Program Overview

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Course Overview

Course Description

The course "Guns, Butter and Forced Labour. The Economic Foundations of Nazi Dictatorship" (HIST3445) analyzes Nazi economic policy in a historical perspective, with a special emphasis on recent debates in the literature. Questions to be addressed include the causes of the significant reduction of German unemployment during the first years of the Nazi rule, the transformation of the German economy from a peace to a war economy, and the exploitation of occupied Europe.

Course Details

Course Content

In this course, students will examine the economic foundations of the Nazi dictatorship, including the reduction of unemployment, the transformation of the German economy, and the exploitation of occupied Europe.

Learning Outcome

A candidate who passes this course is expected to have the following learning outcomes:

• Knowledge: The candidate will acquire an advanced knowledge about Nazi economic policy, a thorough understanding of how the Nazis managed to transform the German economy, and detailed insight into the historiography of this period.
• Skills: The candidate will be able to critically interrogate concepts, theoretical assumptions, and established perspectives of the field, and write an extended independent, well-structured analytical essay/paper using relevant empirical knowledge and theoretical perspectives.

Learning Methods and Activities

The course includes lectures, and the obligatory activity from a previous semester can be approved by the department.

Compulsory Assignments

• Compulsory paper

Further on Evaluation

Each student who wants to take exams in this course shall write a paper about a specific research article in the field, describing the questions addressed in this article, the methods applied, and the sources used.

Recommended Previous Knowledge

History or economics or political science

Required Previous Knowledge

BA in history or equivalent

Course Materials

See curriculum published at the start of the semester, and other materials (reading and lecture lists and other relevant information) published on the course platform.

Subject Areas

• History

Examination

Examination Arrangement

Examination arrangement: School exam Grade: Letter grades

Ordinary Examination - Autumn 2025

• School exam
  • Weighting: 100/100
  • Date: Autumn 2025
  • Time: 09:00
  • Duration: 6 hours
  • Exam system: Inspera Assessment

Ordinary Examination - Spring 2026

• School exam
  • Weighting: 100/100
  • Date: Spring 2026
  • Time: 09:00
  • Duration: 6 hours
  • Exam system: Inspera Assessment

Course Information

Credits

7.5

Level

Second degree level

Course Start

Spring 2026

Duration

1 semester

Language of Instruction

English

Location

Trondheim