Campaign "work shy Reich"

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As part of the “Arbeitsscheu Reich” campaign in the National Socialist German Reich , more than 10,000 men were deported to concentration camps as so-called antisocials in two waves of arrests in April and June 1938 . During the so-called June Action , around 2,300 Jews were arrested who had received previous convictions for a variety of reasons .

Designations

The designation “Aktion 'Arbeitsscheu Reich'” cannot be proven in the official correspondence that was conducted in connection with the mass arrest. In the Buchenwald concentration camp , the prisoners were initially referred to as the “Labor Compulsory Prisoners Reich” (AZR) and a short time later as the “Arbeitsschue Reich” (ASR). This designation was picked up by Hans Buchheim , adopted by Wolfgang Ayaß for both arrests and has become established.

The term “June Action” for the second wave of arrests, which also included Jews with a criminal record, is contemporary. It is often - but by no means consistently - used, sometimes with the year 1938, when the focus is on the persecution of the Jews.

Action in April 1938

The arrest and deportation of “anti-socials” goes back to the “Fundamental Decree on the Preventive Fight against Crime by the Police” of the Reich Ministry of the Interior of December 14, 1937. This means that preventive detention for so-called professional or habitual criminals has been standardized across the Reich and expanded to include people who would endanger the general public through their “anti-social” behavior. A detention examination was only scheduled for the second year of imprisonment, then annually and after four years by Reichsführer SS and chief of the German police, Heinrich Himmler .

According to Himmler's plan of January 26, 1938, a “one-time, comprehensive and surprising access” to the “work-shy” should take place. These are men of working age who have twice turned down a job offered to them or given up after a short time. The Gestapo was commissioned to carry out this action , and it obtained the necessary information in cooperation with the employment offices .

The execution of the action was planned for March, but was postponed by the connection of Austria . The arrest took place across the country from April 21st to April 30th. Altogether between 1500 and 2000 male “work-shy” men were deported to the Buchenwald concentration camp.

Actions in May and June 1938

Five disabled Jews in Buchenwald, June action , propaganda recording , 1938

The group of people who should be imprisoned in the sense of the “preventive fight against crime” was not limited to the “work-shy”, but was much broader. An executive guideline of the criminal police from April 1938 defines as "anti-social" a person who shows through behavior contrary to the community or minor but repeated violations of the law that they do not want to fit into the community and want to submit to the "natural order" of a National Socialist state. These were vagrants, beggars, prostitutes, gypsies and alcoholics. People with untreated sexually transmitted diseases were also included.

Jews were also included at Hitler's personal orders. Wolf Gruner quotes Hitler's instruction from the last week of May 1938 in the following notation, namely that "to carry out important earthmoving work throughout the Reich, anti-social and criminal Jews should be arrested." If the order was passed on orally, it was misleading because the meaning was wrong changes decisively through upper or lower case of the word "anti-social". In fact, the Vienna State Police Control Center took the initiative “in a flash” and on May 24, 1938, instructed the District Police Department to “immediately arrest unwanted Jews, especially those with criminal offenses, and transfer them to the Dachau concentration camp .” June, comprised approximately 1200 Jews and are referred to by Wolf Gruner as the “Austrian special campaign”.

Only with the next transports were predominantly "anti-social" people abducted. The measure, which was generally applicable and implemented in the Reich, only affected Jews whose criminal records contained criminal records of more than four weeks. During this wave of arrests, also referred to in the literature as the June Action , more than 9,000 men were arrested by the criminal police between June 13 and 18, 1938.

During the “June Action”, around 2,300 people were arrested, a disproportionately high number of Jews. Her previous convictions did not go back to "normal delinquency" alone, but were often based on prosecution-specific offenses such as foreign exchange offenses or were based on marginal offenses such as traffic violations. The Dachau concentration camp 211 Jewish prisoners were taken. 1,256 Jewish men were sent to Buchenwald concentration camp and 824 to Sachsenhausen concentration camp , where they were subjected to brutal harassment.

classification

At the latest with these actions, the focus of had security police activity from fighting political opponents on the rejection of " antisocial shifts," which tended to socially harmful conduct supposedly due to hereditary predisposition. Heydrich justified the action in a quick letter to the criminal police headquarters: It should not be tolerated that asocial people evade work and thus sabotage the four-year plan . According to Wolfgang Ayaß, it was not the alleged danger of the individual “anti-social” but his ability to work that was the decisive criterion for arrest. In many concentration camps, the group of inmates marked with a black triangle , the “anti-social”, formed the majority until the beginning of the war . Martin Broszat points out that at this time the SS's own building material production began in and near concentration camps and that larger numbers of prisoners were required for this. More important than the work performance of these imprisoned “work shy” is likely to have been the deterrent effect on other “work loafers”.

The “June Action” was also the first self-directed action by the security police in which a large number of German Jews were deported to concentration camps. Their inclusion in the June action goes back to Hitler's personal order, which led to an instruction of June 1, 1938. Christian Dirks points to a connection with anti-Semitic attacks in Berlin, which - beginning in May - accumulated from June 13 to 16, 1938 and culminated in calls for boycotts, the marking of Jewish shops, raids in cafes and arrests. Christian Faludi also sees a connection between the “Radau anti-Semitic street riots” staged by Joseph Goebbels and Wolf-Heinrich von Helldorff in Berlin and the competing efforts for a “nationwide centralized 'solution'” by Reinhard Heydrich's and Heinrich Himmler's secret service apparatus .

Based on the occupancy figures, Wolfgang Ayass refutes the widespread claim that the majority of those imprisoned as part of the “Arbeitsscheu Reich” campaign were released in 1939 during the amnesty on the occasion of Hitler's 50th birthday . Comparable mass arrests were not repeated; however, until 1945 “anti-social” and “work-shy” were continuously admitted to the concentration camps. In 1943, Himmler himself estimated the total number of “anti-social”, “professional criminals” and people in preventive detention at around 70,000 people.

Julia Hörath points out that, soon after the seizure of power , the “General Racial Prevention” was carried out in an interplay between local and central authorities and was by no means exclusively controlled centrally by the SS and Gestapo leadership.

Similar actions of the transfer of prisoners of justice to the SS camp system took place during the war, see the main article : Extermination through work .

literature

  • Wolfgang Ayaß : “A requirement of national work discipline”. The “Aktion Arbeitsscheu Reich” 1938. In: Contributions to National Socialist health and social policy. Vol. 6, Berlin 1988, pp. 43-74.
  • Wolfgang Ayaß: "Asocial" in National Socialism. Klett-Cotta, Stuttgart 1995, ISBN 3-608-91704-7 .
  • Wolfgang Ayaß: "Community strangers". Sources on the persecution of “anti-social” 1933–1945 , Koblenz 1998. Digitized
  • Christian Dierks: The 'June Action' 1938 in Berlin. In: Beate Meyer, Hermann Simon : Jews in Berlin 1938–1945. (Accompanying volume to the exhibition of the same name in the foundation “New Synagogue Berlin - Centrum Judaicum”), Berlin 2000, ISBN 3-8257-0168-9 .
  • Jens Kolata: Between social discipline and “racial hygiene”. The persecution of “anti-social”, “work-shy”, “swing youth” and Sinti. In: Ingrid Bauz, Sigrid Brüggemann, Roland Maier (eds.): The Secret State Police in Württemberg and Hohenzollern. Stuttgart 2013, ISBN 3-89657-138-9 , pp. 321–337 (not viewed).
  • Stefanie Schüler-Springorum : mass admissions to concentration camps. "Arbeitsschaf Reich" campaign, November pogrom, "Thunderstorm" campaign. In: Wolfgang Benz , Barbara Distel (eds.): The place of terror . History of the National Socialist Concentration Camps. Volume 1: The Organization of Terror. CH Beck, Munich 2005, ISBN 3-406-52961-5 , pp. 156-164.
  • Christian Faludi (Ed.): The “June Action” 1938. A documentation on the radicalization of the persecution of Jews. Campus, Frankfurt a. M./New York 2013, ISBN 978-3-593-39823-5 .

Web links

Commons : “Arbeitsscheu Reich” campaign  - collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. Wolfgang Ayaß: "Asocial" in National Socialism. Klett-Cotta, Stuttgart 1995, ISBN 3-608-91704-7 , p. 165.
  2. Hans-Dieter Schmid: The action 'Arbeitsscheu Reich' 1938. In: Herbert Diercks (Red.): Ausgänket. 'Asocial and criminal' in the National Socialist camp system , Bremen 2009, ISBN 978-3-8378-4005-6 , p. 33.
  3. z. B. Heydrich's decree to the criminal police headquarters of June 18, 1940, printed by Wolfgang Ayaß, “Community strangers ”. Sources on the persecution of "anti-social" , Koblenz 1998, no. 102.
  4. The keyword is missing in Wolfgang Benz et al. (Ed.): Enzyklopädie des Nationalozialismus. Munich 1997, ISBN 3-423-33007-4 and Israel Gutman et al. (Ed.): Enzyklopädie des Holocaust. Munich and Zurich 1995, ISBN 3-492-22700-7 .; there in vol. IV, p. 1679 mentioned under the date as "anti-social action".
  5. Wolfgang Ayaß: "Asocial" in National Socialism. Klett-Cotta, Stuttgart 1995, ISBN 3-608-91704-7 , p. 139.
  6. Christian Faludi (Ed.): The "June Action" 1938. A documentation on the radicalization of the persecution of Jews. Campus, Frankfurt a. M. / New York 2013, ISBN 978-3-593-39823-5 , p. 34.
  7. Stefanie Schüler-Springorum: mass admissions to concentration camps. "Arbeitsschaf Reich" campaign, November pogrom, "Thunderstorm" campaign. In: Wolfgang Benz , Barbara Distel (eds.): The place of terror. History of the National Socialist Concentration Camps. Munich 2005, Volume 1, p. 158.
  8. Quoted from Wolfgang Ayaß: "Asoziale" in National Socialism. Klett-Cotta, Stuttgart 1995, ISBN 3-608-91704-7 , p. 147/148.
  9. a b c d Stefanie Schüler-Springorum: Mass admissions to concentration camps… In: Wolfgang Benz, Barbara Distel (Ed.): Der Ort des Terrors… Munich 2005, vol. 1, p. 159.
  10. Wolf Gruner: Forced Labor and Persecution - Austrian Jews in the Nazi State 1938–1945, Innsbruck a. a. 2000, ISBN 3-7065-1396-X , p. 33.
  11. Quoted from Wolf Gruner: Forced Labor and Persecution… Innsbruck a. a. 2000, ISBN 3-7065-1396-X , p. 34.
  12. Stefanie Schüler-Springorum: mass admissions to concentration camps .... In: Wolfgang Benz, Barbara Distel (ed.): Der Ort des Terrors ... Munich 2005, vol. 1, p. 156 / exact number 9497 given by Hans- Dieter Schmid: The 'Arbeitsscheu Reich' campaign in 1938. In: Herbert Diercks (Red.): Excluded. 'Asocial and criminal' in the National Socialist camp system , Bremen 2009, ISBN 978-3-8378-4005-6 , p. 36.
  13. The persecution and murder of European Jews by National Socialist Germany 1933-1945 (source collection) Volume 2: German Reich 1938 - August 1939 (edited by Susanne Heim), Munich 2009, ISBN 978-3-486-58523-0 , p 188.
  14. Hans-Dieter Schmid: The action 'Arbeitsscheu Reich' 1938. In: Herbert Diercks (Red.): Ausgänket. 'Asocials and Criminals' in the National Socialist Camp System , Bremen 2009, ISBN 978-3-8378-4005-6 , p. 37.
  15. Ulrich Herbert: From fighting opponents to "racial general prevention". In: Ulrich Herbert et al. (Ed.): The National Socialist Concentration Camps. Frankfurt / M. 2002, ISBN 3-596-15516-9 , Vol. 1, p. 81.
  16. Document VEJ 2/39 = The persecution and murder of the European Jews by National Socialist Germany 1933-1945 (source collection) Volume 2: German Reich 1938 - August 1939 (edited by Susanne Heim), Munich 2009, ISBN 978-3-486 -58523-0 , pp. 160f.
  17. ^ Quoted from Wolfgang Ayaß: "Asoziale" in National Socialism. Stuttgart 1995, ISBN 3-608-91704-7 , p. 149.
  18. Martin Broszat: National Socialist Concentration Camp 1933-1945. In: Anatomy of the SS State. Munich 1967, Vol. 2, p. 77.
  19. Wolfgang Ayaß: "Asocial" in National Socialism. Stuttgart 1995, ISBN 3-608-91704-7 , p. 164.
  20. ^ Christian Dierks: The 'June Action' 1938 in Berlin. In: Beate Meyer, Hermann Simon: Jews in Berlin 1938 - 1945. (Accompanying volume to the exhibition of the same name in the foundation “New Synagogue Berlin - Centrum Judaicum”) Berlin 2000, p. 34.
  21. ^ Document 33 by Christian Faludi (ed.): The "June Action" 1938. A documentation on the radicalization of the persecution of Jews . Campus, Frankfurt a. M./New York 2013, ISBN 978-3-593-39823-5 , p. 201.
  22. ^ Christian Dierks: The 'June Action' 1938 in Berlin. In: Beate Meyer, Hermann Simon: Jews in Berlin 1938 - 1945 , Berlin 2000, pp. 34–41 / Saul Friedländer : The Third Reich and the Jews: Vol. 1., The years of persecution: 1933–1939 , through. Special edition Munich 2007, ISBN 978-3-406-56681-3 , pp. 282–284.
  23. Christian Faludi (Ed.): The "June Action" 1938. A documentation on the radicalization of the persecution of Jews. Campus, Frankfurt a. M./New York 2013, ISBN 978-3-593-39823-5 , p. 9.
  24. Wolfgang Ayaß: "Asocial" in National Socialism. Stuttgart 1995, ISBN 3-608-91704-7 , pp. 170-172.
  25. Wolfgang Ayaß: "Asocial" in National Socialism. Stuttgart 1995, ISBN 3-608-91704-7 , p. 172.
  26. Julia Hörath: Terror instrument of the "Volksgemeinschaft". Concentration camp imprisonment for “anti-social” and “professional criminals” from 1933 to 1937/38. In: Zeitschrift für Geschichtswwissenschaft 60, 2012, no. 6., p. 532.