The economic policies were all part of Helmut Schacht’s four-year plan. It has been described as an economic miracle because of the impact on unemployment, which fell to almost 300,000 by 1939. Yet this does tell the whole story. It fails to mention that many women were taken out of unemployment figures, Jews ware not counted and of course conscription into the army took another million men. Unemployment was falling rapidly at the end of 1932 well before the Nazi’s took office.
With these falls in unemployment one would also assume that this would have the effect of increasing living standards again this did not happen. The overall effect was that the emphasis on military production meant that Germans had little if anything to buy themselves. Although prices did not rise significantly there were huge shortages of basic foodstuffs like white bread, butter, bacon and milk. Consumption and wages in Germany in 1938 were below the levels of 1928. Public spending was 30 billion Reich marks per year by 1938, double that of the Weimar era. And people were on average working 12 hours more under than they were five years before.
Of course the fall in living standards was made up for by increased leisure activities organised by the KDF or the strength through joy movement. Cruises, theatre trips camping holidays and trips to Scandinavia were arranged for workers at very cheap rates.
The nazi social transformation also had an impact on women. Hitler believed that it was the duty of women to produce children for the nation in preparation for Lebensraum. People would be needed to settle in Greater Germany. In order to obtain this Marriage loans were given out that equated to nine months salary. After the birth of the fourth child it did not have to be paid back. The Motherhood Cross was given out to mothers who had four or more children. Even Lebesborn’s were set up in many high streets where racially pure SS officers could make women pregnant. The Birth rate was thus increased by 25 %. As well as this the Nazi’s stated that they wanted to take over 800,000 women out of employment, as a result doctors, layers, judges and teachers were sacked. Again this backfired s a serious shortage of Labour occurred in Germany forcing the Nazi party into a U-turn that compelled women into a duty year.
Another important aspect of domestic policy was the transformation of the education system. Hitler realised that the key to maintaining power was by controlling the youth of Germany. If he could brainwash the youth at an early enough age their loyalty would be guaranteed. The whole education system was geared towards creating young Nazis. All of the Teachers were forced to join the Nazi Teachers Association, those who did not were, of course dismissed. The curriculum was changed to fit in with Nazi ideas. The curriculum was changed to fit in with Nazi ideas. History was taught from a nationalistic point of view, focussing on the betrayal of the Jews during WW1. Geography dealt with the lands stolen from Germany and the need for Lebensraum. Race studies, Eugenics were all introduced to ensure that German children new that they were the master race.
Youth Policy also saw the expansion of the Hitler Youth organisations. Again the sinister aim of this organisation was to create an army of Nazi’s blindly loyal to Hitler. Emphasis was placed on military style training to prepare the young for their future service in the army. Training at this early age created a generation of children that provided a future Generation of fighters that were so effective it made the German army almost invincible. So much so that it took the might of the Soviets the British Empire and the USA to defeat them. Youth Policy from this point of view can therefore be seen as very successful, in that most members of the HJ did go on to serve in the army.
The most sinister aspect of Hitler’s domestic policy was the treatment of minorities. Of course, it was the Jews who came in for special treatment. From 1933 through to 1938 the first stage of what in essence would become the final solution was put into practice. Jews were progressively alienated from German society. The Nuremburg Laws witnessed an intensification of this racial policy. Marriages were forbidden between Jews and Germans, by 1939 Jews were no longer protected by the state, they were forced to wear a yellow star so that they could be identified. By this time the first Jewish concentration camps had been set up paving the way for the holocaust. These policies resulted in ¼ of a million Jews leaving Germany by 1939. The search for the master race also witnessed the murder of thousands of babies, used for experiments. Gypsies, blacks, mentally ill people in total another 200,000 people.
The effectiveness of the Nazi regime can also be judged by the lack of opposition. Although this was partly due to the success of the Gestapo and the SS, there can be no doubt that many Germans welcomed or at the least turned a blind eye to what was going on. The Trade Unions had been banned, the opposition leaders had been arrested and their parties outlawed. Even small groups like the Edelweiss Pirates could not really be considered as effective opposition and so there was no effective stance against the Nazis. Even the Catholic Church up until 1937 remained silent. The Protestant Church was divided and this made it easier to control. Martin Niemoller, the leader of the congregational church, was arrested and imprisoned for seven years for his attacks on the Nazi Party policies.
The Nazis therefore were very successful in creating a state that fitted in with their ideas and beliefs. The economy was transformed so much so that German industry created the largest military machine in Europe. In the eyes of many Germans they successfully tackled unemployment. They increased the birth rate and removed many women from the job market. They engineered a social revolution among the youth to create a loyal following of Nazi’s who would in time become the future soldiers of the Reich. Finally they succeeded in their aim of wiping out almost all of Europe’s Jews with little if any real opposition.
