Study Guides

Unit Summary

In this unit, pupils study a modern society and the issues that affected it in great depth over a shorter period. They learn about the key events, developments, people and stories that shaped this modern society over a period of around twenty to thirty years.

Lesson Summary

You will learn to describe Nazi policies regarding employment.

Key Notes

• Nazi unemployment policies supported Hitler's goal of building a militarised, self-sufficient empire through conquest.
• The Nazis reduced unemployment through RAD, public works and military rearmament from 1933 to 1939.
• The autobahns were feats of modern engineering, used by Nazi propaganda as powerful symbols of progress.
• Rearmament reshaped the economy, employing millions and preparing Germany for future war.
• The Nazis created 'invisible unemployment' by manipulating employment laws and statistics.

Vocabulary To Learn

• autarky: economic independence, not needing to trade with other countries
• Reich Labour Service (RAD): a compulsory work programme for young men involving manual labour and military-style discipline
• rearmament: the process of supplying yourself with new weapons, especially in order to become a strong military power again
• conscription: the act or process of forcing people by law to join the armed services

Common Mistakes To Avoid

• The Nazis completely solved unemployment and revived the economy.

3 Quick Questions (With Answers)

More Lessons In This Unit

• 1923, the Ruhr and hyperinflation Study Guide
• Early unrest and the Treaty of Versailles Study Guide
• Economic recovery under Stresemann Study Guide
• Goebbels and propaganda in Nazi Germany Study Guide
• Hitler's creation of a dictatorship Study Guide
• How Hitler became Chancellor of Germany Study Guide
• Nazi control of the police and the legal system Study Guide
• Nazi racial ideology and the treatment of minorities Study Guide
• Opposition and resistance in Nazi Germany Study Guide
• Social and economic change 1924-29 Study Guide
• Stresemann's international achievements Study Guide
• The early development of the NSDAP Study Guide
• The First World War and the German Revolution Study Guide
• The growth in support for the Nazi Party Study Guide
• The growth of unemployment and rise in support for the Communist Party Study Guide
• The Munich Putsch Study Guide
• The Nazi Party and religion Study Guide
• The NSDAP's 'lean years' Study Guide
• The persecution of Jews Study Guide
• The Reichstag Fire and the Enabling Act Study Guide
• The Weimar Republic Study Guide
• Threats to the Weimar Republic from the left and the right Study Guide
• Weimar culture 1924-29 Study Guide
• Women in Nazi Germany Study Guide
• Work and life in Nazi Germany Study Guide
• Young people in Nazi Germany Study Guide