Life under the Nazis, 1933-1939
The Nazi Economy, 1933–1939
One of the Nazis' most important early successes was tackling unemployment. When Hitler came to power in January 1933, approximately six million Germans were out of work. By 1938 unemployment had fallen to under half a million. How was this achieved? Partly through public works programmes — building the autobahn motorway network — and rearmament, which pumped money into heavy industry. The government also removed women from statistics by encouraging them to leave the workforce, and conscription from 1935 reduced the number of men counted as unemployed.
Finance minister Hjalmar Schacht managed the economy between 1933 and 1937, using a 'New Plan' (1934) to manage imports and exports and 'mefo bills' — government IOUs — to fund rearmament secretly without appearing to breach the Treaty of Versailles. From 1936 Hermann Göring supervised the Four Year Plan, designed to make Germany self-sufficient (autarky) and war-ready within four years. By 1939 Germany had substantially rearmed but had not achieved autarky.
Unemployment fell from approximately 6 million in 1933 to under 500,000 by 1938. However, real wages for workers barely recovered to 1929 levels, and the regime's economic growth depended heavily on rearmament spending — not sustainable peacetime prosperity.
Control of Workers: the DAF
In May 1933 the Nazis banned all independent trade unions and replaced them with the German Labour Front (DAF). Workers could no longer strike or negotiate freely. The 'Strength through Joy' (KdF) programme offered workers subsidised leisure activities — concerts, theatre, sports facilities and holidays — as a means of building loyalty and managing morale without granting genuine economic power. The 'Beauty of Labour' programme improved some factory conditions. In practice, workers gained material benefits but surrendered all collective bargaining rights.
Women in Nazi Germany: The Three Ks
The Nazis had a clearly defined role for women: Kinder, Küche, Kirche — children, kitchen, church. Women were expected to leave paid employment, marry, and bear as many children as possible to grow the German 'racial community'. The regime offered financial incentives: a marriage loan of 1,000 Reichsmarks was offered when women left work, with a quarter written off for each child born. By 1939 the birth rate had risen modestly compared to the early 1930s, though it never reached Nazi targets.
Women were removed from professional positions — female doctors, lawyers and civil servants were pushed out during 1933–1935. However, the ideology was pragmatic: as rearmament created labour shortages, women were gradually drawn back into the workforce from the late 1930s, demonstrating the tension between Nazi ideology and economic reality.
Nazi ideology reshaped the school curriculum. History was rewritten to glorify Germany's past and Hitler's role. Biology taught racial theory — the supposed superiority of the 'Aryan' race and the danger of 'inferior' groups. Physical education expanded, reflecting the Nazi emphasis on military fitness. Jewish teachers were dismissed. Textbooks were replaced with Nazi-approved versions. Teachers were required to join the National Socialist Teachers' League and teach approved content. By 1936 around 97% of teachers had joined the organisation.
The Hitler Youth
Outside school, the Hitler Youth organised boys from 14 to 18, with the Jungvolk for younger boys. Girls aged 14–18 joined the League of German Girls (BDM), focused on fitness and preparation for motherhood. Membership was made compulsory in 1936. Activities included camping, sports, marching and patriotic songs, all designed to build physical fitness and loyalty to Hitler. Many young Germans embraced the movement enthusiastically; others found the discipline oppressive. By 1939 the Hitler Youth had approximately eight million members.
Hitler Youth membership was made compulsory in 1936. By 1939 it had around eight million members. However, some young Germans resisted — the Edelweiss Pirates and Swing Youth groups rejected Nazi conformity, listening to American music and challenging Hitler Youth authority.
The Treatment of Jews, 1933–1939
Antisemitism was central to Nazi ideology. From 1933 onwards the regime introduced a series of increasingly severe measures targeting Germany's Jewish population, which numbered approximately 500,000 — less than 1% of the German population. Jews were dismissed from civil service jobs under the Law for the Restoration of the Professional Civil Service (April 1933). Jewish-owned businesses were boycotted. Jews were excluded from cultural, legal and academic life.
In September 1935, the Nuremberg Laws stripped Jews of German citizenship and banned marriage and sexual relationships between Jews and non-Jews ('racial pollution'). Jews were defined by ancestry — anyone with three or four Jewish grandparents was classified as Jewish. By 1938, approximately 150,000 Jews had emigrated, but many lacked the money or the receiving country's willingness to take them.
On the night of 9–10 November 1938, a wave of violence swept across Germany and Austria. Approximately 7,500 Jewish-owned businesses were destroyed, around 1,400 synagogues were burned, at least 91 Jews were killed, and approximately 30,000 Jewish men were arrested and sent to concentration camps. The event became known as Kristallnacht — the 'Night of Broken Glass'. Although presented as a spontaneous public reaction to the assassination of a German diplomat, Kristallnacht was organised with Nazi Party involvement. It marked a sharp escalation in the persecution of Jews, foreshadowing the more systematic violence to come.