Study this source carefully. Source C The chart below shows official unemployment figures in Germany from 1933 to 1939. From German government statistics, a...

Understanding the question type: 'How far does this source prove...?' asks you to evaluate the evidence provided by the source in support of a specific claim. You must use source details, identify what the source shows, and then use your own knowledge to test its reliability and completeness.

What the source shows: The chart presents official German unemployment figures from January 1933 to January 1939. The data shows a dramatic and consistent decline:

• January 1933: 6 million unemployed
• January 1934: 3.8 million
• January 1935: 2.9 million
• January 1936: 2.5 million
• January 1937: 1.9 million
• January 1938: 1.1 million
• January 1939: 0.3 million (300,000)

This represents a 95% reduction in registered unemployment over six years, a steady year-on-year decline with no setbacks. On the surface, this appears to be strong evidence of successful economic policy.

How the source supports the claim of success: The fall from 6 million to 300,000 is striking. It was achieved through a combination of policies: major public works projects (the Autobahn programme directly employed approximately 125,000 workers), massive rearmament (military spending rose from 1.9 billion Reichsmarks in 1933 to 32.3 billion in 1939), the Reich Labour Service (compulsory for young men from 1935), and the reintroduction of conscription (March 1935). The 'Strength Through Joy' programme and the 'Beauty of Labour' campaign also improved working conditions. These policies addressed the economic crisis that had helped bring the Nazis to power.

Limitations - why the source does not fully prove success:

• The statistics are misleading: These are 'registered' unemployed figures published by the Nazi government, which had strong propaganda reasons to present economic improvement. Several groups were removed from the unemployment register without gaining real employment:
  • Jews were progressively excluded from the workforce and the unemployment register after 1933.
  • Women were encouraged to leave employment (through marriage loans and propaganda about their 'natural role' as mothers), reducing the labour pool rather than creating jobs.
  • Conscripted soldiers were not counted as unemployed.
  • Workers in the compulsory Reich Labour Service were also excluded from unemployment statistics.
• Quality of employment: The source shows job numbers but not wages or conditions. Workers' real wages remained below 1929 levels until 1937. Workers lost the right to strike, to change jobs freely (under the 1934 Labour Front regulations), and to bargain collectively. The German Labour Front replaced independent trade unions.
• Unsustainable model: The economic recovery was built on military spending financed partly through Mefo bills, a form of hidden government borrowing that disguised the true scale of debt. By 1939, Germany faced a balance-of-payments crisis and labour shortages in some sectors. The economy was being driven towards war, not sustainable growth.
• Source origin: The data comes from German government statistics, recorded in a 1955 post-war study. While the 1955 study likely tried to be objective, the underlying figures were produced by a regime that had every incentive to manipulate them.

Mark scheme breakdown:

• Level 1 [1-2 marks]: Simple comments such as 'Yes, it proves success because unemployment went down.'
• Level 2 [3-5 marks]: Uses source data to evaluate the claim. Notes the dramatic decline from 6 million to 300,000 and may mention specific policies (Autobahn, rearmament) but does not address limitations of the statistics.
• Level 3 [6-8 marks]: Balanced evaluation using source data and own knowledge. Acknowledges the impressive headline figures while explaining how the statistics were manipulated (exclusion of Jews, women, conscripts, Labour Service workers). Considers whether 'success' should be measured by more than unemployment numbers (wages, freedom, sustainability). Reaches a supported judgement about how far the source 'proves' success.

Exam tip: When evaluating government statistics as evidence, always ask: who produced these figures, what was their motivation, and who might be missing from the data? Official statistics from authoritarian regimes require particular scrutiny because the government controls both the data and the criteria for measurement.