Leisure in Nazi Germany

Leisure in Nazi Germany By George Lynch 10G

Outline • Hitler wanted to control every part of peoples lives. • This included their free time. • This meant Hitler set up an organisation called ‘Strength through Joy’ (Kraft Durch Freude KDF). • The KDF had the job of organising leisure activities for the German people.

The KDF Plan • Hitler made a man called Dr. Robert Ley in charge of the KDF. • He calculated that there were 8,760 hours in a year. About one third of there time was taken up by sleeping and a quarter of their lives working. • This left 3,740 hours of leisure for Ley to organise for every citizen.

Dr. Robert Ley • He was one of the leading Nazi politicians. • He was the head of the German labour front (1933-1945) and the KDF. • He was later charged with war crimes in 1945 and, four days after receiving the indictment, Ley strangled himself in his cell, using a noose made by tearing a towel into strips, fastened to the toilet pipe in his cell.

KDF Trips • The biggest programme Robert Ley divised was to provide workers with cheap holidays- only to the most hardworking and faithful Nazi’s. • He had two 25,000 liners built to escort the workers to places like the Canary Islands. • This would only cost about 62 marks- two weeks of the workers earnings.

KDF Trips - Continued • For the men who did not deserve a place on the cruise ship in the Nazi’s eyes, they were offered for 28 marks, a walking holiday in the mountains. • And if they were lucky, in the Winter, 28 marks for a Skiing holiday in Bavaria (This included accommodation, equipment etc.)

KDF Trips - Continued • For the richest and most faithful Nazi’s, trips like two weeks in Switzerland were offered. • Also a full tour of Italy was offered for 155 marks for the most wealthy Nazi workers.

KDF Entertainment • Not only did the Nazi’s organise the peoples holidays, they also controlled most forms of entertainment. • 7 million took part in sports matches and for those who weren't into such things, outings the theatre and opera were organised.

KDF’s Transport Planning • The KDF also planned to equip German workers with cheap cars. • Hitler wanted them to be ‘peoples cars’ so that everyone could afford them. • Hitler contacted the Austrian engineer Ferdinand Porsche to make a VW • Hitler said ‘ it should look like a beetle’

More About KDF’s Transport Planning • The price was set at 990 marks and Doctor Ley started a scheme to make step by step payments to make buying a car even easier. • It ended up that the whole scheme was a swindle by the Nazi’s. • No German received a VW. • This was because, in 1939 the factory turned into a weapons factory to support the war effort

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