Homework - Year 12 - WatHistory

Homework - Year 12

11/11/2013

'Nazi policies towards German workers and peasant did little to improve the lives of these groups in the years 1933 to 1939.'

Explain why you agree or disagree with this view.

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Mr Watkins

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Sophie

11/19/2013 04:38:47 am

Although Nazi policies slightly improved the lives of workers and peasants between these years, it was far from a significant improvement. Trade unions were banned on 2nd May 1933, which stripped workers of protection. In its place the DAF was formed, by Robert Ley. The DAF was further separated into the KDF and the SDA; strength through joy and beauty of work. The KDF organised free or discounted leisure activities for workers,and the best workers were rewarded with skiing holidays and cruises; whereas the SDA (beauty of work) improved working conditions through the refurbishment and redecoration of offices and other places of work.
Moreover,agricultural policies were also enforced in an attempt to improve the lives of peasants.
The concept of 'Blut und Boden ' meant peasants were held in high regard by the Nazis; who believed the close connection peasants had to the land,and there isolation from cosmopolitan and morally corrupt cities such as Berlin; meant they were racially pure. Due to this they were central to the idea of volksgemeinschaft.
Darre was made minister for food &agriculture,and his main aims were to stop population drift from the countryside into towns and to protect peasants from debt and takeover by larger farms. To do this the Reich food estate was set up.
This allowed Darre to control both production and retail. It fixed prices,published production quotas and dictated farming practises.
Furthermore the Reich entailed farm law was passed in 1933,which meant hereditary farms could not be divided up upon the owners death. Instead the farm had to be passed on whole to the eldest son. Peasants were also given financial incentives to stay in the countryside; for example they were exempt from national insurance and health insurance.
As a result 500,000 farms were protected by hereditary status,and the income of farmers increased by 41% between 1933-1936.
However,there were many factors that resulted in a decline in the quality of life for the workers and peasants. The DAF introduced a pay freeze, after setting wages at 85% of what they were in 1928 .
People were made to work longer hours, and they could no longer strike. Those who refused to go to work could be imprisioned. The KDF's activites were not actually used for leisure and relaxation; but instead were heavily indoctrinating and the whole organisation was used merely for propaganda purposes. In addition, workers low wages were further reduced by compulsory income tax. deductions also funded KDF & SDA projects
There were also problems for peasants. Agricultural wages remained lower than industrial wages,and by 1936 the policies had largely failed, as to stay in production small farms had to merge with larger ones. By 1939 Darres power had diminished and policies abandoned. Rearmament became more important than a 'peoples community'.
Overall, Nazi policies towards workers and peasants did little to improve their lives.
Although working conditions improved for some, low wages and longer hours meant life was just as hard, for peasants life slightly improved at first, due to the increased income however when rearmament became more important in 1936 peasants were left financially unstable after being merged with larger farms .

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