1.  Starter
During the Third Reich, German scientists came up with a range of chemically produced products that replicated naturally occurring resources and commodities. They were known as Ersatz products and included the following: ‘Kriesgsrhot’ or ‘War bread’ made from a mixture of rye, wheat and potatoes; cakes made from ground up clover; Kaffe-ersatz made from coal-tar a substance normally used in soaps; when coal-tar became scarce Kaffee-ersatz-ersatz was produced made from roasted acorns (food normally fed to pigs); when acorns were difficult to come by carrots and yellow turnips were used instead; the rice lamb chop was invented, with a lump of wood to serve as the bone; shoes were made from wood instead of leather; woollen jumpers were made from nettles and coats were made from recycled paper Adapted from The Iron Ration: Three Years in Warring Central Europe
Why did German scientists and manufacturers go to such trouble to produce Ersatz products?

2. Were people better off under the Nazis?
 Aims
To decide whether life got better or worse for most German workers and businessmen under the Nazis

3. A Nazi election poster from 1932, it reads ‘Work and Bread’
A Nazi election poster from 1932, it reads ‘Work and Bread’. Who was the poster aimed at? How was it trying to appeal to them? How successful do you think it would have been in 1932?

4. Aims Reduce unemployment (1933, 6 million) Rearmament
Self-sufficiency (Autarky) or Wehrwirtschaft
Create a military/industrial complex

5. Unemployment By 1939 unemployment had fallen to less than 0.5milion
After 1932, reparations ended
Autobahns
Public building projects, e.g. Olympic Stadium, Berlin
Reich Labour Service (RAD)
Government investment schemes, e.g. Volkswagen
Conscription – 1m in army by 1939

6. The New Plan, 1934-6 Dr Hjalmar Schacht President of Reichsbank
Minister of the Economy
Imports limited
Trade agreements
Unemployment reduced
Mefo bills

7. Four-Year Plan, 1936-9 Hermann Goering WWI fighter pilot
Head of German airforce (Luftwaffe)
Self-sufficiency
Synthetic raw materials (ersatz)
Reduce imports
Tighten control on wages

8. The War Years
The economy was set up to fight a short (blitzkrieg) war.
Albert Speer was put in charge of the economy in 1942.
Germany was running out of resources.

9.  Your task List the aims of Nazi economic policy
What evidence is there that Nazi economic policy to reduce unemployment was successful?
How did the economics minister, Schacht, help the economy?
What were the key features of the Four-Year Plan?