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 ( ) 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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