Winners and Losers in the Nazi Economy

The economy had winners, and losers

It is easy to say the Nazi economy improved because unemployment fell. But it did not treat everyone the same. ⭐ It created clear winners and clear losers among specific groups. ⚠️ Name the groups on each side. A top answer says exactly who gained and who lost, industrialists and armaments workers against small farmers and consumers, rather than a vague generalisation.

The winners, and the losers

Weigh specific named groups on each side, not a vague sense that things got better.

Order how winners and losers were made

Put the way the Nazi economy created winners and losers into order.

• The regime pours money into rearmament
• Big business wins huge contracts and profits
• Skilled armaments workers gain secure jobs
• But wages are controlled, unions banned and hours lengthened
• Small farmers and shopkeepers are squeezed, and consumers face shortages

Who the main winners were

Who were the main winners in the Nazi economy?

• Big business and industrialists, who won large rearmament contracts and profited, along with skilled workers in the armaments industries who gained jobs
• Small farmers and small shopkeepers above all
• Ordinary consumers, who enjoyed plenty
• No one gained anything at all

Words for the Nazi economy

Five words that let you explain the winners and losers, rather than generalise.

Spot the relative losers

Three of these were relative losers in the Nazi economy. Choose the three.

• Small farmers, squeezed by controls and debt
• Ordinary workers, with controlled wages and no unions
• Consumers, facing shortages of goods
• Big armaments firms
• Industrialists with government contracts

Name the groups on each side

The sharpest answers never say only that the economy improved; they name who won and who lost. The winners were big business and industrialists, enriched by rearmament contracts and by the banning of unions that cut labour costs, and skilled workers in armaments, who gained jobs. The losers were small farmers, squeezed by price controls and debt; small shopkeepers, undercut by big business; ordinary workers, with controlled wages, longer hours and no free unions; and consumers, facing shortages. And those excluded entirely, above all Jews, were driven from the economy. Naming groups on each side is the grade 9 move.

Match each group to its economic experience

Find the sentence that names the groups

A student writes about the Nazi economy. Select the ONE sentence that NAMES specific winners and losers.

• Big industrialists and skilled armaments workers gained, while small farmers, ordinary workers and consumers lost out, and Jews were driven from the economy.
• The Nazi economy simply improved life for everyone.
• The economy changed in various ways over the years.
• Nothing at all happened to the German economy.

A worked example: the new factory in town

Imagine a huge new factory opening in a small town. People say the town has got richer, and in a way it has. But look closer. The factory suppliers and its skilled workers do very well. Meanwhile the small shops lose custom, the low-paid see prices rise, and some are shut out altogether. The single figure of town wealth hides all of this. Hold that idea. To judge an economy fairly you have to ask who won and who lost, by name, not just whether the total went up.

Complete the account of the economy

The build-up of weapons that drove the economy was _____. The big business owners who profited were the _____. Free unions were replaced by the _____, which controlled workers. The drive for self-sufficiency was _____, which caused shortages for every _____.

Judge the Nazi economy

Which is the soundest judgement on the Nazi economy?

• It made winners of some groups such as big business and armaments workers, and losers of others such as small farmers, workers and consumers, which a top answer names
• It simply improved life for everyone equally
• It helped no one at all
• Only Jews lost out; everyone else won

A vague answer, and a specific one

The jump between the two is where the marks are. Weigh a weak answer against a strong one.

Judge the economy like an examiner

You are marking three claims about the Nazi economy. For each, choose the soundest judgement.

• An essay says the Nazi economy improved life for everyone. Is that safe?
• An essay says workers all did well. Is that safe?
• An essay says only Jews were excluded and everyone else won. Is that safe?

Write: winners and losers in the economy

Who were the winners and losers in the Nazi economy? Name specific groups on each side, explain why, and reach a judgement. This is written in English and is not auto-marked.

• Name the main winners and explain why
• Name the main losers and explain why
• Explain the role of rearmament
• Note those excluded from the economy
• Reach a supported judgement naming groups on each side