Reichsarbeitsministerium file carrier. Collection
Extent and Medium
1 object
Creator(s)
- Reichsarbeitsministerium or RAM
Biographical History
The Reichsarbeitsministerium or RAM was created in 1919 as the successor of the Reichsarbeitsamt established the previous year. The Ministerium was responsible for establishing labour laws and the social policy in both the Weimar republic and the Third Reich. In the 1920s the Ministerium mostly focussed on the development of a national social policy including the care for war invalids, legislation regarding working hours and unemployment insurance. As of 1933 the institute’s focus shifted to activating and mobilising the German labour market. In 1936 the Ministerium started establishing a large work force to support the military rebirth of Germany. After the start of the Second World War in 1939, the Reichsarbeitsministerium was led by a Generalbevollmächtigte für den Arbeitseinsatz and participated in claiming forced labourers from the occupied territories. In 2017 a German research commission presented its first results on the role played by the Reichsarbeitsministerium in the Third Reich.
Archival History
During the occupation of Belgium, representatives of the Reichsarbeitsministerium took over the Huis van de Arbeid, the offices of the regional unemployment office at Pelikaanstraat 98 in Antwerp. The Arbeitsambt Antwerpen [Work Bureau Antwerp] was subsequently installed there. Upon liberation, all archives of the Arbeidsambt Antwerpen were confiscated by the military prosecutor when collecting evidence on the role played by the employment office during the war. The file carrier, which presumably contained an index card system on (forced) labour, was emptied and was left behind in the basement of the building. In 1983, the Antwerp unemployment office, by then the Antwerp entity of the federal Rijksdienst voor Arbeidsvoorziening [National Employment Office], moved to Leeuwerikstraat. The archives, including the empty file carrier, were also transferred there. In preparation of renovation works, the Rijksdienst voor Arbeidsvoorziening, Antwerp entity, kindly donated the original object to Kazerne Dossin in 2019.
Acquisition
Rijksdienst voor Arbeidsvoorziening, Antwerp entity, 2019
Scope and Content
This object is a file carrier used by the Antwerp department of the Reichsarbeitsministerium to store index cards regarding labour during the war.
Accruals
No further accruals are to be expected
Conditions Governing Reproduction
Contact Kazerne Dossin Documentation Centre: archives@kazernedossin.eu
Physical Characteristics and Technical Requirements
The object is crafted in wood and is in good condition although it shows signs of usage. The metal slip on the front indicates the manufacturer: Hinz Fabrik GMBH in Berlin-Mariendorf. The abbreviation of the Reichsarbeitsministerium (RAM) as well as the emblem of the German Reich (Reichsadler) are imprinted on the side.
Subjects
- German Occupation
- Nazi apparatus
- Administration
Places
- Antwerp