Capitalism in the Third Reich: Economics of WW2 Germany

The economics of the Third Reich were more familiar than you might think.

The economic policies and the underlying economic ideology of the Third Reich is often misconstrued as some aberrant overbearing totalitarianism which portrays this monstrous phenomenon that arose in the mid-20th century as totally and completely alien, instead of as a phenomenon that arose and thrived within an economic framework similar to ours.

If you enjoy the video, please leave a like, I'm told it helps. If you have questions or suggestions please leave a comment, I do my best to read them all!

Bibliography:
- G. Bel, “Against the Mainstream: Nazi Privatization in 1930s Germany”, (2006)
- G. Bel, “The coining of ‘Privatization’ and Germany’s National Socialist Party” in Journal of Economic Perspectives Vol. 20, No. 3, Summer 2006.
- J. Gaddis, “The Landscape of History” (2002)
- D. De Jong, “Nazi Billionaires: The Dark History of Germany’s Wealthiest Dynasties”, (2022)
- I. Landa, “The Apprentice’s Sorcerer: The Liberal Tradition and Fascism” (2009)
- K. Marx, "The Eighteenth Brumaire of Louis Bonaparte" (1852)
- F. Neumann, “Behemoth: The structure and Practice of National Socialism 1933-1944”, (1944)
- M. Pendergrast, “For God, Country and Coca-Cola” (2013)
- R. Stackelberg “Hitler’s Germany: Origins, Interpretations, Legacies” (1999)
- R. Stackelberg, “The Routledge Companion to Nazi Germany” (2007)
- A. Tooze, “Wages of Destruction” (2006)

Glossary sourced from Britannica:

Music:
- IFA Wartburg, “Der alte böse Kapitalismus”,
on Im Dienste des Sozialismus. 1998.

#history #germany #economics
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[ReiMari]

The idea that history could ever be apolitical is absurd. History is basically driven by politics.

[snobhobbitmarx]

I come from Germany, and it's insane how often you hear arguments that are so close to fascist rhetoric. The ‘melancolic’ of the Sonderweg and the Germans as a kind of ‘tragic’ people. Being wedged between western ‘hucksterism’ and eastern ‘hordes’.
Thank you Fredda and keep up the good work!

[andreamarino]

You're telling me that keeping the capitalist mode of production and the bourgeoisie state intact will result in being a bourgeoisie state with a capitalist

[comradejellobiafra]

"But...they had socialist in the party name!"
-Graduate from Prager University.

[somedipshtinthecomments]

Not Capitalism or Communism but a secret third thing (Capitalism)

[jeffersonclippership]

The American mind can't comprehend this

[Pioneer_DE]

I hate the "Sonderweg" theory! I hate the "Sonderweg" theory! I hate the "Sonderweg" theory!

[pietpanzerpanzer]

But TIK told me facism is when you follow through with critical race theory 😮

[SamuelKoepke-ro]

Fredda, this probably the best work I’ve seen you do yet. Still there’s one thing you could’ve gone into more: How people can believe that the Nazis were Socialists, and therefore aliens from a different time and place. I think that it comes from the fact that they cannot accept that we live in the same world that allowed someone like Adolf Hitler to rise to power and destroy millions of lives: In their minds, it is impossible for them to do the same.

It reminds me of Friedrich Flick, the story of whom you could’ve included. He was a businessman in the iron industry who amassed a fortune from WW1, which continued to grow in the Weimar era. Initially, he backed Paul von Hindenburg, but changed sides in 1932 and funded the NSDAP, a trend he would continue all the way until 1945, even becoming a member of the Circle of Friends of the Reichsfuhrer-SS. He would profit massively from the seizure of Jewish property, and employed 48, 000 forced laborers in WW2, 80% of which could’ve died.

Flick was sentenced to seven years in prison at the Nuremberg Trials in 1947, but was released in 1950. He would become the largest stock-holder in Daimler-Benz and the richest man in West Germany. He was awarded the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany and became an Honorary Senator in the Technical University of Berlin. He would die in 1972 a free man, and his grandson maintains both his fortune and a sizable art collection.

Flick’s story shows me something that the people who call Nazis Socialists and Socialists Nazis refuse to acknowledge, mainly because they live in societies built by people very much like Nazis: That we live in a fucked up world.

[Drownedinblood]

Im going to reference this video if anyone ever wants to tell me the nazis were socialist and got along with socialists

[drakmatheism]

This will embarrass Lewis (That's the real name of the guy know as "TIK History" or "The Imperator Knight")

[Torgan]

fredda make a video essay about my litttle pony economcis

[marra]

my goat fredda is back, hope you’ve had a good week

[marra]

just finished the video, amazingly put together as usual, i forget how the saying goes but it’s something like “it takes 10 minutes of correct information to disprove 1 minute of disinformation.”

[handeggchan]

The fact that there are TWO popular frozen pizza brands related to famous Germans from a World War (we have Red Baron in America) is crazy lol

[Phantom_Boi]

new fredda upload, we love proving information factually

[ZephanyZephZeph]

The terrifying amount of times I thought "Hey that sounds familiar to America!" to "OH FUCK."

[bloodgoa]

I love the offhand comment about similar settler-colonialist projects happening today. If you know, you know.

[blede]

Russian youtuber Держать Курс made a series of extremely long and painfully detailed videos about this subject and about Fascist Italy, Imperial Japan and interwar Poland too, I highly recommend (they're in Russian, but English subtitles are available).

[whensonzhou]

It's not only omitted by the popular history narrative, it's intentionally ignored by the western text book.
I was really confused then when my western history textbook and professor just blame it on scapegoat and racism in 1930s, especially when I am not from western world.
This is such a well produced video essay and I've learnt a lot.