Employment and living standards
Reducing unemployment
In 1933, about 6 million Germans were unemployed. By 1938, official figures showed fewer than half a million.
- : from 1935, young men aged 18 to 25 had to do six months' work, such as planting forests or building dykes, for low pay.
- Public works: the Nazis built (motorways), public buildings and housing, creating jobs.
- Rearmament: from 1935, conscription and the building of weapons, ships and planes created many jobs in the army and in industry.
Key terms
'Invisible' unemployment
The official figures did not show the whole picture. Some unemployed people were simply not counted:
- Jewish people who had been forced out of their jobs
- women who had been dismissed or encouraged to leave work
- prisoners in concentration camps
- men in the RAD or the army were counted as employed.
Significance: the Nazis did reduce unemployment, but not by as much as their figures claimed.
Common mistake
Don't accept the Nazis' unemployment figures at face value. Mention invisible unemployment when you judge how far unemployment really fell.
Key terms
The Labour Front, Strength Through Joy and Beauty of Labour
- replaced trade unions in 1933. It controlled workers' pay and hours, and strikes were banned.
- organised cheap leisure for workers: holidays, cruises, concerts, theatre trips and sport. It also ran a savings scheme for a 'people's car', the Volkswagen, although no worker received one before the war.
- Beauty of Labour (SdA) encouraged employers to improve workplaces, with better lighting, canteens and washrooms. Often workers had to do the work themselves, in their own time.
Purpose: to keep workers happy, loyal and productive without trade unions.
Key terms
Did living standards rise?
| Better | Worse |
|---|---|
| Most people had jobs and a regular wage | Workers lost their trade unions and the right to strike |
| Cheap holidays and leisure through Strength Through Joy | Working hours became longer |
| Some workplaces improved | Food prices rose, and some foods were in short supply |
| Pride in a strong Germany | Consumer goods were limited by rearmament |
Judgement: historians disagree. Life was better for many workers than during the Depression, but they had less freedom, and real wages rose only slowly.