In 1929 the USA demanded Germany to pay back their money creating the depression which cause the economy to collapse, businesses to go bankrupt and a dramatic increase of unemployment. By 1933 unemployment had fallen down to 26.3% and Hitler planned to change all this by defeating communism, helping big industries, many middle classed business owners and small farmers but all they people he tried to help, he also took away freedoms from. Even though he gave the working class the DAF, Beauty of Labour, Strength Through Joy and the RAD-Reich Labour Service, they still lost their trade union rights, political party and had their wages docked while getting even harder work forcing many into manual labour.
Small businesses were struggling against larger corporations so the Nazis helped their trade magnify by closing down any Jewish businesses and limiting larger businesses from expanding but this also decreased the number of self employed skilled craftsmen. Hitler also helped big businesses by the destruction of the Trade Union and they also benefited from the rearmament programme. Farmers were greatly helped by Hitler as he wrote off all their debts and increased their food prices and Hitler also encouraged agriculture while improving farmers’ lives. However the government was in control of their prices, profits, wages, imports, production and even decided who should acquire the raw materials. So by 1937 the economy was running at top speed and full employment was finally reached thanks to Hitler and his strategies.
Unemployment was reduced by conscription, public building programme, the sack of certain types of people e.g. Women and now rearmament as they needed to produce planes, tanks etc.
Young people were given fun at first and enjoyed their time but the Hitler Youth war just a way to produce soldiers once the war started. Hitler changed and tainted the whole education system turning it into sheer propaganda.
The Nazi SA troopers however helped increase the German publics trust in the government by subduing the communist Red fighting league. In 1933 Hitler made a lot changes including introducing the Employment Law on the 9th of June. On the 30th of June, The Night of the Long Knives occurred which enabled Hitler to basically arrest political leaders that he though were a threat. He achieved this by allowing SS squad men to raid Ernst Rohm’s house, arresting him and then executing him and 400 others, (including Von Schliecher the former chancellor) who were accused of plotting to overthrow Hitler. This was an example to those who were opponents against Hitler from his own party but also sent out a message to others.
The Gestapo and SS were used to essentially to make people frightened and arouse suspicion upon one another. This aided Hitler into getting rid of communists and non-supporters. Early in 1933 prisoners were sent to concentration camps where they were forced to a harsh life of hard labour and discipline were beatings and random executions occurred. Many types of people ended up here such as Jews, communists, socialists and trade unionists. Dachau was the first Nazi concentration camp in Germany, it was established on March 10, 1933. Here doctors experimented on involuntary inmates using them as guinea pigs.
Hitler supported the traditional women who lived in the traditional rural small towns and introduced the Honour Cross of German mother Maternity benefits but because of this married, professional women were forced to give up their jobs and stay at home with their families. This was a definite restriction but in the late 30’s women were needed back as men were forced into conscription which was also another restriction of freedom.
Hitler and the Nazis used a lot of Propaganda with the help of the Minister of Enlightenment & Propaganda, Dr Josef Goebbels. Hitler saw propaganda as “a vehicle of political salesmanship in a mass market” and insisted that it was a way of communicating a message to the majority of the German people, “not to intellectuals”. Hitler hated Jews and exaggerated their status and wealth to scare people from them and turn against them. They used this same strategy for communists and other small unpopular groups who might of posed a threat to them. For 12 years Dr Josef Goebbels tried to make others believe that Hitler was their savior for Germany as he strongly believed in Hitler and was passionately devoted to him.
Dr Josef Goebbels used many types of propaganda such as rallies where he showed German people the power of the state and by books being only printed with Goebbels permission. He also helped print anti-Semitic caricatures cartoons to depict Jews and portrayed them as “subhuman” creatures infiltrating Aryan society in racial anti-Semitic in roles at the cinema. Goebbels introduced a lot of new public holidays and festivals to celebrate Nazi achievements and set up the Reich radio company which controlled all the local radio stations. So a lot of media was censored but the most successful technique of propaganda was the 1936 Olympic Games which was held in Berlin. It promoted a sense of national pride and success in the Nazi regime.
So in conclusion people lost freedom of speech, opposition parties were exterminated, trade unions were banned, women lost their right to work but they kept on supporting Hitler and the Nazis as they did aid and help them but also because they didn’t feel they had another choice as being Hitler’s enemy was not such a good idea as the majority of them did not escape his ruling alive.
