"Die Kraft der deutschen Erde"

Abstract

The concern among some during the 1932/1933 elections that ‘Hitler means war’ was confirmed when military spending increased considerably under the National Socialist government. Systematic rearmament helped reduce unemployment, but except for the establishment of the Kraftdurch Freude (Strength through Joy) programme, little progress was made in improving Germans’ quality of life despite prominent campaign promises. For the majority of the population nutrition levels and consumption remained poorer than in other developed countries—however, this was not the case with beer. Breweries’ output increased and quality remained high, even in wartime. While the Hauptvereinigung der deutschen Brauwirtschaft, part of the Reichsnährstand (a government body set up in Nazi Germany to regulate food production) located in Berlin-Schöneberg, was striving to lower consumption, the Wirtschaftsgruppe Brauerei, dominated by the brewers, proved to be more assertive. What explains these dynamics between rival groups during the National Socialist era?