Download The Churches in Nazi Germany

Roughly 1/3 Germans were Catholic / 2/3 Protestant. The Protestant Church had more members than any other organisation in Germany, including the Nazi Party
The Nazis needed the support of
the Churches
The Nazis saw the Churches as a threat - an alternative source of authority / alternative focus for loyalty
Since the Nazis could not afford to alienate the Churches, their policy was generally one of conciliation and compromise
The Churches also shared some beliefs with the Nazis e.g. belief in importance of family life / anti abortion / anti-contraception / anti-communist / belief in social
order. Catholic Bishop Burger: "The aims of the Reich government have long been the same as those of the Catholic Church"
The Catholic Church was guaranteed religious freedom and the right to conduct its affairs without
interference from the state e.g. could continue to make its own appointments without political
interference
The Church continued to have a role in education e.g. church schools
1933 Hitler reached a Concordat
(agreement) with the Catholic Church
In return, the Pope promised to stay out of German politics
The Concordat had the effect of undermining support for the Centre Party
It quickly became obvious that Hitler had no intention of respecting the Concordat
They adopted Nazi-style uniforms, salutes and marches. Their slogan was 'The
Swastika on our breasts and the cross in our hearts'
One of the leaders of the Confessional
Church was Pastor Martin Niemoller. He
was arrested by the Nazis in 1937 and
sent to Dachau concentration camp (he
survived the war)
There were lots of different Protestant
Churches e.g. Lutheran. This made is
easier for Hitler to 'divide and conquer'
The Churches in
Nazi Germany
1933 The Reich Church (also known as
the German Christian Church) was set up
by pro-Nazi Protestants.
Protestants who disagreed with Nazism
set up the Confessional Church. More
than 6000 pastors joined it, leaving only
2000 in the Reich Church
Dietrich Bonhoffer was a leading member
of the Confessional Church. During the
war he joined the resistance against the
Nazis. He was arrested in 1943 and later
executed
In all, some 800 pastors were arrested
and many were sent to camps
The Confessional Church opposed the
regime's attacks on religion, but remained
silent about the persecution of Jews
The Nazis tried to bring the
Churches in Germany under their
control
1934 The Nazis set up their own official
church, the German Faith Movement
This was based on pagan beliefs rather than on Christian
values, and attracted few members
1935 Hitler set up the Ministry of Church Affairs to control the churches. - this further weakened the position of the Churches. The
Gestapo arrested 700 Protestant ministers who were opposed to the Nazis
1936 The Nazi Party began a propaganda campaign pressuring children not to attend church schools or youth movements. 100s of Catholic
priests and nuns who were opposed to the Nazis were charged with a range of offences e.g. illegal currency dealings, homosexuality
Hitler attacked those who gave their allegiance to organisations other than the Nazi Party
1937 Christmas carols and nativity plays
were banned from schools
Pope Pius XI responded by condemning Hitler's regime. He issued an encyclical (official
letter) to be read out in all Catholic churches in Germany condemning the Nazis as 'hostile to
Christ and his Church'.
Hitler's response to this criticism was immediate. Religious affairs were removed from the
Ministry for Church Affairs and handed to the SS. He demanded that Germans make a choice
between their religion and the regime. Voluntary organisations were closed down. Crucifixes
were removed from classrooms (suspended in the face of opposition)
1938 Priests were stopped from teaching religious classes in schools
1939 All remaining church schools were abolished
1941 Catholic Cardinal von Galen criticised the policy of killing mentally ill people. This led to the euthanasia programme being wound
up. However, the Catholic Church failed to speak out about the killing of Europe's Jews. Despite receiving reports about the
extermination camps, Pope Pius XII chose to remain silent on the issue
The Jehovah's Witnesses refused to
serve in the army
Some religious sects, such as the Jehovah's
Witnesses, refused to cooperate with the Nazis
1/3 of all Jehovah's Witnesses died in
concentration camps
The Salvation Army, Christian Scientists and Seventh Day Adventists
were also suppressed
Conclusion: Overall, the Nazi were unsuccessful in their aim of destroying religion. However, they were able to reduce the influence of the Churches over people, and
weakened them as a source of resistance to Nazi policies. Although a number of individual priests and pastors spoke out against aspects of the regime, the Churches were
more concerned about ensuring their own survival
Typical questions
The Churches in Nazi Germany.mmap - 01/03/2010 -
What impact did Nazi rule have on Germany Churches?
How successful were Nazi policies towards the German Churches?