The fight against smoking in Nazi Germany

Anti-tobacco sentiment existed in Germany long before the Nazis came to power.

In 1904, the German Society for Opponents of Smoking and the Protection of Nonsmokers was organized ( Deutscher Tabakgegnerverein zum Schutze der Nichtraucher ). However, this organization did not exist for long.

In 1910, the Bund Deutscher Tabakgegner was established in Trautenau in Bohemia - the German Federation of Tobacco Adversaries . Similar societies were created in Hanover and Dresden .

In 1920, the “Federation of German Tobacco Adversaries in Czechoslovakia” ( Bund Deutscher Tabakgegner in der Tschechoslowakei ) was created in Prague .

A similar federation also existed in Austria ( Bund Deutscher Tabakgegner in Deutschösterreich ^[13] .

These groups published smoking cessation magazines.

The first such magazine in German was Der Tabakgegner , published by Bohemian society from 1912 to 1932.

From 1919 to 1935, the German Deutsche Tabakgegner magazine was published in Dresden ^[14] .

Tobacco organizations also opposed the use of alcohol ^[15] .

In his youth, Adolf Hitler was a heavy smoker. Having smoked up to 40 cigarettes a day, he quit smoking, not wanting to spend money in vain ^[5] . Hitler later recalled this as follows ^[16] :

For a long time I was very bad in Vienna . For several months I did not eat hot food. He ate milk and stale bread. But he spent 13 cruisers a day on cigarettes. Smoked 25 to 40 cigarettes per day. But the cruiser was then more than 10 Pfennigs today. And once an idea occurred to me: what if you don't spend 13 cruisers on cigarettes, but buy butter and make sandwiches? It will take 5 cruisers, and I still have money left. Soon I threw the cigarettes into the Danube and never again touched them.

In his mature years, Hitler interpreted smoking as “ decadence ” ^[12] and “revenge of the redskins on the white man for“ fire water ”” ^[5] , lamenting over “how many good people died due to the harmful potion” ^[17] . Hitler was very upset that Eva Braun and Martin Bormann smoked, and Goering continued to smoke in public. He was angry when on the monument to Goering the latter was depicted with a cigar ^[5] . Hitler is considered the first state leader to actively object to smoking ^[18] .

Hitler disapproved of the freedom of smoking in the army and argued that the opinion "soldiers in a war cannot live without tobacco" is erroneous. He promised that after the war ended, smoking in the army would be stopped. Hitler urged everyone in his circle to quit smoking and encouraged those who succeeded. However, Hitler’s personal dislike of smoking was only one of the many driving forces behind the anti-smoking campaign ^[5] .

A significant factor influencing the anti-tobacco campaign was the Nazi reproductive policy ^[6] . It was believed that smoking women used to age and lose their physical attractiveness, so they were considered unsuitable for being a German wife and mother. Werner Huttig of the NSDAP ( German Rassenpolitisches Amt ) of the Office for Racial Policy (rightly ^[19] ) claimed that smoking mothers milk contains nicotine ^[20] . Martin Staemmler , a prominent physician of the Third Reich, argued that smoking during pregnancy leads to more frequent stillbirths and miscarriages . Agnes Bluhm , a well-known expert in the field of racial hygiene , who made the same conclusion in her book published in 1936, also supported this opinion. All this bothered the leadership of Nazi Germany, interested in the fact that German women gave birth to many children.

Scientific studies of the effects of smoking on health were in Germany at a higher level than in other countries, even before the Nazis came to power ^[9] .

In 1940, the dissertation was defended, which examined why the blind rarely smoke and why soldiers love smoking more in the daylight than at night. Dozens of drugs appeared for those who wanted to quit smoking - from rinsing with silver nitrate (it was believed that an aqueous solution of 1: 10000 gives an unpleasant taste to tobacco) to a substance called transpulmin, which created a similar effect during intravenous injections (supposedly the drug bound terpenes and other aromatic substances in tobacco, causing discomfort). Specialized weaning products were launched on the market - under the trademarks of, for example, Analeptol and Nicotilon, as well as all kinds of tobacco substitutes: special chewing gum, ginger-based products, atropine and menthol cigarettes. Hypnosis and various psychological consultations were of undoubted popularity ^[21] .

The association of lung cancer with smoking was first proved not in the USA in the 50s, but in the Third Reich ^{[17] [22] [23]} . The effect of " secondhand smoke " ( German Passivrauchen ) was also first studied in Nazi Germany ^[2] . Studies conducted at the expense of the Nazi state, revealed many negative health effects arising from smoking ^[24] . Hitler personally allocated financial support to the “Research Institute for Tobacco Risks” ( German Wissenschaftliches Institut zur Erforschung der Tabakgefahren ) at the University of Jena led by Karl Astel ( German Karl Astel ) ^{[12] [25]} . This institute, founded in 1941, was the main center for research on the dangers of smoking ^[25] . Doctors of the Third Reich also found confirmation that smoking causes heart disease, which at that time was considered the most harmful consequence of smoking. Nicotine was considered the main reason for the increase in heart attacks in the country. During World War II, it was nicotine consumption that was considered the main cause of heart attacks, which became more frequent among military personnel on the Eastern Front.

The report, on the basis of thirty-two deaths from a heart attack of young soldiers at the front, noted that they were all heavy smokers. The famous physician Franz Buchner ( German: Franz Buchner ) believed that cigarettes are "the enemy of the heart number one" ^[20] .

Propaganda

In order to convince the population to quit smoking, the government used a variety of methods of mass propaganda. Articles about the dangers of smoking have been published by such popular publications as the magazines Healthy People ( Gesundes Volk ), People's Health ( Volksgesundheit ) and Healthy Life ( Gesundes Leben ) ^{[24] [26]} . Widespread posters showing the dangers of smoking. Leaflets on the dangers of smoking were distributed in the workplace ^[24] . Members of the Hitler Youth and the Union of German Girls were also involved in the distribution of leaflets ^{[6] [24]} .

The tobacco control program also included the dissemination of knowledge ^{[10] [22] [27]} . In June 1939, the Tobacco and Alcohol Control Bureau was established. The Drug Enforcement Bureau ( Reichsstelle für Rauschgiftbekämpfung ) also participated in the campaign. Anti-tobacco articles were published in the magazines Light Drugs ( Die Genussgifte ), At the Post ( Auf der Wacht ) and Clean Air ( Reine Luft ) ^[28] . The main role in the fight against smoking was given to the magazine “Clean Air” ^{[9] [29]} .

By the 1930s, the topic of cancer appeared in anti-tobacco rhetoric.

Bans

After clarifying the health risks of smoking, certain legislative measures were taken ^[30] .

• In 1938, a ban on smoking was introduced in the air force and the post office for its employees (including at home) .
• Smoking was prohibited in all medical institutions, as well as in some rest homes ^[9] . Midwives were also forbidden to smoke at work.
• In 1939, the NSDAP introduced a ban on smoking in all its facilities, and Himmler forbade SS officers and police to smoke during working hours ^[31] . Wehrmacht soldiers and officers were forbidden to smoke on the streets, on hikes, and during breaks in the process of being on duty.
• Smoking was also strictly prohibited in schools. ^[24]
• In 1941, tram smoking was banned in 60 German cities ^[31] . Smoking was also forbidden in bomb shelters , but there were smoking rooms in some shelters ^[9] .

Particular attention was paid to the prevention of smoking among women (the president of the German Medical Association said: “German women do not smoke!” ^[32] ):

• Cards for tobacco were not issued to pregnant women, as well as women under 25 and over 55 years old. Restrictions were also imposed on the free sale of tobacco to women both in shops and in restaurants and cafes ^[31] .
• In cinemas, special films were shown that campaigned against smoking among women.
• Local NSDAP cells were expelled from the party of women who smoked publicly ^[33] .

Other bans:

• In 1943, smoking was prohibited in public places for people under the age of 18 ^{[6] [26] [31]} .
• In 1944, smoking was prohibited on buses and city trains ^[12] . This was done on the personal instructions of Hitler, who feared that female conductors would suffer from the effects of secondhand smoke ^[9] .

Advertising

Since December 7, 1941, by order of the President of the Advertising Board, Heinrich Hunke , restrictions on tobacco advertising were introduced ^[34] . Advertising was banned that portrayed smoking as a safe occupation or symbol of courage. Mockery of opponents of smoking was also strictly prohibited ^[35] , and advertising posters along the railways, in the countryside, at stadiums and hippodromes were also prohibited. Advertising through loudspeakers and on postage stamps was also banned ^[36] .

Army

Smoking restrictions were introduced in the Wehrmacht . Tobacco diets have been reduced to six cigarettes per day per person. In times of calm at the front, soldiers had the opportunity to buy extra, but no more than 50 cigarettes per month. Women serving in auxiliary positions in the army were not allowed to smoke. Medical lectures were regularly held to promote smoking cessation.

Taxes

In November 1941, taxes on tobacco products were raised and accounted for 80-95% of the selling price. This tax level was the highest in German history and was surpassed only 25 years after the fall of the Third Reich ^[9] .

The first stage of the campaign was unsuccessful: from 1933 to 1937, tobacco consumption in Germany increased markedly ^[11] . Tobacco manufacturers have undertaken counter-propaganda efforts. They began to publish several new magazines in which the anti-tobacco campaign seemed “fanatical” and “unscientific” ^[9] . The tobacco propaganda placed particular emphasis on women: cigarette models were often used in advertisements ^[32] . Despite the efforts of the state, many Germans continued to smoke, including the wives of some high-ranking Nazi officials. For example, Magda Goebbels smoked even during meetings with reporters. Leading fashion magazines, such as Beyers Mode für Alle , also often published photos of smoking models. On the envelope of the record with the popular song “ Lily Marlene ” was portrayed singer Lale Andersen with a cigarette in his hand ^[33] .

In the late 1930s and during World War II, the government stepped up anti-tobacco measures, and cigarette consumption declined. Thanks to the efforts of the Wehrmacht command, smoking in the army also declined from 1939 to 1945 ^{[9] [12]} . According to statistics, in 1944 the number of smokers in the army increased, but the average consumption of cigarettes per capita decreased by 23.4% compared with the pre-war years. The proportion of people who smoked 30 or more cigarettes per day decreased from 4.4% to 0.3% ^[9] .

The anti-tobacco program was not without controversy. For example, in parallel with the “National Health” ( German Volksgesundheit ) and “Be Healthy!” ( German Gesundheitspflicht ) programs, large-scale distribution of cigarettes was carried out to groups of people who deserved this (soldiers at the front, members of the Hitler Youth , etc.). Moreover, “useless” or “harmful” groups (Jews, prisoners of war, etc.) were deprived of such supplies ^[37] .

Tobacco, however, continued to be produced in large quantities in the occupied territories, for example, in Ukraine ^[38] . In 1943, 160,000 hectares were reserved for tobacco plantations. In total, Ukrainian factories until the end of 1942 produced 2.5 billion cigarettes and cigarettes and 5 million cigars ^[39] .

In addition to caring for people's health, the ideology of Nazism ^[24] , namely, the concepts of racial hygiene and bodily health ^[40], played a large role in the program. Nazi leaders believed that representatives of the " race of masters " should not smoke ^[24] and that smoking tobacco is equivalent to "racial degeneration" ^[41] . The Nazis considered tobacco a “genetic poison” ^[40] . Racial hygienists also objected to tobacco use, fearing that it would adversely affect “German heredity” ^[42] . Tobacco activists often portrayed smoking as a defect inherent in “degenerate” Africans ^[40] .

The Nazis claimed that Jews were to blame for the distribution of tobacco. The Seventh-day Adventist Church in Germany stated that smoking is a vice spread by Jews ^[42] . Johann von Leers, editor of the Nordische Welt magazine, at the opening ceremony of the Tobacco Risk Research Institute in 1941, blamed “Jewish capitalism” for the distribution of tobacco in Europe. He stated that tobacco was first brought to Germany by Jews and that Jews control the tobacco industry in Amsterdam , the main center for tobacco production in Europe ^[43] .

After the collapse of the Nazi state, quickly entered the German market. The smuggling of cigarettes has flourished ^[44] . The leaders of the anti-tobacco campaign were silenced ^[7] . In 1949, the volume of illegal deliveries from the United States to Germany was approximately 400 million cigarettes per month. In 1954, nearly two billion Swiss cigarettes were smuggled into Germany and Italy. The United States supplied free tobacco to Germany as part of the Marshall Plan ; in 1948, 24,000 tons of tobacco and at least 69,000 tons were imported into Germany in 1949. The US government spent on this $ 70 million dollars, which went to the profit of tobacco companies ^[44] . Per capita cigarette consumption in post-war Germany grew steadily: from 460 in 1950 to 1523 in 1963. By the end of the 20th century, anti-smoking measures in Germany had not reached the level of 1939–41, and research on the dangers of smoking in Germany still remained in the background ^[11] .