Raul 1
Raul Patel
History
Y13
How Far Was Hitler’s Economic Policy Successful?
In January 1933, Hitler was made chancellor of a very economically unstable Germany. He and
his party had thrived amid this crisis which had terrorised the lives on the German populace and
owed great amounts of their support to it. During his consolidation of power, Hitler set out to
pull Germany out of the economic slump it was in; which was mainly due to the USA pulling
back the Dawes Plan in 1930 due to the impact of the Great Depression. His aims were to solve
unemployment problems in Germany, while making the nation self-sufficient and focusing the
economy on rearmament. Though he was very conscious of his reputation, he did not hesitate to
put the people behind his plans of war. This essay will evaluate the extent of how far Hitler’s
economic policy was successful, by analysing; work programmes, measures to reduce
unemployment, Blitzkrieg, and the shift from a consumer to a war-based economy.
One of Hitler’s main economic successes was due to the introduction of work programmes in
1934. Organisations such as; the RAD – The National Labour Service, provided men with jobs in
public schemes to put the country back to work, and prepare for rearmament. He adopted a
“prime pump” economic policy; suggesting the use of government spending to stimulate
economic growth by creating jobs, which increased disposable income and kick-started business.
Economists such as John Maynard Keynes suggests that the government needs to spend its way
out of an economic depression, as the creation of employment would create a chain of events that
will increase spending and business activity, which would have pulled Germany out of the slump
at a much faster rate. After the creation of the Reich Labour Service Act, every man between the
ages of 18-25 was forced to participate in RAD programmes, which eliminated work-shy
attitudes and punished those who did not wish to work for the benefit of the state; also spreading
fear throughout the nation, as they were usually persecuted by the Gestapo and sent to labour
camps. Plantation of forests was one of the first programmes introduced, based on reclaiming
marshland for cultivation and removing trees for farmland and construction projects. This
allowed for the expansion of businesses, especially in the firearm and automobile industry, as it
helped provide space and resources for the expansion of factories/resource extractors, allowing
for a rapid rearmament process. Furthermore, the biggest success of the RAD labour service was
the construction of the autobahn, this was due to the mass reduction in unemployment the project
created, which inspired hope to the German people, as they felt Hitler was fulfilling his promises,
and would bring the nation back to its former glory. This was seen with songs such as “Die
Strabe der Fuhrer” (The road of the leader), which was chanted throughout the nation, to praise
Hitler’s actions towards the nation’s recovery. This was also a tactical advantage for Germany,
as it allowed for efficient transport and distribution of goods and resources from conquered
nations, which was essential for a Blitzkrieg economy. The creation of the Autobahn became
Hitler’s biggest success as he was able to employ 370,000 men by 1939, where an estimate of
92% ended up as soldiers in the German army, which created a bigger military force. Moreover,
this became his main success of his economic policy, as it allowed for the development of better
transportation links, especially during a Blitzkrieg style economy (short-wars); where Germany
needed to transport supplies from conquered nations and distribute them around the nation
