History ... Economics
Germany between the World Wars

How Hitler Tackled Unemployment and Revived Germany's Economy

Burgess COMMENTARY

Peter Burgess

How Hitler Tackled Unemployment and Revived Germany's Economy

Published on Jul 14, 2012

To deal with the massive unemployment and economic paralysis of the Great Depression, both the Roosevelt government in the US and Hitler's government in Germany launched innovative and ambitious programs in 1933. Although Roosevelt's 'New Deal' programs helped only marginally, the Third Reich's much more focused and comprehensive policies proved remarkably successful. Within three years unemployment was banished and Germany's economy was booming. As Weber explains, this remarkable achievement is little known and rarely acknowledged. He also takes a look at the Third Reich's economic and taxation policies, and their impact on people's lives, as well as the ideology and social-economic principles on which they were based.

Transcript

English (Automatic Captions) 0:00hello and welcome the most devastating economic down turn of the 20th century 0:06by far was the world economic crisis the 1930s 0:09the Great Depression the story of its 0:12impact in the United States and how the New Deal administration of President 0:17Franklin Roosevelt dealt with it 0:19is pretty well known but much less well-known 0:22is the remarkable story how germany tackle to the crisis 0:26I was hitler became Chancellor of Germany on January 30 1933 0:32and a few weeks later on March 4th Franklin Roosevelt took office 0:36as president the United States each man remained his country's 0:41chief executive for the next 12 years until death 0:45in April 1945 shortly before the end of world war two 0:49in Europe when each man 0:52assumed power in his country the great 0:57overwhelming challenge was the crisis that had brought mass 1:00unemployment in global economic paralysis 1:03in early 1933 1:06industrial production in the US as well as in germany 1:10was scarcely more than half afford it had been 1:13in 1829 each leader 1:16lost no time in launching new policies and projects 1:20to tackle the great crisis and although there are 1:24some striking parallels between the policies and projects 1:28of the roosevelt government in the US in the Hitler government in Germany 1:33the results were very different perhaps the 1:39most influential American economist of the 20th century 1:43was John Kenneth Cole birth he was an adviser to several presidents 1:49and for a time served as US ambassador to India 1:53he was the author of several dozen books 1:56and for years simply talk economics at Harvard University 2:00on this subject Gold Rush wrote 2:04the elimination unemployment in Germany during the Great Depression 2:08without inflation and it was initial reliance upon 2:12the sensual civilian activities was a signal 2:16accomplishment to he has rarely been praised 2:20not much remarked the notion that Butler could 2:24do no good extends to his economics 2:27as it does more possibly to all else that's another way of saying that 2:33in our society as a result of prejudice 2:36ignorance or hatred the real story 2:39I'll see Third Reich's record with regard to the economy 2:43as well as much else is suppressed the German regimes 2:49economic policy go breast goes on involved 2:52large-scale borrowing for public expenditures and 2:56at first this was principally for civilian work railroads canals 3:00and the autobahn in superhighways the result was a far more effective attack 3:06on unemployment 3:07didn't any other industrial country by late nineteen thirty-five 3:12golfers goes on unemployment when it was an 3:16end in Germany by 1936 3:19high-income was pulling up prices or making it possible to raise them 3:23Germany by the late thirties had four employment 3:28at stable prices it was in the industrial world 3:32and absolutely unique achievement other countries 3:39goal breast goes on failed to understand or to learn 3:43from the German experience he writes in the German example was 3:48instructive but not persuasive British and American conservatives 3:53looked at the nazis financial pareces 3:56the borrowing and spending and uniformly predicted a breakdown 4:01and American liberals and British socialists 4:04look at the repression the destruction of the union's 4:08the brown shirts the black church the concentration camps and screaming 4:12oratory 4:13and ignored the economics nothing good 4:17they believed not even full employment could come 4:20from Hitler 4:23historian John you caution ardent critic I love Hitler and his regime but 4:28also a perceptive writer has summed up 4:31the record in these words 4:35hitler's achievements domestic rather than foreign 4:39during the six peacetime years his leadership 4:43I'll Germany were extraordinary he brought prosperity and confidence to the 4:48germans 4:49the kinda for Prosperity that is the result of confidence 4:53the thirties after 1933 were sunny here some for most germans 4:59something that remained in the memories up an entire generation among them 5:06two days after taking office says Chancellor 5:09butler spoke to the nation in a radio address the first time in his voice 5:14reached germans by national broadcast 5:18also Hitler and his party had made clear their intention to 5:22reorganize the nation's social political cultural and educational life 5:27in accord with C national socialist world view 5:31everyone knew that with some six million unemployed and the national economy and 5:36paralysis 5:37the great priority at the moment was to restore the nation's 5:40economic life above all by tackling 5:44unemployment in providing productive work 5:48in this important address Butler said the mystery of our people is horrible 5:53to behold to the hungry unemployed millions of industrial workers 5:57is added the impoverishment the whole middle class and the artisans 6:01if this collapse finally also finishes of the German farmers 6:05we will face a catastrophe oven calculable dimension 6:09for that would be not just the collapse of the nation 6:12but with two thousand-year-old inheritance a summer the greatest 6:16achievements of human culture and civilization 6:19the task that we must fulfills the most difficult the german statesman 6:23have had to face in human memory but we're all still with unbounded 6:28confidence because we believe in our people and its imperishable values 6:34the new government hitler said with the chief the great task 6:38reorganizing our nation's economy by means have two great for your plans 6:44the german farmer must be rescued to maintain the nation's food supply and in 6:49consequence 6:50the nation's vital foundation the german worker 6:53will be saved from ruin with a concerted an all-embracing attack 6:58against unemployment within four years 7:02hitler pledged unemployment must be decisively 7:05overcome 7:09rejecting the sometimes cloudy and impractical economic views 7:14more radical activists in his party hitler turned 7:18two men a proven ability incompetence 7:21he enlisted the help of Fillmore shocked 7:24a prominent banker and financier with a brilliant 7:28record in both private business and public service 7:32even though shocked was certainly no national socialist 7:36your appointed him as president of the Reich spunk Germany's 7:39central bank a position somewhat comfortable in the US 7:43to chairman the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System 7:47and then he was appointed as Minister of Economics 7:51it posed similar in the US to secretary of the Treasury 7:58after taking power rights professor John Garrity a prominent American historian 8:03Hitler and his new government immediately launched an all-out 8:07assault on unemployment to they stimulated private industry 8:12through subsidies and tax rebates encouraged consumer spending 8:17by such means as marriage loans and plunged into the massive public works 8:22program 8:24the produce the autobahn highway system and housing 8:27railroad and navigation projects 8:32as he had promised in his first radio address to the nation 8:36hitler and his national socialist government banished unemployment within 8:40four years 8:42the number of jobless was cut for more than six million 8:45at the beginning of May 1833 when he took power 8:492 1,000,000 fine 1836 8:52the jobless rate was reduced so rapidly that when 1838 8:57there was a national labor shortage 9:01for the great mass so ordinary germans wages and working conditions 9:06improved steadily we'll work Lee 9:09weekly earnings increased from 1832 to 1938 9:13by 21 percent and by nineteen forty-three 9:16average hourly warning earnings have drawn workers had recent written by 25 9:20percent 9:22in this with fix rents and relative decline 9:25the cost ok heating and light 9:31the normals workday for germans was limited by law to 9:35eight hours and was generally between seven and eight hours 9:39with generous overtime pay 9:42the already extensive network of social welfare programs including 9:47old-age insurance and a national health care program 9:50was expanded 9:54in addition to higher wages benefits included 9:57markedly improved working conditions such as better health and safety 10:01conditions 10:02canteens with subsidize hot meals athletic fields 10:06parks subsidized theater performances and concerts 10:10exhibitions sport and hiking group dances 10:13adult education courses and subsidized tourism 10:21in an interview with an american journalist in March 1934 10:25hitler said we do not want to become a primitive nation 10:29but one with the highest possible standard of living 10:33in my opinion the Americans are right in not wanting to make everyone the same 10:38but rather in upholding the principle of the latter however 10:42every single person must be granted the opportunity 10:45to climb up the ladder 10:50in keeping with this outlook hitler's government promoted social mobility 10:53especially for workers was white opportunities to improve in advance 10:59as Professor garrity notes it is beyond 11:02argument that the nazis encourage working-class social and economic 11:06mobility 11:08to encourage acquisition of new skills the government greatly expanded 11:12vocational 11:13training programs and offered generous incentives 11:17for further advancement both efficient workers 11:22both national socialist ideology end hitler's basic outlook 11:26rights professor John Garrity 11:29inclined to the regime to favor the ordinary German over any elite group 11:35workers had an honored place in the system 11:40in accord with this the regime provided substantial 11:43fringe benefits for workers that included subsidize housing 11:47low-cost excursions sports programs 11:50and more pleasing factory facilities 11:56a few representative figures give an idea 11:59the house the quality of life improved for germans 12:03during the Hitler era certainly at least in the period 12:06peace between 1932 12:10the last year up the pre hitler era in 1838 12:14the last full year of peace before the outbreak of war 12:18food consumption increased by 1.6% to well clothing and textile turnover 12:22increased by more than a quarter 12:25and a furniture and household goods by fifty percent 12:30during the Third Reich's peacetime years wine consumption rose by 50 percent 12:35and champagne consumption increased five-fold 12:39between 1932 and 1938 12:42the volume of tourism more than doubled well 12:45automobile ownership in Germany tripled during the nineteen-thirties 12:52German business revived and prospered during the first four years of the 12:57national socialist era 12:59net profits of large corporations quadrupled 13:02and managerial and entrepreneurial income rose by nearly 50 percent 13:09Jewish historian Richard greenberger in his detailed studies the 13:13twelve-year reich rights things were to get even better 13:17in the three years between 1939 and 1942 13:21German industry expanded as much as it had during the preceding fifty years 13:29German Foreign Trade both import and export increased sharply during the 13:33Hitler era 13:34not only with other European countries but also in other regions notably was 13:39South America and East Asia 13:43German motor vehicle production which included cars made by the US owned by 13:47Ford and General Motors works 13:50doubled in the five years in 1832 to 1937 13:54while Germany's motor feel cool exports increased 13:5884 14:01air passenger traffic in Germany from 1933 to 1937 14:06more than tripled to 14:09although German businesses flourished profits were controlled and by law all 14:14were capped with in moderate limits 14:18beginning in 1934 dividends for stockholders sold 14:23German corporations were restricted to 6 percent annually 14:28anticipated additional profits were either reinvested in the firm 14:33or could be invested in right bonds which had an annual 14:36interest yield of 6 percent and then after 1935 14:41a four and a half percent 14:44corporation taxes were steadily increased 14:48from 20 percent in 1834 to 25 percent in 1836 14:53and to 40 percent in 1839 1940 14:59directors serve German companies were allowed to grant bonuses 15:04but only if these were directly proportionate to profits 15:08and provided that the board have directors 15:11also authorize bonuses or voluntary social contributions 15:15to employees 15:19although the rich got richer in hitler's germany 15:22so did everyone else but the richest were obliged to pay a larger share 15:28taxes the number of taxpayers in the lowest income bracket 15:34those earning less than 1500 marks yearly 15:37increased during the national socialist era by five percent 15:42those in the highest income tax bracket those 15:45earning more than 100,000 marks annually 15:48increased by four hundred and forty-five percent 15:52more than quadrupling 15:56taxation in National Socialist Germany was progressive or graduated 16:01that is those of higher-income pay proportionately more in taxes 16:05than those in the lower income brackets 16:09between 1834 in 1838 the average tax rate on incomes 16:14up more than one hundred thousand marks rose from 16:1737.4 percent 230 8.2 percent 16:24in 1838 for example germans in the highest income category 16:29or just one percent of the population but with 20 per 16:3321 percent of the income paid forty-five percent 16:37up the income tax burden 16:43Germany's crime rate fell during the hitler years 16:47was significant drops in the rates of murder robbery and theft embezzlement 16:51and petit larceny 16:55there was also a market improvement in in what 16:58jewish social historian Richard greenberger calls 17:01the German people's emotional health greenberger rights 17:07there can be little doubt that the National socialist seizure of power 17:12engendered a widespread improvement in emotional health 17:15this was not only a result 17:18loves the economic upswing but have many germans 17:22heightened sense identification with the national purpose 17:28a particularly significant expression of national confidence during this period 17:33was the sharp increase in the birth rate to within a year after Hitler came to 17:39power 17:40the German birth rate jumped by 22 percent 17:43rising to a high point in 1938 it remain high 17:47even in 1944 the last full year of world war two 17:51when total defeat was imminent she's 17:55its it particularly 17:59noteworthy expression a what historian John Luke of calls the 18:04optimism in the confidence germans during the 18:07Hitler years was the jump in the birthrate Lucas rights 18:12for every two children born in Germany in 1932 18:163 were born four years later in 1938 and 1939 18:22the highest marriage rates in all of Europe 18:25were registered in Germany superseding even those among the prolific people's 18:30Eastern Europe the phenomenal rise up the German birthrate 18:35in the thirties was even steeper the rise 18:38up the marriage rate Gordon Craig 18:44and outstanding scottish-born American historian 18:48rights about the sharp rise in the birthrate 18:52after Hitler came to power and a steady increase in the years that followed 18:57he writes National Socialist Germany 19:00alone among countries people by whites succeeded in obtaining some 19:05increase infertility along with 19:12other aspects of Third Reich history the role of Jews in Germany during the 19:17prewar years 19:18is not well understood even by Americans who consider themselves 19:22educated all well informed about modern European history 19:25shortly after taking power 19:29Butler and his government moved quickly to remove jews from the nation's 19:33political and cultural life 19:35however Jews were permitted to carry on in economic life 19:41at least for several years in fact the 19:45Jewish community which made up about 1 percent 19:48above the population of the country 19:51benefited from Germany's 19:54general economic revivals the government's recovery measures 20:01directly benefited jewish firms in June 20:051933 for example a few months after 20:09Butler took power the 20:12German Chancellor approved a large-scale government investment a 14 and a half 20:17million marks in the jewish owned firm 20:2030 a berlin department store chain this bailout was done to 20:26prevent the ruling of the larger firms suppliers 20:30financiers in a bubble up its 14,000 20:34employees professor Gordon Craig who for years taught history at 20:42Stanford University points out called 20:45in the closing a retail trades jewish firms continue to operate profitably 20:51until 1938 end in Berlin and Hamburg 20:54in particular establishments known reputation and taste 20:59continue the trip to attract yr old customers despite 21:02their ownership by jews in the world the finance 21:06no restrictions were placed upon the activities a jewish 21:10firms in the berlin stock market in until 1937 21:15the baking houses a mendelsohn place router 21:18on hold dreyfus Strauss warburg of laser and Barron's 21:23we're still active 21:27five years after Hitler had come to power 21:30jewish ownership both German realestate especially in Berlin 21:34and the jewish role in business life remained 21:38the considerable one 21:42this changed markedly 21:45in 1938 however and by the end of May 1839 21:50Jews have been largely removed from German economic life 21:57an interesting analysis comparing the American and 22:00German approaches to the Great Depression appeared in a May 22:041940 issue up the berlin weekly paper 22:07dos Reis 10 4 10 Germany's most literate 22:11and thoughtful periodicals the article titled 22:15hitler in Roosevelt the German success in american attempt 22:19decided work it called the 22:22parliamentary democratic system of the United States 22:26as a key factor in the failure 22:29at the Roosevelt administration's efforts to improve the economy 22:35the article stated quoting we Germans began with an idea and carried out the 22:40practical measures without regard for consequences 22:44America begin with many practical measures that 22:47without in her coherence covered over each wound 22:51with the special bandage 22:56better himself made a striking comparison in a speech in late 1941 23:02the social political economic systems 23:05up the United States the Soviet Union in Germany 23:08he said we've now gotten to know to 23:12social political extremes one is that of the capitalist States 23:17which shoes lies fraud and swindling 23:20to deny their peoples the most basic vital rights 23:24in which are concerned entirely with her own business interests 23:27for which they are ready to sacrifice millions of people 23:31on the other hand we've seen in the soviet union 23:35the communist extreme a state that's right unspeakable misery to millions and 23:40millions and 23:41which following its doctrine sacrifices the happiness 23:45others from this awareness 23:48in my view there is for all of us only one 23:52obligation namely to strive more than ever 23:56toward our national and socialist ideal 24:00in this German state the prevailing principle is not 24:03as in Soviet Russia the principal so-called 24:07equality but rather only the principal 24:10of justice 24:14well at this point will take a break and return 24:18with the second-half oath this broadcast both the mark with her 24:22report hello and welcome back 24:26in this broadcast in the first half I was speaking about 24:30how Germany don't list the crisis 24:33up the great depression during the 1930s 24:36and how within a few years the 24:39German government under Hitler was able to banish 24:43unemployment in that country and I was drawing a comparison 24:47with howls the roosevelt administration United States 24:52in the New Deal programs that he introduced 24:56dealt with the economic crisis since the thirties 24:59the comparison was at a German 25:02one person who has written a detailed 25:06analysis of this is the American historian John Garrity 25:12hero a much-discussed article published in the American Historical Review 25:18titled the New Deal National Socialism and the Great Depression 25:22that generated quite a lot of discussion and is well worth reading today 25:27in this article John Garrity 25:31wrote quote the two movements 25:34that is in the US and Germany 25:37nevertheless reacted to the Great Depression in similar ways 25:42distinct from those of other industrial nations 25:46of the two the nazis with the more successful 25:49in curing the economic ills the 1930s 25:54the reduced unemployment and stimulated industrial production 25:57faster than the americans did and considering their resources 26:02handled their monetary and trade problems more successfully 26:06certainly more imaginatively this is partly because the 26:11nazis employed deficits financing on a larger scale 26:14and partly because they're totalitarian system 26:18better with itself to the mobilization of society 26:21both by force and by persuasion 26:24by 1936 the Depression was substantially 26:28over in Germany far from finished 26:31in the United States in fact 26:35in the United States lol as well as in much of the rest of the world 26:40the jobless rate remains high until the stimulation 26:44above will production took hold 26:47even as late as March 1940 26:50the unemployment rate in the United States was still almost 15 percent of 26:56the workforce 26:57it was war production not Roosevelt's New Deal programs 27:02that finally brought full-employment in the United States 27:09not many times in these broadcasts 27:13I've spoken about I'm 27:16hopeful aspects and harmful consequences 27:20up the distortion %uh are history 27:23through the jewish sign a script on 27:27the Society's cultural and educational life 27:31as well as his political life now the most 27:34obvious consequences this of course 27:37is the way in which this distorts our foreign policy 27:41particularly with regard to the Middle East the 27:44centerpiece America Middle East policy as 27:48the new American ambassador to Israel 27:52frankly acknowledged is not the best interests of the United States 27:56but what's in the interests security interests 28:00and identity interests with Israel 28:03but at least as important certainly in the long run 28:07in order run for the United States as a harmful consequence 28:11this distortion OVR history and cultural life 28:15is how it impedes and prevents 28:20a clearer understanding other important lessons to be learned from the past 28:25an important things that can be learned from other societies 28:28in other cultures I wanna go back in that regard 28:33to a point made by John can this go over us 28:36whose I mention was probably or perhaps the most influential American historian 28:40of the 20th century he makes the point 28:45that too on in United States and Britain 28:50by both leftists and rightists there was 28:53ignorance and prejudice sent hatred 28:56a against the a.m. third reich 29:00that prevented not only an awareness 29:03to but much more and had no attachment 29:06I'll see reality above the way in which the 29:10National Socialist government don't list the 29:13economic crisis of the 1930s 29:17no this prejudice this ignorance 29:21is not something that existed during the nineteen-thirties alone during world war 29:252 29:27or even years after world war two 29:30but even today there is such a tremendous 29:35distortion love history 29:38and a perversion up the reality is history in the United States 29:42that it's almost impossible in our society 29:46to speak frankly honestly objectively 29:51about a Third Reich Germany and for that matter 29:54other aspects of history or the realities in russia the world 29:59if they go against what I call the to Dale centric 30:04view of history and the world it obligatory 30:07in american society disculpas points out 30:13on the assumption is back in the nineteen thirties and forties 30:18and by extension today that 30:21nothing good not even for employment could come from Hitler 30:26no that's a tremendous disservice of course 30:30to are America and the world 30:34but because the his regime should be your 30:37can be here would be defended in all aspects 30:41but because it's important to have a clear understanding 30:44both history across the board 30:47including from that now at a time 30:51as we are living through today when america is facing 30:54such enormous anxiety economic problems 30:58social dissolution and so forth 31:02its all the more important to be able to understand 31:06the lessons the other countries have learned 31:09from dealing with problems similar to our own 31:13and that's why i win american politicians 31:17insist on what they call american exceptionalism 31:21this is i like an affirmation ignorance 31:24almost as if the a 31:27no normal laws both up society 31:31social dynamics of history not applied to the United States 31:36and the somehow wishful thinking is more important 31:40the hard reality 31:43a good example the kind of widespread 31:47a.m. ignorance distortion confusion 31:51about a history in our society 31:55is a you find in Wikipedia 31:58now look at pedia is often very useful I've used it many times 32:02%uh myself and if someone's looking up 32:06all the population %uh they a city in the United States 32:11or you want to learn when a University in michigan might have been founded 32:16or you want to learn about how to plant tomatoes are various other things 32:20the internet and Wikipedia can be very useful 32:24but when it touches upon issues 32:28that are a.m. a important socially politically 32:33in our society Wikipedia can be 32:36very misleading I you don't want to go into detail about how 32:41misleading and distorted it is %uh with the talks about the night at the 32:46Institut fur store purview 32:47for over me but when I was 32:51preparing this broadcast I looked up the Wikipedia entry 32:55headed economy of Nazi Germany well it's grotesque 33:00it's a and almost eight above the surgeon 33:03mmm distortion and misrepresentation 33:07of the reality as anyone who reads the 33:10a serious book on this subject for does any really serious 33:14study of the issue should be able to 33:17the learn for himself 33:21for example this article though which is a course anonymous 33:25the like other articles in Wikipedia 33:29claims that the dramatic fall in unemployment levels 33:34during the Third Reich was not at all due to the creation of new jobs 33:39instead says Wikipedia many choose and women were forced out of their jobs 33:45and this made way for unemployed German men to take their place 33:50however the women jews who had lost their jobs were not counted 33:53on the unemployment registered register the nazis considered the Jews 33:58consider jus insure your race and believe that women should stay at home 34:02so he do these groups contributed to unemployment 34:05statistics well this is just simply 34:09absurd it's it's not only wrong it's absurdly wrong 34:13first of all I'm unemployment was damaged in Germany 34:18by nineteen 36 and 34:21Jews in Germany the Jewish population in Germany 34:24altogether made up about 1 percent of the total population 34:29not only were removed from jobs but 34:32can the ones who did not leave the country actually benefited 34:37from the general economic recovery 34:40the statement also in Wikipedia that 34:43women were not included in the statistics 34:46or that women were a.m. 34:49the that somehow forced to stay at home 34:53and didn't work is also entirely untrue 34:57yeah certainly on many women both in Germany at that time in the United 35:02States 35:03did not have full-time employment that was typical 35:06the Western world at that time but in fact 35:10as any serious my analysis are looking at 35:15the Third Reich history 35:18will reveal for anybody who looks into it the other was 35:22a decrease in for a time of the woman's role 35:25in the job market in the early 1930s 35:29but then begin increasing the number of women in 35:33universities and employment actually increased 35:36during the certain later nineteen-thirties 35:39and certainly during the Warriors but 35:42this article in Wikipedia is this is simply 35:46is a grotesque distortion of the remedy it's also 35:50a cliche in america as 35:53them this article claims that 35:56the nazis consider jus insure your race well also 36:00untrue the policy her attitude about jews 36:04wasn't the Jews were quote inferior 36:07but that they were different they were alien 36:11and they were harmful into German society or in other societies 36:16on in fact you he even reading 36:19my income hitler's Martin book 36:24makes the it has a rather startling statement to make about jews 36:29Hitler implies you're suggests that in terms of intelligence in 36:33Jews are probably on air which more intelligent 36:36the most germans but he's not concerned with Jews being 36:40quote inferior or the Jews are stupid 36:45or that they are her anything like that the concern is that 36:49%uh the jewish Rose Society is a powerful one 36:53but this article in with the pedia 36:56is just simply typical the kind of 36:59distortion misrepresentation 37:02that is across the board you'll find in american society 37:10the article ugh goes on to make 37:13%uh the absurd claims that the nazis again that's another 37:18hmm kind of absurd statement it would be is if 37:21one were to talk about the United States in 37:25a me to make a comparison former to talk about the United States in a similar way 37:29and to say something like hmmm 37:33the Americans it introduced a 37:36national health care plan North the Americans 37:39believe this was after this extremely misleading 37:43the in to talk about in a general and in a in a sloppy way 37:47as this article does and this is typical United States a what the Nazis did look 37:52some Nazis believed 37:54something something another in fact that your use of the term 37:57Nazi in the in Wikipedia in an american media 38:02is also itself a prejudicial usage 38:06it's a little like referring to um 38:10the Soviet Union and talking all the time about 38:14commies well the word Nazi 38:18has a the needing more sleep ridge or active 38:22hmm the undertone to it 38:25it's not completely perjurers but 38:28its a little like talking about a is if 38:32one word to talk about stalin and lyndon 38:35all the time as it's Khamis well 38:39its it's demeaning pejorative and prejudicial 38:43other than the party was the National Socialist Party 38:47and be into the word Nazi 38:51has the them is a is a shorthand term dangerman for national socialist in the 38:57way that 38:58members for the socialist party the Social Democratic Party in Germany 39:02are sometimes called Suzi's result sees or Americans 39:06in an informal in all sometimes the meeting where called 39:10armies but to refer to americans all the time 39:15especially in any serious concert context as 39:18armies or communist since commies 39:21is is simply silly in his representative the kind of 39:25entrenched ignorance and Prejudice that you'll find 39:30in american public life and even in the so-called 39:33serious in academic life in the United States 39:36as exemplified by this piece in the 39:39in Wikipedia 39:43the article also on claims that 39:46Hitler and had no idea really of Economics 39:50that he was minor stumbling around 39:53and even didn't take seriously the 25-point program 39:58both the National Socialist Party again 40:01whoever wrote this article on shows 40:05ignorance on that account as well from 40:13the on of course much of the Assumption 40:16both this article and for many other discussions 40:20about National Socialist Germany the Third Reich 40:24is that behind all of the economic prosperity 40:28was really an intention right from the beginning to 40:31go to war and the takeover other countries 40:34well this is also a completely wrong 40:38stupid an example the kind of prejudice and ignorance this widespread 40:43in american society a.m. yes 40:46it's true that after 1930s five or so 40:50Germany began expanding its military but 40:54I'm this wasn't done because Hitler had sentenced to quote 40:58take over the world for which and trackers no evidence whatsoever 41:02but I'm germany was from 1933 41:07starting with no military were no significant military 41:11whatsoever if building the military 41:15is itself example were an expression 41:19love aggressive intention then 41:22certainly the United States should be considered the number one bad country in 41:26the world because its military today 41:28is not only the largest in the world its larger it's about as large 41:32as the military of the rest of the world knows his powers the rest of the world 41:37put together but in 1933 41:41germany was restricted by Z Treaty of Versailles 41:44from having any air force for example whatsoever 41:48Germany by the Treaty of Versailles could have no tanks 41:52no large warships and the army was restricted to one hundred thousand men 41:58no Germany built a military not because it was intending to take over other 42:02countries 42:03for the same reason that all countries 42:07no any size have some sort of military force 42:11partner Lee its former defense but Germany bordered 42:15on France which during this entire period 42:18had a draft in a very large military the military for larger than that 42:23Germany and when Germany begin and 42:27building up its military starting in 1935 42:31and an air force for example it was starting from 42:35as 0.8 so that its 42:38portion of military spending was 42:41it's true slightly larger than the portion of the budget for military 42:45spending 42:46at that time in safe France or Britain but thats 42:49largely because germany was starting from a zero point in 1933 1934 42:55and was therefore your thereby trying to catch up 42:59to at least the minimal point that France and Britain 43:03and most notably the Soviet Union had already 43:06were already at that time again the great military 43:10a threat or call losses in Europe during the nineteen-thirties of course was not 43:15germany 43:16the most important military force in europe certainly by 1938 39 43:21with the Soviet Union which were had by far the largest 43:25military force in the world in fact 43:29in 1939 1940 forty-one 43:32the soviet military take force for example 43:36was not only the largest in the world it was %uh take four short written the rest 43:41of the world 43:42put together the soviet paratroop force in 1841 43:47was known as the world's largest it was larger than the rest the world 43:51put together the incredible thing is not that 43:55germany was building up the military but that'd 43:58didn't build it up large enough the nuts course 44:01key reason why it failed to subdue the Soviet Union in 1841 44:08and as a consequence of that lost in world war two altogether 44:16part of the reason that I have motivated 44:20to talk in this broadcast today about 44:23the economy a Third Reich Germany 44:27is based on my own personal experience 44:31when I was am just turned 18 years old 44:35I E bless the United States and moved to germany 44:40snows in 1969 I A 44:43the year in bonn 0 later I lived a year and a half in Munich 44:48but during that time in ball on 44:51I had a number of jobs including for much of that time 44:56a job working in a wallpaper factory 44:59I'll on the other side of the river from bonn 45:02and this was a an extremely important experience for me because 45:08I had many conversations motivated by a great 45:12curiosity I had many conversations with 45:15older German Workers who had been young men 45:18during the Third Reich era into without 45:22exception had also served in the German military during World War Two 45:27these are ordinary German Workers they were particularly well educated 45:33but I was impressed by is error attitude 45:37there were at work as a console for us but one of the most 45:40um um instructive 45:44and memorable things that I learned was how 45:48great how deep the admiration was 45:51these ordinary German Workers even so many years after the end of the war 45:56even in spite of the defeat for 45:59the Hitler government and the National Socialist period 46:04German Workers vast majority germans 46:07during Liz Third Reich era shelf 46:11very much worked the his summer this trend so cluded 46:15in this broadcast today affirmed that the regime 46:19that the government was on their side that it was 46:23motivated interested in doing what was best 46:27for the vast majority of people and a specially 46:30for the working class and specially for workers and farmers 46:35and this is something that wasn't merely on 46:38expressed in words but that 46:41was manifest in real policies 46:45real benefits real things 46:48that benefited the wives ordinary families 46:51ordinary workers and ordinary german workers would talk to me about this 46:57and I was and struck by how unanimous 47:01and these workers were in their attitude 47:05and their memories remember remembrances all the 47:09mmm period just before and during will work to 47:13and ok the up if the regime 47:20%uh to conclude this broadcast today 47:23by emphasizing something that I often 47:27a.m. overlook or don't have time to 47:30get into and that is to express my appreciation 47:34to all those who right to me to 47:37and provide feedback and comments and questions 47:41about the broad about these broadcasts in fact this broadcast today 47:46was the the done 47:50as a response to feedback from 47:54one listener who suggested that I do a broadcast 47:57and urged me to do a broadcast on the economic policy and 48:01'em both %uh the Third Reich 48:04I wanna home the Express 48:08how grateful I am for the comments 48:11feedback and so forth said listeners have these broadcasts have provided 48:16um over the dumb past months 48:19and that even when I and a unable and don't have the time to 48:24respond to individual messages that I appreciate this feedback 48:28very much I appreciate the opportunity 48:32to reach many people who um 48:36I not been able to reach in the eye HR and I am NOT able to reach 48:39by other means sold I appreciate 48:43a your input support and feedback 48:46in response to these broadcasts urge 48:50listeners to check out a course the eye chart website which we 48:53update very frequently into 48:58continue listening join us for the next 49:02broadcast up the Mark Webber report Published on Jul 14, 201277