thomas e. j. de witt the economics and politics of welfare in the third reich

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1、TheEconomicsandPoliticsofWelfareintheThirdReichTHOMASE.J,DEWITTt"I1HEfunctionandimportanceofwelfareintheindustrialstateisIusuallyinverselyproportionaltothedegreeofcommitmenttoprogressivesocialreform*Thegreatertheconcernofgovern¬mentwithsolvingtheproblemsofecono

2、micdislocationandendemicpoverty,thelesstheneedforwelfareasaneconomicequalizer*Con¬versely,anunwillingnesstoredressthesocioeconomicconsequencesofindustrializationbyallocatinganincreasingshareofthenationalin¬cometosocialservicesforcesaheavydependenceonreliefandre

3、latedfinancialsupportsystems,ifonlytoavoidthepoliticalrepercussionsofpoverty.Welfarepoliciesthereforedeservecloserattentionasusefulbarometersofnationalpriorities*Ananalysisoftheeconomicandpo¬liticalimplicationsofNaziwelfarewillnotshaketheconsensusthatlaborwaslo

4、woncberegimeslistofpriorities,butitwillshedlightonitshandlingofthesensitiveissueoflaborrelationswithinacommandeconomy*Forastateattemptingtoachieveapoliticalbasisforanex¬pansionistforeignpolicy,theimplicationsofwelfareposedaparticularproblem:howtoreapthepolitica

5、lbenefitsofprogressivesocialserviceswhichcouldjustifythenecessarylaborregimentationwithoutaheavycommitmentofpublicrevenues;thatis,howtoshiftthefinancialburdenofanembattledwelfaresystemnoteasilydismantledduringtheeconomiccrisisofthethirties*Inreconcilingconflict

6、ingobjectives,thespokesmenforanewNaziwelfaresystemexperiencedafatesimilartoothersocialreformers*LikeNationalSocialistideologygenerally,welfareideaswererootedinautopianreactiontomodernityandconsequentlywereasdivorcedfromrealityasracialtheory.Initialimplementatio

7、nofwelfarereformsshowedsignsofmoreresolveandconsistencythanwascharacteristicoftheNazisystemasawhole,buteconomicandpoliticalprioritiessoonunder¬minedanyrationalapproach.Voluntarism,oneofthenewthemesun-256Thomas£.J.deWitt257derlyingreforms,gavewayby1936topropagan

8、daandforcewhenprogramsconfrontedsocialantagonismsandclassdivisions.Thedevel¬opmentofsystematicplans,firstdelayedbythedemandsforimmediatepoliticalbenefitsfrompopularwelfaregi