Course content

In this course Nazi economic policy will be discussed in a historical perspective with a special emphasis on recent debates in the literature. Questions to be addressed are, for instance: Was the significant reduction of German unemployment during the first years of the Nazi rule, which heavily legitimized the Nazi regime in the eyes of the Germans, predominately caused by measures implemented by the new government or was this reduction merely a coincidence with the worldwide economic recovery? How did the Nazi regime transform the German economy from a peace to a war economy - by force, by incentives or by regulations? And how did the Nazis exploit occupied Europe and which impact had the foreign contribution to the German war effort?

Learning outcome

A candidate who passes this course is expected to have the following learning outcome according to the course curriculum, defined as knowledge and skills:

Knowledge:
Candidate
- will acquire a broad knowledge about Nazi economic policy both in Germany and occupied Europe
- will acquire an understanding of how the Nazis managed to transform the German economy and to exploit occupied countries
- will acquire an insight into the historiography of this period
- will acquire the ability to apply theories, perspectives as well as tools common in economic history (such as interpreting historical statistics)

Skills:
Candidate
- should be able to critically interrogate the concepts, theoretical assumptions and established perspectives of the field
- should be able to write an extended independent, well-structured analytical essay/paper, using the relevant empirical knowledge and theoretical perspectives of the field

Learning methods and activities

Lectures. Each student who wants to take exams in this course shall write a paper about a specific research article in the field, describing the questions addressed in this article, the methods applied, and the sources used.

Compulsory assignments

• Compulsory paper

Recommended previous knowledge

History or economics or political science

Required previous knowledge

BA in history or a related field

Course materials

See syllabus.