The Vampire Economy

GLOSSARY

Amt fuer Deutsche Roh- und Werkstoffe—Office for German Raw and Work Materials; one of the bureaus of the Ministry of Economics, in control of production and distribution of raw materials produced in Germany.

Arbeitsfront—Labor Front; State-administered organization of employers and employees.

Aski Mark—Aski is an abbreviation for “Auslaender-Sonderkonto fuer Inlands-Zahlungen,” meaning “Foreigners Special Account for Internal Payments.” The term is used to designate marks received from exports to Germany which the foreign seller must spend in Germany, at a specified rate of exchange, in payment for purchases made there.

Aufsichtsrat—Supervisory Board; controlling body of a corporation, elected by the stockholders’ meeting. It has no counterpart in American or British corporations, but its function is similar to that of the Board of Directors.

Betriebsfuehrer—Factory Leader or manager, who is responsible to the State for labor relations and production and whose orders must be followed by the employees of the firm (see “Gefolgschaft”).

Erbhofbauer—Owner of a hereditary farm that cannot be mortgaged and will always be inherited by the oldest son, excluding all other children.

Dego-Mark—Dego marks are issued by the German Gold Discount Bank and offered to foreign travelers to Germany at a discount (about 50 per cent). According to the Standstill Agreement, foreign currency derived from the sale of Dego mark is shared by the Gold Discount Bank and foreign creditors.

Deutsche Golddiscont-Bank—German Gold-Discount Bank, a subsidiary banking institute of the Reichsbank, used for financial transactions which the Reichsbank cannot or does not want to execute.

Gefolgschaft—“Followers,” employees who under Nazi rule have to “follow” orders of the boss (see Betriebsfuehrer).

Gesellschaftsgesetz—Corporation Law, to ensure the “independent” authority and initiative on the part of the managing directors in corporations.

Gestapo—Abbreviation for Geheime Staats-Polizei, Secret State Police.

Gruppe—Group, new Nazi term for a trade which is organized by the Government. This term largely corresponds to the Fascist term “Corporation” in Italy.

Kommissar—Commissar, a term applied by the Nazi Government to State-appointed “Leaders” in industry and trade.

Kommission fuer Wirtschaftspolitik—Commission for Economic Policy, economic advisory and research department of the N.S.D.A.P.

Kraft Durch Freude—“Strength Through Joy,” subsidiary of the Labor Front, organizing recreation for employees, especially cheap trips during vacation.

Kriegswirtschaftsrat—War Economic Council, subdivision of the General Staff, supervising and directing national preparations for a wartime economy; supreme authority in economic affairs during wartime.

Marktvereinigung— Marketing Board, administration in control of production, sales and prices of various articles.

Neuer Plan—New Plan, Schacht’s decree of September 21, 1934 (put in force on September 24, 1934), establishing a system of control boards for imports of all categories of goods.

Preisstop-Verordnung—Price Stop Decree of November 26, 1936, prohibiting any price increase of commodities and services above the level of October 18, 1936.

Protektorat—Protectorate, a foreign country or colony under control of an imperialist “mother country.” “Protectorates” of the Reich: Bohemia and Moravia.

Reichsautobahn—Reich Auto Highway, 5,000 kilometers of strategically important automobile roads (only in part completed), financed by the Government.

Reichsdevisenamt—-Reich Foreign Exchange Board, issuing certificates to business firms and individuals entitling them to purchase a certain amount of foreign exchange or to fulfill a financial obligation abroad.

Reichsgetreideamt—Reich Grain Board, which alone is entitled to import grain and which is in control of grain prices in Germany.

Reichsnaehrstand—Reich Nutrition Estate, State organization of all agrarian producers, manufacturers of, and traders in, agrarian foodstuffs, in control of production and prices of most foodstuffs.

Reichsstand des Deutschen Handwerks—-Reich Estate of German Handicrafts, State administered organization of all artisan groups, with a State appointed leadership. The independent artisan guilds were dissolved in 1934.

Reichsstatthalter—Special Appointee of the Reich Government, functioning instead of the constitutional president of a state or of a Protectorate.

Reichswirtschaftskammer—Reich Economic Chamber, central organization of German industry, commerce, handicraft, banking and insurance firms, under Government control according to the law of February 27, 1934, and the decree of July 7, 1936.

Selbsthilfe-Aktion Deutscher Industrie—Self-Help Action of German Industry, fund raised by a special tax on all German manufacturers, spent for subsidizing exports. This fund is also subsidized by the Government.

Sperr-Mark—“Blocked mark,” a mark “blocked” in Germany because it may be spent only for certain specific payments inside Germany.

Stand—Estate, a social class or caste, meaning, under the Nazis, any professional organization.

Stillhalte-Abkommen—Standstill Agreement between the Reichsbank and representatives of foreign creditors about repayment of German short-term credits or recommercialization of foreign credits.

Treuhaender der Arbeit—Labor Trustees, Government appointed, for the supervision of relations between labor and industry in specific districts, authorized to regulate labor conditions.

Ueberwachungsausschuss—Supervisory Board, executive of a State Administration for the control and distribution of scarce raw materials.

Verrechnungsmark—Clearance mark, derived from clearance agreements between the German and foreign governments. Exports to Germany from a country which has a clearance agreement create clearance mark deposits which are used by the corresponding Government for payments of imports from Germany at a fixed rate of exchange.

Vertrauensrat—Council of Trusted Men, employees appointed by the manager (factory leader) in agreement with the Nazi Party Cell. The official function of the Council is to assist the factory leader in the creation of a “Work Community” (Labor Code of January 20, 1934).

Vierjahresplan—Four-Year Plan, at first announced at the Congress of the N.S.D.A.P. in September, 1936, is to make Germany independent of imported raw materials within a period of four years. A plan of new investments and protective measures for new industries worked out by a special commission at the Ministry of Economics, under the leadership of Goering (Special Appointee for the Execution of the Four-Year Plan).

Wehrwirtschaft—Defense Economy, an economy preparing for war.

Wehrwirtschaftsfuehrer—Leader of Defense Economy, Army officer especially trained in industrial management under a wartime economy, supervising industries, concerns and trusts of special importance for armaments.

Werkschar—Work Guard, organization of especially “reliable” workers militarily trained and willing to safeguard the works in emergency situations during strikes and civil war. The Work Guard has lost in importance because of the scarcity of “reliable” workers.

Winterhilfe—Winter Help, State organization for the support of those who are “in need,” financed by “voluntary contributions” (often compulsory) of employers and employees.

Wirtschaftskammer—Chamber of Business, regional compulsory organization of all firms and businessmen—previously Chamber of Industry and Commerce.