Gottfried Feder

Gottfried Feder was a prominent German engineer and economist who played a significant role in shaping the Nazi Party's economic policies, closely collaborating with key figures such as Adolf Hitler, Rudolf Hess, and Joseph Goebbels. His work was heavily influenced by the German Empire's economic struggles and the Treaty of Versailles, which led to widespread hyperinflation in the Weimar Republic. Feder's ideas were also shaped by his interactions with other notable economists and politicians of the time, including Hjalmar Schacht, Walther Funk, and Albert Speer. As a member of the Nazi Party, Feder participated in key events such as the Beer Hall Putsch and the Nuremberg Rally, alongside other prominent party members like Hermann Göring and Joachim von Ribbentrop.

● Early Life and Education

Gottfried Feder was born in Würzburg, Kingdom of Bavaria, to a family of engineers and architects, including his father, Hanns Feder, who was a prominent figure in the Bavarian Army. Feder's early education took place at the Wilhelmsgymnasium (Munich), where he developed a strong interest in mathematics and physics, subjects that would later influence his work as an engineer and economist. He then went on to study at the Technische Universität München, where he earned a degree in civil engineering and was influenced by the works of Friedrich List and Gustav von Schmoller. During his time at the university, Feder was exposed to the ideas of Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels, which would later shape his economic theories and critiques of capitalism.

● Career

Feder began his career as a civil engineer in Munich, working on various projects, including the construction of the Isar River bridge, and collaborating with other notable engineers and architects, such as Theodor Fischer and Paul Bonatz. However, his true passion lay in economics, and he soon became involved in the German National People's Party, where he met other influential figures like Alfred Hugenberg and Franz von Papen. Feder's work as an economist was heavily influenced by the Weimar Republic's economic struggles, including the hyperinflation in the Weimar Republic, and he became a vocal critic of the Treaty of Versailles and its impact on the German economy. He also drew inspiration from the works of John Maynard Keynes and Silvio Gesell, and was familiar with the economic policies of other countries, including the United States under Franklin D. Roosevelt and the Soviet Union under Joseph Stalin.

● Economic Theories

Feder's economic theories were centered around the concept of interest slavery, which he believed was a major contributor to the Weimar Republic's economic woes, and he advocated for the abolition of interest and the establishment of a state-controlled economy. He was also a strong supporter of autarky and believed that Germany should strive to be economically self-sufficient, drawing inspiration from the economic policies of Benito Mussolini's Italy and Francisco Franco's Spain. Feder's ideas were influenced by the physiocrats and the cameralists, and he was familiar with the works of Adam Smith and David Ricardo. He also drew parallels between the economic situations of Germany and other countries, including Austria under Engelbert Dollfuss and Hungary under Miklós Horthy.

● Nazi Party Involvement

Feder joined the Nazi Party in 1919 and quickly became a close associate of Adolf Hitler, who was impressed by Feder's economic theories and his ability to articulate them in a clear and concise manner, as seen in his speeches at the Nuremberg Rally and the Reichstag. Feder played a key role in shaping the party's economic policies, including the 25-point program, which called for the nationalization of key industries and the establishment of a state-controlled economy. He also participated in the Beer Hall Putsch and was a member of the Sturmabteilung, alongside other prominent party members like Ernst Röhm and Gregor Strasser. Feder's involvement with the Nazi Party also brought him into contact with other influential figures, including Heinrich Himmler and Reinhard Heydrich.

● Later Life and Legacy

After the Nazi Party came to power in 1933, Feder was appointed as the Reichskommissar for housing and urban planning, where he worked closely with other prominent architects and urban planners, including Albert Speer and Paul Ludwig Troost. However, he soon fell out of favor with Adolf Hitler and was relegated to a minor role in the Nazi Party. Despite this, Feder continued to work as an economist and engineer, and his ideas remained influential in Nazi Germany, shaping the country's economic policies and urban development, including the construction of the Autobahn and the Reich Chancellery. After the war, Feder's legacy was largely forgotten, but his ideas continue to be studied by historians and economists, including Ian Kershaw and Niall Ferguson, who have written extensively on the Nazi Party and its economic policies. Feder's work also remains relevant in the context of modern economic debates, including the discussion of Brexit and the European Union's economic policies, and has been referenced by prominent economists and politicians, including Angela Merkel and Emmanuel Macron.