Talk:How Fascism Works

Arbeite macht frei not at gates of Buchenwald

> "Arbeit Macht Frei”: In fascist ideology, aid in times of crisis is reserved for the so-called chosen nation—“us,” not “them.” Those excluded are portrayed as lazy and undeserving of state aid, with hard labor seen as a means of reform —an idea symbolized by the Nazi slogan "Arbeit macht frei" at the gates of Auschwitz and Buchenwald.

I don't think this is accurate. I don't think that Buchenwald had the "arbeite macht frei" sign on the gates, as Auschwitz did. Instead, its slogan was "Jedem das Seine." [1]

This query to perplexity.ai supports this claim:

> Buchenwald concentration camp did not have a sign that said "Arbeit macht frei." Instead, Buchenwald’s main gate bore a different inscription: "Jedem das Seine," which means "To each his own" or "Everyone gets what he deserves" in German. The phrase "Arbeit macht frei" ("Work sets you free") was used at other camps such as Auschwitz, Dachau, Gross-Rosen, Sachsenhausen, and Theresienstadt, but not at Buchenwald.

[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buchenwald_concentration_camp#/media/File:MK38040_Buchenwald_Lagertor.jpg Hughdbrown (talk) 06:37, 15 September 2025 (UTC)

Hi Hughdbrown! This article gives a summary of the book, and in this book, it says: "This is why the gates of Auschwitz and Buchenwald had emblazoned on them the slogan ARBEIT MACHT FREI— work shall make you free." So the mistake is in the book. However, of course, when giving a summary of a book, there is no need to copy the mistake, so I removed Buchenwald from the article. Thank you for this! Lova Falk (talk) 07:51, 21 September 2025 (UTC)