Description
Book SynopsisWar and Economy in the Third Reich examines the nature of the German economy in the 1930s and the Second World War. When Hitler came to power in 1933 he had two aims for the economy: a rapid recovery from the depths of the Great Slump and the creation of a vast economic foundation for Germany''s renewed bid for world power. He wanted to turn Germany into a military superpower in the 1940s.These eleven essays explore the tension between Hitler''s vision of an armed economy and the reality of German economic and social life. Richard Overy argues that the German economy was much less crisis-ridden in 1939 than its enemies supposed, and that Hitler, far from limiting his war effort, tried to mobilize the economy for `total war'' from 1939 onwards. Only the poor organisation of the Nazi state and the interference of the military prevented higher levels of military output.Many of these essays challenge accepted view of the Third Reich. They are collected here for the first time. In his subst
Trade Review'What Overy's careful and valuable studies actually do is to confirm the conclusions of all other unprejudiced scholars who have used business archives with similar determination.' Times Literary Supplement
'All of the essays summed up here draw on primary sources to an exceptional degree, which makes the interpretations highly convincing. It also means that nobody who is interested in the German economy in the Third Reich will be able to ignore the results of Overy's research.' Wilhelm Deist, German Historical Institute London Bulletin, Volume XVII, No. 1, February 1995
There can be no doubt thaat over the years, Overy has made a useful contribution to the ecominc history of the Third Reich. This collection makes it clear the strengths of that contribution, particularyly his critical re-evaluation of accepted viewpoints. * Reviews of Books *
Table of ContentsIntroduction - the Nazi economy in peace and war. Part 1 German economic recovery: unemployment in the Third Reich; cars, roads and economic recovery in Germany 1932-1938. Part 2 Industry in the Third Reich: heavy industry in the Third Reich - the Reichswerke crisis; "primacy always belongs to politics" - Gustav Krupp and the Third Reich; the Reichswerke "Hermann Goering" - a study in German economic imperialism. Part 3 Rearmament and the coming of war: Hitler's war plans and the German economy, 1933-1939; Germany, "domestic crisis" and war in 1939; Hitler's war and the German economy - a reinterpretation. Part 4 The German war economy, 1939-1945: guns or butter? - living standards, finance and labour in Germany 1939-1942; German multi-nationals and the Nazi state in Occupied Europe; rationalization and the "production miracle" in Germany during World War II.
