'ARBEIT MACHT FREI' - SEVERAL REMARKS ON THE GENESIS AND THE IDEOLOGICAL BACKGROUND OF THE SLOGAN ON THE BASIS OF A BOOK BY WOLFGANG BRÜCKNER...('Arbeit macht frei' - ..na podstawie.. 'Arbeit macht frei: Herkunft und Hintergrund der KZ-Devise')

The following paper is based primarily on the extensive study conducted by Wolfgang Brückner in his book 'Arbeit macht frei: Herkunft und Hintergrund der KZ - Devise'. The article aims to present the origin, social context and ideological background of the motto 'Arbeit macht frei' and other related texts placed above the entrances to some of the Nazi concentration camps. The authoress raises the question, to what extent was the act of placing of such a motto in a KZ a mere sign of cynicism or a conscious demonstration of ideological conviction of SS members, internalized in the process of being brought up and socialized in an environment.