How Did Nazi Economic Policy Totally Subordinated To Prepare For War
To what extent was Nazi economic policy totally subordinated to the need to prepare for war?
The Nazi economy became increasingly controlled, characterised by a mixture of ideologically driven and pragmatic policies. Though preparation for war was certainly an element of the Nazi economic programme, through the assessment of the early stages of Nazi rule and the New Plan, the drive for autarky, foreign policy and expansionism, as well as the treatment of workers within Germany, it is evident that the Nazi economy was not wholly subordinated for this purpose. Rather, it can be argued that the Nazi economy was dominated by a pragmatic approach – although this encompasses the preparation for war, it also includes the fulfilment of ideological …show more content…
As the Nazi regime took more control over the economy of Germany, agriculture became regulated through the ‘Reich Food Estate’, which fixed agricultural prices and wages, set production quotas, and dictated crop production. This seems consistent with the principle of autarky, and this degree of control, in principle, would aid the pursuit of self-sufficiency, rather than letting the free market decide grain production. Nonetheless, there were policies that were less connected to the preparation for war – the ‘Reich Entailed Farm Law” reduced the tax burden on the peasantry by 60 million Reichsmarks, and the ‘Beauty of Labour’ movement as well as the ‘Strength Through Joy’ targeted urban workers, providing them with welfare and benefits. These policies directly contradict the claim that the Nazi economy was totally subordinated to the preparation for war; it proves that at least some ideological principles were substantiated. Nonetheless, it seems contradictory to provide these welfare programmes while trade unions were banned, and working hours grew. This simply demonstrates again that the Nazi regime was concerned with pragmatism. The labourers were subject to demand for rearmament, but were appeased by welfare programmes to keep them compliant. Ultimately, the Nazi economic policies towards Germans were neither subordinated to war, nor subordinated to the gratification of the population. Instead, the Nazis took a pragmatic approach that addressed
The Nazi economy became increasingly controlled, characterised by a mixture of ideologically driven and pragmatic policies. Though preparation for war was certainly an element of the Nazi economic programme, through the assessment of the early stages of Nazi rule and the New Plan, the drive for autarky, foreign policy and expansionism, as well as the treatment of workers within Germany, it is evident that the Nazi economy was not wholly subordinated for this purpose. Rather, it can be argued that the Nazi economy was dominated by a pragmatic approach – although this encompasses the preparation for war, it also includes the fulfilment of ideological …show more content…
As the Nazi regime took more control over the economy of Germany, agriculture became regulated through the ‘Reich Food Estate’, which fixed agricultural prices and wages, set production quotas, and dictated crop production. This seems consistent with the principle of autarky, and this degree of control, in principle, would aid the pursuit of self-sufficiency, rather than letting the free market decide grain production. Nonetheless, there were policies that were less connected to the preparation for war – the ‘Reich Entailed Farm Law” reduced the tax burden on the peasantry by 60 million Reichsmarks, and the ‘Beauty of Labour’ movement as well as the ‘Strength Through Joy’ targeted urban workers, providing them with welfare and benefits. These policies directly contradict the claim that the Nazi economy was totally subordinated to the preparation for war; it proves that at least some ideological principles were substantiated. Nonetheless, it seems contradictory to provide these welfare programmes while trade unions were banned, and working hours grew. This simply demonstrates again that the Nazi regime was concerned with pragmatism. The labourers were subject to demand for rearmament, but were appeased by welfare programmes to keep them compliant. Ultimately, the Nazi economic policies towards Germans were neither subordinated to war, nor subordinated to the gratification of the population. Instead, the Nazis took a pragmatic approach that addressed