WI: No Nazi 'Arbeit Macht Frei'

So while going about my daily routine earlier this thought occurred to me.

Now as we all know the term 'Arbeit macht frei' (Work sets you free) was used as the slogan of several Nazi Concentration and later Extermination camps and as such now has the same stigma in the West and parts of Africa that the Swastika does.

So, What If the phrase was never used by the Nazi's, from a neutral standpoint it sounds like something some of the Communist regimes might use if it were'nt for the history behind it, might we see one or more of the Eastern Bloc countries use the term (translated into their national language(s)) or maybe some other Soviet backed/funded regime elsewhere?
 
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it sounds like something some of the Communist regimes might use if it were'nt for the history behind it, might we see one or more of the Eastern Bloc countries use the term (translated into their national language(s)) or maybe some other Soviet backed/funded regime elsewhere?
actually I remember reading somewhere they had similar sign over the gate into some Gulag camps.
 

Nietzsche

Banned
actually I remember reading somewhere they had similar sign over the gate into some Gulag camps.
...in Russian or German? Because if the latter, that deserves to be in the "Things that look like alternate history but aren't".
 
It was the Weimar republic that made use of the phrase in their policy to take on the unemployment rates. It came originally from a German Philologist called Lorenz Diefenbach, who meant it as a phrase that says criminals won't do evil deeds while they do labour, thus setting them free.

I doubt the Soviets will adopt it if the Nazi's never use it. It will probably fall into forgottenness(if that is a word). Soviets didn't have a whole lot with German Philologists.

I haven't heard Gulags had signs like that. Would like to see a source proving that or better a picture.
 

ingemann

Banned
It was the Weimar republic that made use of the phrase in their policy to take on the unemployment rates. It came originally from a German Philologist called Lorenz Diefenbach, who meant it as a phrase that says criminals won't do evil deeds while they do labour, thus setting them free.

I doubt the Soviets will adopt it if the Nazi's never use it. It will probably fall into forgottenness(if that is a word). Soviets didn't have a whole lot with German Philologists.

I haven't heard Gulags had signs like that. Would like to see a source proving that or better a picture.

I doubt it would be forgotten, it's in fact a very beautiful statement which fit well into both socialism, social democratism and in the modern idea of workfare, sad that a bunch of genocidal maniacs decided to steal it.
 
It should be noted that liberals with a similar view on labour (from a neutral standpoint) unwittingly used the same phrase.

arbete_ger_frihet_moderaterna-e1328381388556.jpg
 
Without the Nazis, the Teaparty-esque Right in the US (which wouldn't be called Teaparty) might well use a similar phrase for their 'welfare reform' or 'right to work' legislation efforts. Actually, given the historical cluelessness of the US political scene I'm almost surprised that they don't... [Seriously. A country where many small towns have 'Committee of Public Safety' with no intentional irony whatsoever. Yes, I know the French Revolution was a lot longer ago than than the Nazis, but...]
 
...in Russian or German? Because if the latter, that deserves to be in the "Things that look like alternate history but aren't".
In Russian of course. Just can find the source. I would put it here. When I saw that I didn't know if to cry or laugh. :(
 
Actually, dusted my Russian and found something:

"Мастериц поместили в лагере, в зоне, на воротах которой, как на всех лагерных зонах Союза, были начертаны незабываемые слова: ""Труд есть дело чести, дело славы, дело доблести и геройства"

Is it was not exactly Work set you free but something similar.
"Work is thing of honor, glory, courage and heroism"

And also heremore: http://ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/Труд_в_СССР_есть_дело_чести,_славы,_доблести_и_геройства
 
Actually, dusted my Russian and found something:

"Мастериц поместили в лагере, в зоне, на воротах которой, как на всех лагерных зонах Союза, были начертаны незабываемые слова: ""Труд есть дело чести, дело славы, дело доблести и геройства"

Is it was not exactly Work set you free but something similar.
"Work is thing of honor, glory, courage and heroism"

And also heremore: http://ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/Труд_в_СССР_есть_дело_чести,_славы,_доблести_и_геройства
That page also has a link to the German phrase, but it seems to be purely german from what little i can puzzle out.

The Russian phrase LOOKS more like a Stakhanovite (sp?) Slogan than a nazi one. In tune with all those Heroic Worker statues and bas reliefs you see from the twenties everywhere and continuing later in the ussr.
 
Slogan than a nazi one. In tune with all those Heroic Worker statues and bas reliefs you see from the twenties everywhere and continuing later in the ussr.
Well basically that's what it was and at the end slogan was used in GULAG camps. Some sources claim it was on the gate. So... Arbeit macht frei sounds pretty good and idealistic too. If you do not know where it was used.
 
I'll counter this with another question, what if they actually set the people free for doing that work?

That would work if they were just prison work camps and they were actual inmates who were reducing their time by working for free, but since they were consenvtration/extermination for anyone and everyone the regime did'nt like, not so much.
 
Well basically that's what it was and at the end slogan was used in GULAG camps. Some sources claim it was on the gate. So... Arbeit macht frei sounds pretty good and idealistic too. If you do not know where it was used.

Ouch. Thank you. My Russian was a single class thirty five years ago, so now i can read the alphabet* and recognize a couple of dozen words. Sigh.
--
* assuming its neither italic nor mediaeval letterforms
 
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