Deutsche Arbeitsfront: Documents

The Deutsche Arbeitsfront was founded on 10 May 1933 under the patronage of Hitler and directed by Robert Ley, <i>Reichsorganisationsleiter der NSDAP</i>. It soon grew to be a giant bureaucratic machine with a membership of 25 million and staff of 40,000 with a considerable influence within the nazi regime. Conceived as an alternative to trade unions, it was supposed to be representative of employers and employees alike. It became part of the NSDAP organisation in October 1934, having its base in Berlin and modelling its structure of <i>Gaue</i> and <i>Kreise</i> on the party. The bulk of this microfilm collection consists of material emanating from the <i>Deutsche Arbeitsfront</i>. Included are documents marked 'secret' which record the prevailing views within the <i>Deutsche Arbeitsfront</i> on the extent of industrial action in the Third Reich and other issues relating to industrial relations. There is also a considerable amount of correspondence from the <i>DAF</i> to the company <i>Wilhem Edel</i>, margarine manufacturers, covering a variety of matters related to worker/ employee relations. In addition there are number of publications and periodicals on the subject.</p><p>The provenance is unknown. Use MF Doc 54/ Reels 27-28 Open