Controlling the workforce

Controlling the workforce

1. Banning of Trade Unions

   • This occurred on May 6th 1933.
   • Weimar economy was greatly effected by Trade Unions- Hitler wanted less interference
   • Hitler disliked Trade Unions because they give working power to the people/ workers

2. German Labour Front (DAF

   • DAF (Deutsche Arbeits Front) was set up on 6th May 1933 immediately after the banning of Trade Unions
   • DAF was designed to fill the void and ensure that workers did not feel cheated
   • DAF was a Nazi Trade Union headed by Robert Ley
   • 20 million members by 1935
   • Councils of Trust were set up to represent workers who could not leave jobs without government permession

3. Changes to pay and working hours

   • Increased compared to the Depression years
   • Very longworking weeks (60- 72 hours) was common

4. Nazi Rent and Price Control

   • Nazis introduced controls over fixed prices and rents for housing
   • Receiveing fixed price for their produce helped farmers.
   • The Reich Food Estate controlled agricultural prices and imposed price freezes in shops
   • However small busineses suffered from the effects of the price freeze- by 1939 almost 200,000 smal shops had gone out of business
   • Never less families benifitied from the controls on prices and rents

5. Improving the lives of workers

   • Hitler was quite astute enough to realize that as well as putting in place restrictions measures to control the workforce he also needed to keep them occupied aaand appear as he valued their quality of life
   • The Kraft Durch Freude (KDF) or Strength Through Joy Movement was created by DAF in November 1933 to improve the workers' leisure opportunities
   • HDF offered workers cheap holidays as well as visits to the theatre, hikes in the country side and a range of sporting activities
   • Workers could also purchase a Volkswagon. They paid 5 marks a week unitl 750 were paid. However no-one received their car when the war broke out in 1939

6. The beauty of the Labour Movement

   • Schonheit der Arbeir (SdA) was at a branch of the SdA. The SdA would work with the KDF to 'keep the workers happy.'
   • They ensured that the workplace would have ventilation and hot meals throughout the day