Skip to main content Accessibility help
×
Hostname: page-component-cc8bf7c57-ksm4s Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-10T13:11:20.592Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

1 - Introduction: some perspectives

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  05 June 2012

R. J. Overy
Affiliation:
King's College London
Get access

Summary

The story of the German economy between 1929 and 1938 is a critical one in the history of modern Germany. Historians and economists still debate the issues of the depression in the hope of showing that different economic policies might have stopped Hitler. The economic recovery that followed raised then, and since, important questions about the relationship between state and economy, questions that have come more clearly into focus with renewed emphasis in recent years on markets rather than state initiative in the developed economies. More controversially, the economic recovery stands at the centre of any ‘positive’ view of the Third Reich. If there is still disagreement about how the Nazi economy should be interpreted, there is a general consensus that recovery did occur at a faster rate and to a higher level than almost anywhere else in Europe. Since a central feature of the revival was the regime's willingness to undertake schemes of deficit financing, the myth has taken root that Hitler was a Keynesian before Keynes, and being so won widespread support inside Germany in the years of peace and returning prosperity.

While there is some truth in this picture, it is in general misleading. The economic recovery must be placed in a wider perspective. Indeed the very term ‘recovery’ is in some sense ambiguous. The German economy was relatively stagnant in the inter-war years.

Type
Chapter
Information
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 1996

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

Save book to Kindle

To save this book to your Kindle, first ensure no-reply@cambridge.org is added to your Approved Personal Document E-mail List under your Personal Document Settings on the Manage Your Content and Devices page of your Amazon account. Then enter the ‘name’ part of your Kindle email address below. Find out more about saving to your Kindle.

Note you can select to save to either the @free.kindle.com or @kindle.com variations. ‘@free.kindle.com’ emails are free but can only be saved to your device when it is connected to wi-fi. ‘@kindle.com’ emails can be delivered even when you are not connected to wi-fi, but note that service fees apply.

Find out more about the Kindle Personal Document Service.

Available formats
×

Save book to Dropbox

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Dropbox.

Available formats
×

Save book to Google Drive

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Google Drive.

Available formats
×