How did the Nazis try to rebuild the German economy after 1933?

The popularity of the Nazis was in a large part due to their promise in their manifesto to rebuild Germany after the shocks of the War and the Great Depression.To achieve this, they limited imports to the country and increased the production of raw materials for industrial facilities. Similarly to the American New Deal initiatives, public constructions started across the country: new German highways (Autobahns) were built. In 1934, the Nazis implemented policies encouraging employers to take on larger numbers of workers. They also introduced wage control to help the workers.The rearmament of Germany – and thereby the (re)creation of a military superpower – has always been in the centre of Hitler’s plans. Therefore, much of the increase in employment was due to the rapidly expanding war industry. While initially, the majority of the workers did not see an increase in their wages, the industrial workers employed in defence industries did have their wages raised. Hitler’s plan was to make the country self-sufficient in raw materials; however, since German resources were limited, the country only managed to get closer to this ideal with the occupation of new territories some years later.Women were often forced to leave their jobs, as part of the attempt to create more jobs for the unemployed working age men; and motivated by the standpoint of the Nazi ideology about the role of women as mothers and housewives. However, many women got compensated by Marriage Loans when they gave up their paid work.Other elements of the Nazi ideology can also be seen from their attitude towards economic improvements. The exclusion of Jews from unemployment figures and the publication of fake statistics by the propaganda agencies are prime examples.The Nazis managed to keep their election promise, and increase the living standards of the average (“ethnic German”) citizen. However, the methods, motivations and policy instruments used to do so are highly questionable from an ethical perspective.