Individual Consumers and Consumption in Nazi Germany

This chapter is an introduction to some of the key concerns surrounding consumer culture in Nazi Germany. Structured chronologically, it examines the Volksprodukte (‘People's Products’) and Strength through Joy tourism opportunities supported by the regime. It also discusses the goals of the private consumer goods sector during the early years of the dictatorship and during the Four Year Plan and war. Developments in advertising and market research, as well as rationing, are introduced. Ultimately, the essay argues that in general the enticements to ‘Aryan’ Germans to consume reflected trends begun during the Weimar Republic and seen elsewhere in Europe. It also maintains that despite calls for a national community or Volksgemeinschaft, class difference continued to shape individuals’ identities as consumers and corporate efforts to sell goods and services.