Raul Patel
History
Y13
To what extent had the lives of German people improved by 1941?
During Hitler’s rise to power with the Nazi’s. he promised to solve the nation’s socio-economic
problems. His aim to restore German pride by abolishing the Treaty of Versailles, and reduce
unemployment were essential to his rise to power, as people believed in his powerful and
passionate speeches, which grew his support to a substantial level, leading to his appointment as
chancellor in 1933. Though the lives of German people in 1941 had improved, they were not
better than they were in 1927. This essay will evaluate the extent to which he had improved the
lives of the German people by 1941, by analysing the fulfilment of his promises, the economy
and quality of life.
Throughout his rise to power, Hitler and the Nazi party had created a series of promises
to the German people, known as the 25 point-plan. One of Hitler’s main promises was to
abrogate the Treaty of Versailles, seen with the rebuilding of the German army, remilitarisation
of the Rhineland, and the avoiding the payment of reparations. Not only did this bring serious
economic benefits to the nation, it gave the German people confidence in the “Fuhrer”, as they
knew he would bring Germany back to its glorious state. The conscription process in 1935, built
increased the army from 100,000 soldiers to 5 million by 1941. This strengthened Germany as
the large military force was able to attack the USSR during the invasion of the Soviet Union in
1941, which benefited the lives of the German people as it eliminated the rise in communism
from Eastern Europe. For many years, the Rhineland area had been a key industrial region of
Germany, producing coal, steel, and iron resources, an area which was lost to France after WW1.
Hitler’s march on the Rhineland in 1936 saw him regain the land, providing the nation with the
materials to develop its army, especially during the rapid expansion of the German air-force,