AS level (Nazi organisations and the coordination of German society) History Germany 1933-1945 Mapa Mental sobre Peasants in Nazi Germany 1933-1945, creado por BethanyKJN el 20/02/2014.
29th June 1933: Appointed
minister of agriculture and food
September 1933: Responsible for introducing
the Reich Entitlement law and the Reich Food
Estate
1942: Made to resign from all of his posts
Fell out with the Nazis about war production
Had two elements of thinking
Restore the role and values of the
countryside so to reverse urbanisation
and promote the 'Blood and Soil' concept
Support the
expansionist theory
of Lebensraum and
create a German
racial aristocracy on
selective breeding
Nazi ideology
German peasant were regarded as
special because they were seen as
racially pure group
Believed to retained their
traditional attachment to
the German soil
Portrayed as being being free of
moral decline
Nazis believed that moral decline had
taken root in the cities
Mainly during the Weimar years
Polices, changes and incentives
The Nazis had three main objectives
for the peasant communities
Reverse the drift of
population from the
countryside to the cities
Relieve farmers of
the burden of debt
Establish a harmonious
volksgemeinschaft in the
countryside
1933: The Reich Food Estate
Supervised every aspect of the
agricultural production and distribution
Especially food
prices and working
wages
Darre's way of
coordinating the
peasants
Based on the
leadership principle
Darre was the leader
Below Darre there was a
hierarchical structure of
state, district and local
peasant leaders
It was very bureaucratic
20,000 full time officials
113,000 unpaid officials
Its aim was to link together producers,
wholesalers and retailers to make a single chain
and this would in turn cut out the proffitiering
middle man
Would ensure a fair deal for farmers
All paricipents would benefit equally
and they would therefore feel they are
part of a wider 'people's community'
'[The Reich Food Estate is seen as] the
vehicle through which peasant farmers
would strengthen their economic interests
and claim their rightful place in the new
Garmany' Richard Evans
1933: Reich Entitled Farm Law
Gave security of tenure to the
occupants of medium farms
Between 7.5 and 125 hectares
Forbade the division of farms
Many farm debts and
mortgages were
written off
Small farmers were
given low interest rates
and many tax
allowances
Government maintained high
tariffs on foreign goods
How successful were the Nazis? How much did
life change for the German peasants?
The Nazis spent around
650,000,000 RM to clear
farmers debts in the year
13933-36
Was at first for the medium
and larger farms
Only benefited
small farms after
1935
Farmers incomes
increased by 41%
during 1933-38
More than industrial workers
Industry profits
increased more
than farmers
incomes
Price controls meant that
farmers profits were
smaller
Meant that farmers couldn't afford to pay
their labourers high wages or even buy
labour saving machinery
The strict regulation of the Reich Food
Estate became particularly resented by the
farmers
Farm labourers wages were
lower than what industrial workrs
were and they also suffered poor
social conditions such as housing
This meant that many farm
labourers drifted to the cities
during the Nazi regime
In 1939, there were serve labour shortages in
German agriculture
3% of the German population
drifted into the towns
After 1936, the regime had the
power to merge smaller farms into
bigger ones to make them more
efficient
Angered many farmers and conflicted
with the 'Blood and Soil' ideology
Was deemed economically
justified as achieved higher
agricultural production
The Reich Entailed Farm Law
caused resentment and family
discontent
By trying to solve the problem of passing on
farms to just one child meant that many farmers
couldn't provide for their other children