Part 8/10:
While the German economy experienced growth and the reduction of unemployment in the short term, the fruits of this growth were not equitably distributed. Wages stagnated, working conditions deteriorated, and agricultural productivity faltered. These policies also resulted in a rapidly increasing public debt, as the government financed its militarization and expansive public programs without adequate revenue streams.
By 1939, the fiscal burden was noticeably unsustainable, triggering a reliance on loans from large businesses—loans that were essential for financing the ongoing war efforts. The realities of Hitler’s economic policies thus reveal a populist leader who betrayed his early principles laboring under the realities of increasing authoritarianism, cronyism, and economic instability.