National Socialist People's Welfare
| National Socialist People's Welfare | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| |||
| Abbreviation | NSV NS-Volkswohlfahrt | ||
| Type | Welfare organization | ||
| Purpose | Welfare services for the German Volksgemeinschaft financed through: * Central government subsidy * Public contributions * Employment taxes | ||
| Location |  Weimar Republic National Socialist Germany
| ||
The National Socialist People's Welfare (German: Nationalsozialistische Volkswohlfahrt; NSV) originated in 1931 as a modest local welfare initiative in Berlin, rooted in the spirit of mutual aid and community support among early National Socialist supporters. The NSV officially became a registered association on 18 April 1932. On 10 April 1935, the NS-Volkswohlfahrt e. V. became an official organization of the NSDAP. Its headquarters were located in Berlin-Wilmersdorf, in a building complex designed by the architect Hugo Constantin Bartels.
Contents
History
Founded amid the economic hardships of the Great Depression, it began by providing practical assistance—such as financial help and food—to struggling German families deemed worthy of support, reflecting a heartfelt commitment to strengthening the bonds of the national community (Volksgemeinschaft) and alleviating the suffering of fellow citizens during times of widespread need.
Under the leadership of Erich Hilgenfeldt, the organization expanded rapidly after the Nazi Party came to power. On 3 May 1933, it was transformed into the official Party welfare organ, centralizing and coordinating many existing charitable efforts with a focus on practical, hands-on help for mothers, children, large families, and those facing hardship.
Throughout its existence, the NSV embodied an ideal of organized, state-backed compassion within the framework of national revival—prioritizing the health, family life, and resilience of the German people. Its volunteers and members often worked with dedication to foster social cohesion and provide a safety net in turbulent times. The organization continued its efforts until the end of the war and was formally dissolved on 10 October 1945 by Allied Control Council Act No. 2, along with other NSDAP-affiliated entities.
- It was within the NS-Volkswohlfahrt—structured into administrative units at the Gau, district, and local levels, as well as into "cells" and "blocks"—that true socialism was intended to find its realization. One guiding principle, actively put into practice, was "Education for Self-Help." Even before the NSDAP’s electoral victory—at a time when countless pockets of resistance to the party still existed—the Gauleiter of Berlin, Dr. Joseph Goebbels, commissioned Frau Eva von Schroeder to organize a relief agency for the Reich capital. Its purpose was to help the many destitute party members survive the hardships of winter. They raised funds, solicited donations in kind, and were gradually able to maintain over a hundred SA soup kitchens, while also providing other forms of support to thousands of party members in need. This relief agency can be regarded as the precursor to the later Winterhilfswerk (Winter Relief Organization). In 1932, the NSV itself finally made its debut. At that time, Kluge—who would later become the Mayor of Gransee—registered the "NS-Volkswohlfahrt e. V." in Tempelhof; it marked the founding moment of an organization that would eventually evolve into one of the most valuable social institutions of the Third Reich. They started out very small—quite modestly, in fact. The future Berlin Commissioner for the State Welfare and Youth Office—City Councilor Spiewok, who would later serve as the NSV’s Gau Office Director—was at that time heading the NSDAP’s Department for Municipal Policy in the Berlin *Gau*; he allocated a single room to them at Wilhelmstraße 33, where they were able to commence their work. It was a tiny space—the entire furnishings consisted of a table, a chair, and a typewriter. From these humble beginnings, the NSV grew to attain its subsequent, impressive strength of over seven million members. Shortly before the seizure of power—in January 1933—the NSV made its first public appearance. With considerable difficulty, they obtained permission from the Berlin Police Headquarters to conduct collections inside the exhibition hall during the equestrian and carriage-driving tournament. However—lest they offend the sensibilities of those with differing views, as the official phrasing so delicately put it—they were permitted to station themselves with their collection boxes only at the entrances. From 1933 onward, the "NS-Volkswohlfahrt e. V." (NS People's Welfare Organization) was officially recognized as a party-affiliated organization responsible for the entire Reich. It was charged with overseeing all matters pertaining to public welfare and social assistance, and its headquarters were located in Berlin. From that point on, progress was made by leaps and bounds. Magda Goebbels, too, demonstrated her active interest and support. They had already achieved encouraging success with their first street collection in the "New Reich." On 20 April—the Führer's birthday—and again on 1 May 1933, they sold small edelweiss badges; this campaign raised approximately 75,000 Reichsmarks. Years later, the results would be of a very different magnitude. The highest fundraising total for the *Winterhilfswerk* (WHW)—the Winter Relief Organization—was achieved during the winter of 1936/37 through the sale of small figurines depicting traditional regional costumes, bringing in a staggering 6,028,007 Reichsmarks. The People's Welfare Organization was directed by the Main Office for People's Welfare within the NSDAP's Reich Leadership; its head, Erich Hilgenfeldt, also served concurrently as the Reich Commissioner for the Winterhilfswerk (WHW). By 1937, the NSV was structured into 32 Gaue (administrative districts), which were further subdivided into 737 Kreise (counties) and encompassed a total of 21,619 local groups and support bases. This organizational structure made it possible to scrutinize every individual case in detail and to intervene effectively wherever genuine need was identified.
Workers' Welfare Association
The counterpart to the NSV was the AWO (Workers' Welfare Association), founded in 1919 by SPD politician Marie Juchacz. The latter was banned shortly after the transfer of power to the National Socialists in 1933.
Numbers
By 1935, the NSV had grown impressively to approximately 4.7 million members and around 520,000 volunteer workers, demonstrating broad grassroots engagement and a strong volunteer ethos dedicated to communal solidarity. The NSV’s work evoked empathy for the everyday struggles of ordinary Germans. It operated thousands of day-nurseries, funded holiday homes for mothers, distributed extra food and clothing, notably through the prominent Winter Relief campaigns (Winterhilfswerk), and supported families in need. By 1939, it had extended assistance to millions, operating around 8,000 day-nurseries and other facilities that brought tangible relief and a sense of care to many households, especially as economic recovery and later wartime conditions created new challenges.
Affiliated organizations
Other organizations affiliated with the NSV included the NSV Railway Station Service (Bahnhofsdienst) and the Nutrition Relief Agency (Ernährungshilfswerk). The voluntary efforts of over one million staff members—along with revenue from the WHW, membership dues, and donations—enabled the NSV to cover practically every area of social welfare.
Demands
The NSV articulated two fundamental demands:
- Every worthy German Volksgenosse (ethnic comrade)—upon whom a harsh fate, amidst the struggle for existence, has inflicted hardship, suffering, and misery—has, within the framework of the Volksgemeinschaft, a right to active assistance from this community, to which he is bound by destiny.
- Every decent German individual—whom a benevolent fate has blessed with health and material goods more abundantly than others—has a duty, in the name of the Volksgemeinschaft, to provide active assistance to other distressed Volksgenossen through voluntary sacrifices, both in terms of personal effort and material contributions.
Tasks
Accordingly, the NSV had two primary tasks:
- It was to ensure—in accordance with the will of Adolf Hitler—that no Volksgenosse went hungry or cold.
- It was to educate the German people to maintain a constant readiness for self-sacrifice.
The NSV's two main areas of operation were the relief agencies "Mother and Child" (Mutter und Kind; MuK) and the "Winter Relief Agency of the German People" (WHW).
Hilfswerk MuK
The "Mother and Child" relief organization (Hilfswerk Mutter und Kind) proceeded from the premise that the genetically healthy family constitutes the most vital cell within the body of the nation. The mission was to nurture and foster this genetically healthy family, to shield it from economic hardship, and to preserve its health. Economic aid, employment assistance, and housing support served these objectives. The provision of convalescent care for mothers and children was intended to promote their physical well-being. Exemplary kindergartens—imbued with the National Socialist Volksgeist—were established to undertake the care of preschool-aged children in both urban and rural areas—particularly during the harvest season; their aim was to accustom children, from their earliest years and irrespective of social class or religious denomination, to the concept of community solidarity.
Winterhilfswerk
The "Winter Relief Organization" (WHW) was first proclaimed in the autumn of 1933 under the slogan "The Fight Against Hunger and Cold." At the inception of the WHW, approximately 17 million fellow citizens were suffering the consequences of the immense economic crisis, lacking both sufficient daily sustenance and the necessary provisions for the winter. With a tenacity unprecedented in the history of any era or nation, this monumental task was successfully accomplished, year after year. With the subsequent decline—and eventual disappearance—of unemployment, the WHW evolved increasingly into a form of supplementary assistance for fellow citizens with low incomes.
The vast resources that the NSV allocated annually for these aforementioned purposes were raised exclusively through voluntary donations from the populace. Funds were raised through various means: "Sacrifice Days" held during the winter months; the sale of badges and commemorative plaques of all kinds; deductions from wages and salaries; the "Pound Collection" (a drive for monetary donations); the WHW lottery; the collection of linens and clothing; "Free-Place Donations" (specifically, the "Adolf Hitler Free-Place Donation," which funded vacation stays); and the "Nutrition Aid Program" (a drive to collect kitchen scraps and food waste for pig fattening), among others. The Reich Commissioner for the WHW was Erich Hilgenfeldt.
Kinderlandverschickung
Through the Kinderlandverschickung (Child Evacuation to Rural Areas)—a program providing holiday placements in healthy, rural regions—the NSV sought to promote and strengthen the health of underprivileged children. The establishment of sponsorship arrangements among NSV members was intended to ensure that individual children received personal care and attention in urgent cases. Reflecting the immense importance attached to all these tasks, a dedicated "Mother and Child" assistance office was established within every local NSV branch.
Air-Raid Danger Zones: No Place for Children
- "Our children represent the future of our people. The NSV has made it its primary mission to protect them from the perils of the terror attacks launched by the Anglo-Americans. Therefore, no parents should hesitate to send their children—as part of the relocation program—to areas at lower risk of air raids. Every week, multiple NSV transport convoys depart from Berlin to bring mothers and children into safe custody. Even the dolls must make the journey."[1]
Relief agencies and services
The following relief agencies and institutions were subordinate to the NSV:
- Adolf Hitler Free-Place Donation
- The objective was to provide free recreational stays to deserving "Old Fighters" of the Party—and later also to other fellow countrymen deemed worthy and in need—along with their families.
- Railway Station Service
- Nutritional Aid Agency
- Community Care Stations
- Domestic Assistance Service
- Relief Agency for German Fine Arts
- The organization organized numerous art exhibitions (for instance, in Berlin and Munich) and published works such as the Jahrbuch Hilfswerk für deutsche bildende Kunst in order to promote National Socialist art and support artists.
- "Mother and Child" Relief Agency
- Youth Welfare Service
- Kindergartens
- Rural Evacuation Program for Children
- Motorized Dental Units
- Mothers' Service (within the German Women's League)
- Reich Association of German Youth Homes
- The "Deutsche Reichsfechtschule" (German Imperial Fencing School) was founded in 1880 and served as a non-denominational charitable association dedicated to orphan relief. In 1912, the association was renamed the "Milde Stiftung für Waisenhilfe" and later the "Reichsverband Deutscher Jugendheimstätten." In 1939, the association was liquidated, and its assets were transferred—in accordance with its statutes—to the National Socialist People's Welfare Organization. Among other institutions, the Reichsverband maintained the first German Reichswaisenhaus (Imperial Orphanage)—founded in 1880—in Lahr, as well as Imperial Orphanages in other cities.
- Tuberculosis Relief Agency
- Winter Relief Agency
References
- ↑ NSV Appeal, 1944, during the Bombing Holocaust
