Dr. Rober Kaiser was the leader of the RDF, Reichsbund Deutsche Familie (Reich's League for the German Family) after 1940, in the first years of

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

. The RDF, a branch of the

NSDAP The Nazi Party, officially the National Socialist German Workers' Party ( or NSDAP), was a far-right political party in Germany active between 1920 and 1945 that created and supported the ideology of Nazism. Its precursor, the German Workers ...

, was the

pronatalist Natalism (also called pronatalism or the pro-birth position) is a policy paradigm or personal value that promotes the reproduction of human life as an important objective of humanity and therefore advocates a high birthrate. Cf.: According to t ...

organization in

Nazi Germany Nazi Germany, officially known as the German Reich and later the Greater German Reich, was the German Reich, German state between 1933 and 1945, when Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party controlled the country, transforming it into a Totalit ...

. Before Dr. Kaiser's takeover it had been known as ''Reichsbund der Kinderreichen'' (RDK) or (RdK), meaning "Reich's Union for Large Families".

Propaganda activity

Dr. Kaiser took over the pro-natalist cause with fervor during the war years. The death of Germans in the front called for all-embracing measures to promote ''"kinderreich"'' families having large numbers of children. Kaiser used the

Nazi propaganda Propaganda was a tool of the Nazi Party in Germany from its earliest days to the end of the regime in May 1945 at the end of World War II. As the party gained power, the scope and efficacy of its propaganda grew and permeated an increasing amou ...

machine to advocate the urgency of a "victory of cradles". He encouraged young people to marry and promoted having a minimum of four children per family. The aims of Dr. Kaiser's organization were hampered by the physical separation of young people and the difficulties of the war years. Owing to the military situation, most men were fighting in the fronts, in distant places. As marriageable young men were far away from German women, the RDF established Letter Centres in order to promote early marriages. This measure helped in some measure to counteract the decrease in marriages of the war years, for many young Germans were wondering whether they should marry or not in the war circumstances. The idea of the promotion of marriages went hand in hand with the promotion of bringing "racially and biologically perfect" couples together, that would breed as many children as possible despite the long periods of separation. Robert Kaiser used the available media of the time to promote his cause. The German radio, magazines, newspapers and posters extolled the virtues of parents having many children, as worthy Germans having done their duty. Novelists were also encouraged to portray the family according to the requirements of the Nazi Party, promoting the idea of ''"Volksgemeinschaft"'' (Common interest of the people). Childless couples were portrayed as "selfish" in the RDF propaganda.SAPMO. Berlin (NSD 30-10) Meanwhile, the village of Freisheim was hailed by the same propaganda as the most ''"kinderreich"'' in Germany.

Works

*''Volk und Familie''. March (?) 1944.

References

External links

Jill Stephenson, 'Reichsbund der Kinderreichen'; the League of Large Families in the Population Policy of Nazi Germany. European History Quarterly, Vol. 9, No. 3
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kaiser, Robert Nazi Party officials German Nazi propagandists Year of birth unknown Year of death unknown Natalists