Hitler's Anti-Smoking Movement

Often associated with the Devil himself, most people would struggle to think of something positive Hitler contributed to society. Nevertheless, Nazi Germany did have its slight upsides even if for maligned reasons; particularly when it came to its anti-smoking campaign, which was the world's first. The reasoning behind it however fell to a combination of Hitler's personal distaste for tobacco and his concern for its negative impact on reproduction when consumed by "Aryan" women.

Starting in 1904 there were several anti-smoking groups in Germany such as Deutscher Tabakgegnerverein zum Schutze der Nichtraucher (German Tobacco Opponents' Association for the Protection of Non-smokers) and Bund Deutscher Tabakgegner (Federation of German Tobacco Opponents). None of these organizations had much success however and rarely lasted more than a few years. With the rise of Nazi Germany in the 1930’s there was an increased interest in preventing smoking and significant amounts of resources were spent on researching tobacco's effects.

The Nazi’s distaste for tobacco products came from several sources. The most general reason was due to the increased risk of cardiovascular diseases in smokers. Studies showed, like they do today, the increased risk of lung cancer and heart failure in smokers. As much as Hitler was concerned with the health of the population, it was the health and performance of his soldiers that concerned him the most. Having the strongest military possible was a priority for Hitler and tobacco was seen as a hinderance to that goal. When talking about allowing tobacco use by soldiers Hitler said, "it was a mistake, traceable to the army leadership at the time, at the beginning of the war." Hitler vowed to ban tobacco from the military at the end of the war.

Reproductive polices were also at the root of the campaign. Hitler wanted German women to be reproductive as possible to create his master race. The Nazi research concluded that tobacco made women age quicker and reduced their physical attractiveness. This left women unsuitable for the roles of wives and mothers in German families according to the powers-that-be. They also concluded that aside from superficial affects, tobacco affected the ability of a women to have a healthy child. Werner Huttig, of the Office of Racial Politics, stated that the breast milk of a female smoker contained nicotine, which more modern research has reaffirmed. Other studies showed increased occurrences of miscarriages, still-births, and birth defects. For Hitler, the success of his empire relied on “Aryan” women being able to produce strong, healthy children.

In his earlier years Hitler was actually a chain-smoker, smoking 30 to 40 cigarettes a day. He gave up the habit after concluding that it was a waste of money. Hitler said tobacco was "the wrath of the Red Man against the White Man, vengeance for having been given hard liquor." He stated that he felt tobacco “poisoning” led to the death of many good men. Hitler was annoyed with the use of tobacco by Nazi officials that were close to him. He encouraged and rewarded them to quit. He was particularly upset with Eva Braun, his longtime companion and brief wife, for her continued smoking.

To curb the use of tobacco the Nazi government implemented a variety of measures. An extensive advertising campaign included ads in newspapers, magazines, posters in the streets, and educational films. Laws were past to ban smoking in certain areas. Hospitals, schools, government offices, bomb shelters, and trams were all off-limits to smoking. Women in particular faced even more regulation. The sale of tobacco to women was restricted in retail establishments. Additionally, during the war tobacco ration cards were withheld from pregnant women, and women under the age of 25 or over the age of 55. Advertisements depicting smoking as harmless or a masculine habit were forbidden and deriding anti-tobacco spokespeople was also banned. In 1941, the government tax on tobacco products was almost 90% of the retail price.

Early anti-smoking efforts had little effect on smoking rates and tobacco use actually increased in the 1930’s. When the Nazi’s became more serious about their efforts however, the rates began to fall in the 1940’s during the war. After Hitlers defeat, tobacco use sky rocketed. The importation of black-market American and Swiss cigarettes became big business and Hitler’s success in the area was essentially undone.

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