Explain the similarities and differences in the economies of the USSR and Nazi Germany in the 1930s.

Damian Thomson AS History Both Hitlers Fascist Germany and Stalins Communist were in theory ideologically and later geo-politically opposed however at the beginning of the 1930s both faced similar issues with the inefficiencies of their own economies. Both dictatorships were faced with the task of reforming the structure economic structures of their countries and maximizing the potentials of their large populations. Their key differences relate to their ideological attitude to their economies running. One of the most important factors in determining the similarities of the two economies is noting that they were both Dictatorships and thus, all decisions would be made without the consultation and debate of the nations full economic opinion. This shows that both countries would pragmatically work towards the goals they set for themselves. Central direction was vital to their economic plans and their ideologies linking to the nationalism and fraternalism both Stalin and Hitler envisioned for their countries. Linking to the authoritarian nature of each nations rule, Hitler and Stalin set out 4 and 5 year plans for economic development. Both nations had progressed previously with industrialization to a certain degree, but due to the abundance in natural resources each country possessed, the leaders felt that in order to modernize and compete economically with the United States and Britain, both would have to utilize their populations to a greater extent.