For the working class, the reduction in the amount of unemployed meant that the standard of living in Germany was better as the majority of the nation was employed. Also, working conditions improved greatly, with some factories even having swimming pools. Systems were set up such as the Kraft durch Freud (KDF). This allowed workers to go on holiday and partake in social activities. Although this improved social conditions of the workers in Germany, the motive behind the implementation of these systems was to improve production and therefore strengthen the German economy. Jobs were created for Germans throughout the nation, building and maintaining the extensive system of public works taking place. This resulted in only 35,000 unemployed out of 25 million male workers by 1939. Some areas of industry in Germany were paying good wages such as the armaments industry paid higher wages than others. Other advantages were the fact that by 1936, the average wage of a worker was 35 marks a week, ten times more than the dole money which 6 million had been receiving in 1932. Also, paid holiday rose from three days a year in 1933, to between six and twelve days a year in 1939. Prices fell and demand for domestic goods rose as unemployment declined. This boosted the economy and also, in turn, increased the demand for which manual labourers were needed. These benefits and improvements were overshadowed by other problems affecting the mass of the German people.
Although the Cartelisation process put into force through the Nazis eradicated smaller, less efficient businesses led to the demise of the role of small business in the economy and did little to boost the morale of the Mittelstand. Businesses went bankrupt as a result of the fact that official agencies were extremely slow in paying bills. The Reich Entailed Farm Law of May 1933 meant that farms between the sizes of 18-30 acres were protected and could not be sold or mortgaged and instead had to be passed on from person to person. This policy meant some farmers were saved from foreclosure, though for the majority of farmers wishing to modernise or expand their farms, they were unable to gain credit, due to the fact they did not have any large assets to secure loans on. The rural population of Germany fell form 21% to 18% of the total German population. These Nazi economic policies led to longer hours, tougher working conditions and low incomes and resulted into many farms going bankrupt. Other small businesses in Germany at the time of the implementation of Nazi economic policies suffered from the shortage of raw materials due to the restriction of imports as a result of the policy of Autarky. Big business and industry such as the chemical firm IG Farben benefited more from Nazi economic policy than the Mittelstand.
Also, the case for the working class shows that some areas of life actually worsened due to the economic policies of the Nazi party. Wages in consumer industries and agriculture were poor and there was only a 1% increase a year in wages during the Nazi regime. This may have only been due an increased amount of overtime undertaken by the working class during this period. The abolition of trade unions meant that rights were lost. The replacement of these unions was a organisation called the Deutsche Arbeitsfront. It was controlled by the Nazis and therefore was not impartial in representing the needs and complaints of the German workforce. Jobs were artificially created and many people were forced into tough manual labour such as the construction of the Autobahns in Germany, regardless of skill or ability. This was to help the system of public works as well as reduce the number of unemployed in Germany. A large amount of freedom was lost, as breaks at work had to consist of some sort of physical activity under the Nazi regime. Economic policy also meant that deductions were taken away from the average German workers’ pay packet for membership dues for the German Labour Front, NSV contributions, insurance and tax. In total, 18% of the total wages of the German workforce was deducted under the Third Reich, up from 15% under the Weimar Republic. Overall, the German working class suffered under certain areas of the implementation of Nazi economic policy.
In conclusion, large numbers of the mass of the German nation suffered under Nazi economic policy. Many small businesses were cartelised and the working class suffered from tighter controls and no representation through trade unions, which would have protected both their social and economic interests. Farmers were unable to modernise due to the difficulty in gaining credit and many went bankrupt. Overall, the lives of the mass of the German people worsened under the Nazis’ economic policies.
