Employment in Germany
History: KS3, topic 18.2.5
Employment
The German people turned to the Nazis because they promised to make the German economy strong again. The Nazis needed to focus on reducing unemployment and improving life for German citizens.
New jobs
- Hitler reduced unemployment by creating new jobs for men.
- Men were employed to work on public construction projects. These included public buildings, creating farmlands, the 1936 Olympic Stadium and building 7,000 km of autobahns (motorways).
The National Labour Service (RAD)
- The National Labour Service (RAD) made it compulsory for men aged 18-25 to work on public schemes for 6 months.
- Most men disliked RAD because they felt exploited (treated unfairly for others’ benefit). Wages were very low and they worked long hours.
Other schemes
- All workers had to join the German Labour Front. This organisation was used to keep workers loyal to the Nazis and disguise the lack of any huge improvement to their standard of living.
- The Strength Through Joy scheme gave workers rewards if they worked hard. This included going to the theatre or having a holiday.
- The Beauty of Labour scheme planned to improve working conditions. But nothing was often done about it.
Effect of Hitler's policies
- Hitler boasted that unemployment fell from 5 million in 1933 to 0.3 million in 1939.
- In this statistic, Hitler did not include the Jews and women forced out of their jobs, or the men conscripted (drawn) into the National Labour Service.
- There was a lot of ‘invisible unemployment’ .
Test yourself on Employment in Germany
How were new jobs created for men under Hitler?
Under the National Labour Service (RAD) how many months did men aged 18-25 have to work on public schemes for?
Hitler boasted that unemployment fell from ..... in 1933 to ...... in 1939.