Paper 3, Option 37.2: Germany, 1871–1990: united, divided and reunited - 2 Economic change in Germany and West Germany — Edexcel A-Level History
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Paper 3, Option 37.2: Germany, 1871–1990: united, divided and reunited - 2 Economic change in Germany and West Germany explained
Paper 3, Option 37.2: Germany, 1871–1990: united, divided and reunited - 2 Economic change in Germany and West Germany covers 2 specification points, including The slump in agricultural prices in the 1920s,… and The introduction of protection 1879, the….
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Strength in manufacturing and agriculture's slow decline, 1871–1990; the reasons for nineteenth-century industrial growth; change in the twentieth century (key developments: the slump in agricultural prices in the 1920s, mass unemployment from 1930 to 32, the post-war 'economic miracle’).
Study German economic change from 1871 to 1990, focusing on manufacturing strength and agriculture's slow decline. Nineteenth-century industrial growth rested on coal, iron and steel, railways, banking, a growing workforce and state support after unification. In the twentieth century, the slump in agricultural prices in the 1920s hurt farmers, while mass unemployment from 1930 to 32 exposed the fragility of the economy. The post-war 'economic miracle' restored manufacturing strength and raised living standards, though agriculture continued to shrink. Assess reasons for growth, the impact of crises and the balance between industry and agriculture across the period.
The role of government policies in economic change, 1871– 1990 (key developments: the introduction of protection 1879, the building of a large navy from 1898 to 1914, the impact of Nazi policies, the impact of Marshall Aid, the impact of membership of the European Community and the Common Agricultural Policy post-1956).
Government policy shaped German economic change from 1871 to 1990. Bismarck's 1879 protection tariffs sheltered grain and industry, tying Junker and industrial interests to the state. From 1898 to 1914, naval expansion under Tirpitz absorbed steel and shipbuilding capacity, straining finances. Nazi policies from 1933 used rearmament, public works and autarky to cut unemployment, but distorted the economy towards war. After 1945, Marshall Aid supplied capital that underpinned West German recovery. Post-1956, European Community membership (from 1957) and the Common Agricultural Policy (from 1962) integrated farming into a protected market, with price supports and structural funds. Assess each policy by its economic effect and limits.
Your focus
- Describe the reasons for nineteenth-century German industrial growth and the slow decline of agriculture.
- Explain the impact of the 1920s agricultural price slump, mass unemployment from 1930 to 32 and the post-war 'economic miracle'.
- Evaluate the relative importance of manufacturing strength and agricultural decline in Germany's economic change from 1871 to 1990.
Show all 6 objectives
- Describe the economic aims and mechanisms of each named government policy from 1879 to 1990.
- Explain how each policy affected German and West German economic change, using specific evidence.
- Evaluate the relative importance of government policies compared with other economic factors.
Paper 3, Option 37.2: Germany, 1871–1990: united, divided and reunited - 2 Economic change in Germany and West Germany exam tips
Marking Points
- Explains nineteenth-century industrial growth through coal, iron and steel, railway expansion, banking, a growing workforce and state support after unification.
- Analyses agriculture's slow decline, including competition, mechanisation and rural-to-urban migration across the period.
- Explains the slump in agricultural prices in the 1920s and its effects on farmers and rural communities.
- Assesses mass unemployment from 1930 to 32 as evidence of economic fragility and its social and political consequences.
- Evaluates the post-war 'economic miracle' as a revival of manufacturing strength and rising living standards, while noting agriculture's continued relative decline.
- Explains that the 1879 protection tariffs sheltered domestic grain and heavy industry, linking agrarian and industrial elites to the state.
- Explains that naval building from 1898 to 1914 stimulated steel, shipyards and engineering but raised state debt and diplomatic tension.
- Explains that Nazi policies cut unemployment through rearmament, public works and autarky, while directing output towards war preparation.
- Explains that Marshall Aid provided capital, fuel and raw materials that supported West German industrial recovery after 1945.
- Explains that EC membership and the CAP post-1956 protected agriculture through price supports and structural funding, with mixed effects on consumers and efficiency.
- Judges the relative weight of each policy and links it to continuity or change in the German economy across the period.
Examiner Tips
- 💡Link each economic development to a named period or event from the specification to show chronological control.
- 💡Use quantitative or sectoral evidence carefully, for example employment shares or output trends, without inventing precise figures.
- 💡Compare manufacturing strength with agriculture's decline to address both parts of the statement.
- 💡Anchor each policy to a date and a measurable economic effect, such as tariff levels, naval tonnage or aid totals.
- 💡Compare policies across time to show change and continuity rather than listing them separately.
Common Mistakes
- Treating industrial growth as automatic after 1871; correction: identify specific factors such as coal, railways, banking and state policy that enabled it.
- Confusing the 1920s agricultural price slump with the later mass unemployment of 1930 to 32; correction: separate the two crises in time and cause.
- Assuming the post-war 'economic miracle' benefited all sectors equally; correction: recognise that agriculture continued to decline relative to manufacturing and services.
- Treating the 1879 tariffs as purely agricultural: correct by noting they also protected heavy industry and forged a coalition of rye and iron.
- Assuming Marshall Aid alone caused the West German economic miracle: correct by weighing currency reform, the social market economy and existing industrial capacity alongside aid.
- Dating the start of the EEC and CAP to 1956: correct by noting the specification period is post-1956, but the Treaty of Rome was 1957 and CAP began in 1962.