Episode 193 - Nazi Money

One of the most striking accomplishments of the Nazi state during the 1930s was the speed with which it built an army capable of conquering Europe. It wasn't a perfect army mind you, but it was capable all the same. And given that it was built up from the weak interwar army in just six years, well something unusual was afoot in Germany. And that something was a startling overhaul of the economy towards war production, to an extent unheard of in peacetime. The first stage of this masked war economy is where I'll be starting on this new miniseries covering the rise of the Nazi war machine. 

 

A sudden transformation of the economy needed collaborators to be carried out in such a short time frame as the Nazis were demanding. And it also demanded a closer relationship between the state and capital, leading to an unholy alliance that brought out the worst in both the German business class and the upper echelons of the Nazi government. 

 

Bibliography for this episode: 

1. Tooze, Adam Wages of Destruction: The Making and Breaking of the Nazi Economy Penguin Books 2006
2. Evans, Richard J. The Third Reich in Power Penguin Press 2005
3. Kershaw, Ian Hitler 1889-1936: Hubris W.W. Norton and Company 1998
4. Kershaw, Ian Hitler 1936-1945: Nemesis W.W. Norton and Company 2000

Questions? Comments? Email me at peaceintheirtime@gmail.com