Final answer:
The phrase 'Arbeit macht frei' means "work sets you free" and featured at the entrance of Nazi concentration camps like Auschwitz as a cruel deception. It falsely suggested that prisoners could gain freedom through labor, but they were actually subjected to harsh conditions and extermination.
Step-by-step explanation:
The phrase Arbeit macht frei is a German proverb that translates to "work sets you free". This message became notoriously synonymous with the deception perpetrated by the Nazis during World War II, as it was displayed over the entrances of several concentration camps, most infamously Auschwitz.
The implication was that through hard work, prisoners could earn their freedom, but in reality, the vast majority of those interned were worked to death or killed, regardless of their efforts.
Within the horrific confines of Auschwitz, not just Jews but a variety of individuals, such as political prisoners, Romani, and other groups, were subjected to forced labor and extermination. The Nazi guards created a hierarchy among prisoners, with non-Jewish German criminals often being placed in charge as kapos.
These kapos would oversee and contribute to the violent mistreatment of inmates, who were employed in grueling tasks that supported the German war machine until they perished or were executed.