KdF Activities
One of the intentions behind "Strength through Joy" was to ensure physical and mental health for middle-class Germans. Moderately low costing exercise classes were one of the services KdF offered. In Illusive identity: the blurring of working-class consciousness in modern Western culture, Thomas Joseph Edward Walker describes how people had the opportunity to engage in classes such as gymnastics, swimming, skiing, golfing, and biking. Group activities were available to the masses and brought middle-class Germans together. Aligning with the Nazi ideal that all Germans should be strong and fit, KdF activities served to promote the benefits of exercise. These activities also ensured that the German worker would be reinvigorated and efficient in the workplace.
Nathalie Giller, Psychology Sophomore, Loyola Marymount University