Aktion

Aktion is a German noun meaning action, operation, or campaign. In everyday language it denotes an act or organized effort, and in historical or organizational contexts it is often used as a codename or title for a specific undertaking.

In historical contexts, Aktion has been used as the name for state-led operations. Notable examples include Aktion Reinhardt, the Nazi German operation in 1942–1943 for the mass murder of Jews in occupied Poland, and Aktion T4, the euthanasia program conducted from 1939 to 1941 targeting disabled individuals. These usages reflect the practice of naming large-scale government actions with the term Aktion.

In culture, Die Aktion was a German Expressionist magazine published in Berlin from 1911 to 1932, edited by Franz Pfemfert. It played a significant role in early 20th-century German literary and artistic circles and helped disseminate Expressionist ideas.

In contemporary civil society, the term appears in organization names and campaigns. Aktion Mensch is a major German charitable lottery and funding organization that supports disabled people and social projects; it began as Aktion Sorgenkind and later adopted its current name. Aktion Sühnezeichen Friedensdienst (ASZF) is a German non-profit founded in 1958 to promote reconciliation and international service by volunteers.

The word continues to function as a general descriptor for action-oriented initiatives in German-speaking contexts, spanning politics, culture, and civil society.