Arbeit macht frei

== German == === Etymology === Literally, “Work makes [you] free”. The phrase has been used since at least the mid-19th century, appearing for example in the 1845 book Geld und Geist (“Money and spirit”) by German economist Heinrich Beta. The decision to put it up over concentration camp gates has been attributed (e.g. by Harold Marcuse) to Theodor Eicke, a pioneering organizer of the Nazi camp system. It may have originally served no other purpose than to suggest to the inmates that by obedience and hard labour they could regain their freedom. (Releases did occur fairly regularly, although the criteria for them were highly arbitrary.) On the other hand, Eicke may already have intended it as a sarcastic taunt. This aspect is obvious at any rate in the later use at death camps like Auschwitz. === Pronunciation === IPA(key): /ˈaʁbaɪ̯t maxt ˈfʁaɪ̯/ === Proverb === Arbeit macht frei work brings freedom; those who work thereby liberate themselves ==== Usage notes ==== It is general knowledge in the German-speaking countries that the National Socialists set this phrase over the gates of several major concentration camps. All contemporary use of the phrase alludes to this in some or other way. In certain contexts, such use may be punishable. ==== Related terms ==== Melden macht frei jedem das Seine