Arbeit macht frei

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Arbeit macht frei ([ˈaʁbaɪt ˈmaxt ˈfʁaɪ] ) is a German phrase translated as "Work makes [one] free" or, more idiomatically, "Work sets you free" or "Work liberates". The phrase originates from the title of an 1873 novel by Lorenz Diefenbach and alludes to John 8:31–32. Following the Nazi Party's rise to power in 1933, the phrase became a slogan used in programs implemented to combat mass unemployment in Germany. It is primarily known for its use above the entrance of Auschwitz and other Nazi concentration camps. Because prisoners performed forced labor under horrific conditions, the word "free" took on a double meaning: the only way for prisoners to gain a sort of freedom was to work until they died.

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