four by historians Noakes and Pridham: “The regime had succeeded in gearing much of Germany’s economic activity to rearmament and the country was better prepared for war than it had been in 1914.” Some companies such as chemical firm I.G. Farben benefited from labour forces without the independent trade unions under the regime. In the case of I.G. Farben, this led to vast contracts and profits enhanced over threefold. The Reichswerke Hermann Goering was another company which did well out of, and aided, Hitler’s economic strategies, although being a state-run institution this was always inevitable. The private industry was forced to invest 130million marks in the project, which produced not only steel, but coal, machinery and fuel - much needed resources for the war. By 1939, the firm was the largest industrial firm in Europe, however it still failed to reach targets outlined in the Four Year Plan.

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        There were other economic successes under Hitler in the Third Reich, as we can see from source one, Hitler explained a “provision of labour… regulation of the market… control of prices and wages” had been achieved. All of these achievements helped to gain Hitler more popularity as mentioned later - “we had the living energies of the whole nation.”

        In fact, many of Hitler’s policies were key factors in gaining him “support” in one way or another, as well as his accomplishments and promises to the nation. For example, source four shows that there was in fact a “distinct improvement ...

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