The state of German fiscal policy during the Great Depression is investigated using the concept of the high employment budget. Fiscal policies followed by pre-Nazi governments, even those in office during 1932, were found to have been consistently restrictive. Only after Hitler assumed power in early 1933 did fiscal policy move toward expansion, almost totally through increases in government expenditures. In contrast to the United States and Britain, fiscal policies undertaken by the Nazis helped to promote a quick and complete economic recovery from the Great Depression in Germany.