 However, it was in his memorandum of 1936 that Hitler made it clear he expected war to be imminent.He argued that the German economy “must be fit for war within four years.” Autarky was to be pursued more aggressively, and the German people would have to begin making sacrifices in their consumption habits in order to enable food supplies and raw materials to be diverted towards military uses.Despite Nazi propaganda frequently depicting German families as well-dressed and driving new Volkswagen cars, consumption stagnated in the pre-war economy, with few people being able to afford cars.