{"id":31308,"date":"2026-05-02T17:07:52","date_gmt":"2026-05-02T17:07:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/schoolshistory.org.uk\/topics\/?page_id=31308"},"modified":"2026-05-07T10:54:10","modified_gmt":"2026-05-07T10:54:10","slug":"robert-ley","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/schoolshistory.org.uk\/topics\/european-history\/nazi-germany\/robert-ley\/","title":{"rendered":"Robert Ley"},"content":{"rendered":"

Robert Ley was the leader of the German Labour Front<\/a> (DAF) from 1933 until 1945. Ley joined the Nazi Party in 1924. He was soon placed in charge of the parties activities in Koln and Aachen, who he represented in the Reichstag from 1930 onwards.<\/p>\n

Robert Ley<\/h2>\n

Ley was a bitter man. He had been to University before the war. In the First World War he served in the fledgling German airforce. He was shot down and captured by the French. After returning to Germany after the war he gained employment with IG Faben but failed to hold down the job due to alcoholism.<\/p>\n

\"Robert
Robert Ley<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/figure>\n

Ley was drawn by the passion and message of Hitler\u2019s rhetoric. He became highly anti-semitic and used the parties newspaper in his region to regularly campaign against the local Jewish community. His speeches were often irrational, full of odd suggestions and littered with impolite remarks. However, his approach actually endeared him to a lot of people, both within and outside of the NSDAP organisation.<\/p>\n

Creation of the German Labour Front<\/h3>\n

In 1933, upon the Nazi Party\u2019s rise to power, Robert Ley assumed the task of creating the German Labour Front<\/a> (Deutsche Arbeitsfront, DAF). The German Labour Front replaced previous organisations that had represented workers. This involved putting an end to Independent Trade Unions, removing collective bargaining for things such as wages, working hours and working conditions etc.<\/p>\n

Usually there would be uproar from the working classes and industrial workers if their union representation was challenged. Robert Ley managed to avoid their being any \u2018risk\u2019 of the German Labour Front being opposed. Firstly, he involved some former Union representatives and negotiators in the organisation of the German Labour Front. Secondly, there was Propaganda. Lots of Propaganda. For example;<\/p>\n

\u201cEvery worker must regard himself as a soldier of the German Economy.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

The German Labour Front, he proclaimed, was to be,<\/p>\n

\u201cAn Organisation of creative Germans of the brain and fist.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

Robert Ley’s DAF in practice<\/h3>\n

In the workplace things were done to make the work of the German Labour Front appear to be socialistic in nature. Uniforms, for example, were standardised so that management, overseers and ordinary workers were all dressed in the same attire: giving the impression of equality within a structured organisation.<\/p>\n

Such actions don\u2019t really fool workers though. Pupils would hardly think they had the same authority as a teacher, for example, if the teacher had to wear the same uniform that they do\u2026 so, why did it not get opposed?<\/p>\n

People of working age tend to want a few small things:<\/p>\n