Download The Nazi and the Churches.

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Ideological Tensions
• The Nazis tended to see Christianity as tainted by
Judaism – a product of Jewish culture
• Hitler is quoted in 1933 as promising ‘to stamp out
Christianity’
• Early radical Nazism was hostile to Christianity – 24
point programme 1920 talked about promoting a new
form of ‘positive Christianity’ involving a rejection of
Jewish inheritance, rejection of traditional churches
and the adoption of ‘Aryan’ and ‘pagan’ rituals
• The influence of radical Nazism can be seen in the
German Faith Movement which in 1934 became the
official religion of Germany
Why the Nazis needed the churches
 Many church members, mostly Protestants,
voted for Hitler. Protestant pastors were among
the most popular election speakers.
 The church was the local power base for the
Nazis.
 The church supported the Nazis’ emphasis on
the military; priests accompanied troops during
the Rhineland invasion.
 The Church was also fanatically anti-Communist
 The Church was under pressure as like other
organizations in Germany that could make a
slight threat towards Hitler’s aim.
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The German Faith Movement
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Set up and led by Jakob Wilhelm Hauer
Sought to move Germany away from Christianity
towards a religion based on "immediate experience" of
God
The development of the German Faith Movement revolved
around four main themes:
• the propagation of the 'blood and soil' ideology
• the replacement of Christian ceremonies by pagan
equivalents; the most favoured pagan deity being the
sun, as can be seen from the flag of the faith movement
• the rejection of Christian ethics
• the cult of Hitler's personality.
Never caught on – never more 200,000 followers – less than
half of 1% of population.
• Hitler therefore still had to ‘deal’ with the traditional
Roman Catholic and protestant Churches in Germany
both of which maintained significant following and
loyalty.
The Catholic Churches
In 1933 Hitler signed a Concordat
with the Catholic church.
The Catholic Church was very strong
in Bavaria: the heartland of Nazi
support
This stated that Hitler would leave the
church alone and let them keep their
schools if the church would stay out
of politics.
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The Terms of the Concordat 1933
1. The RC Church guaranteed its ‘religious freedom’ and
right to conduct its own affairs free from government
interference.
2. RC Church property was guaranteed and the legal status
of clergy guaranteed. RC Church to retain the right to
appoint its own clergy.
3. RC Church allowed to continue its role in education.
4. RC Church not to be subjected to GLEICHSLATUNG.
(co-ordination)
5. In return the RC Church promised not to interfere in
politics and accepted the disbanding of its own political
party The Centre Party.
The Pope thought he had won a great victory whereas
Hitler knew he had bought some time
Hitler Ignores the Concordat
Very quickly it became apparent that the
Concordat meant little to the Nazis ... SA
continued to harass Catholic clergy and
Youth Groups
By the mid 1930’s the Concordat had
broken down completely
The Nazis and the Protestant Churches
• 28 protestant churches in Germany with over 45 million
members – largest the Lutheran Church with 18 million
• Divisions and lack on international dimension arguably made
Protestantism easier to ‘Nazify’
• In April 1933 Hitler appointed Ludwig Muller as National
Bishop or ‘Reich Bishop’ as a first step to ‘coordinating’
Protestantism
• Hitler also set up a new Reich Church headed by Muller in
which the Jewish origins of Christ and Christianity were
rewritten and an attempt made to marry Nazi ideas to
protestant ideas.
• Hitler called on all protestant pastors to join the new church –
only around 2,000 of 17,000 did so.
The Reich Church
Hitler tried to unify all Protestant churches
into one official Reich Church, but
because of this the Protestant Churches
split into two groups.
Churchgoers either supported the Nazis or
did little to oppose them.
After all the Protestant Churches were
united they started to wear Nazi-style
uniforms and used the slogan « The
swatsika on our breasts and the cross in
our hearts »
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The Confessional Church
• This was a direct response to Hitler’s attempt to Nazify
the Protestant Church and was a breakaway
independent church set up by Martin Niemoller.
• 7,000 protestant pastors joined the Confessional
church
• The Confessional church openly and publicly criticised
the Nazis throughout the period leading to many
arrests and executions.
• Niemoller himself was arrested and spent 7 years in
Sachensenhausen and Dachau concentration camps.
• Originally Niemoller had welcomed Nazism because of
its opposition to communism – only became a critic
when he witnessed Hitler's religious plans in operation.
Ministry for Church Affairs
• The failure of Muller and the growth of the
Confessing Church prompted Hitler to set up the
Ministry of Church Affairs in 1935
• Its main role was to harass, arrest and imprison
critical Christians – Niemoller himself arrested in
1937
• It was partially successful – even the confessing
Church remained silent in the face of the Final
Solution
• Some heroic exceptions e.g. Dietrich Bonhoffer –
active resistance fighter and member of the
Confessing Church – eventually executed 1945
Conflict with the RC Church
In 1937 Pope Pius XI issued a public letter
or encyclical called ‘Mit Brenneder Sorge’
in which he condemned Nazi paganism,
condemned the lack of human rights in
Germany, condemned the absence of
‘law’, condemned the Nazis racial policies
and describe Hitler as ‘arrogant and
dangerous’.
Hitler’s Response
• Hitler told catholic Germans to make a choice
between their religion or Nazism
• He handed ‘religious affairs’ to the SS to
monitor – persecution, harassment increases
• Removed all crucifixes from classrooms
• All Church youth and voluntary organisations
closed down
All this triggered serious opposition in
catholic areas such as Bavaria
Criticisms of Nazi Religious policy
 Pastor Niemöller, along with Dietrich Bonhoeffer formed an alternate
protestant church.
 Niemöller was arrested and spent 7 years in a concentration camp
for resisting the Nazis
 Bonhoeffer preached against the Nazis, but was stopped by the
Gestapo in 1937.
 He became involved with army intelligence members, who were
secretly opposed to Hitler.
 He helped Jews escape from the country.
 In 1942 he contacted the Allies and asked what peace terms they
would offer for overthrowing the Nazi government
 He was arrested in October 1942, and hanged in April 1945, shortly
before the end of the war.
 The Catholic Bishop Galen criticized the Nazis and in 1941 led a
protest against the Nazi policies of killing disabled people
 Since Galen had many supporters, the Nazis thought it was too risky
to silence him, to avoid trouble during the war. The Euthanasia
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campaign was stopped: a rare climbdown for the Nazis
Paul Schneider
 Schneider was a pastor who criticized the Nazis,
especially Josef Goebbels.
 In 1934 he was arrested and told not to make anti-Nazi
speeches, but he ignored this warning.
 In 1937 he was sent to a concentration camp, from
where he continued to send letters telling the church not
to compromise the Nazis.
 He was tortured, but refused to stop preaching. He was
locked in a cell, from where he prayed aloud for all the
prisoners.
 When the SS guards attacked the prisoners, he would
shout “I have seen this! And I will accuse you of murder
before God’s judgement seat!”
 He was signing a hymn when they finally shot him
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Timeline 1935 onwards
 1935 – Hitler set up a new department to control
churches. The Gestapo arrested 700 protestants
who opposed him.
 1936 – Nazis ran campaigns discouraging
children to attend church schools. Catholic nuns
and priests were charged for offences such as
illegal currency dealings or homosexuality.
 1937 – Christmas carols and nativity plays
banned from schools.
 1938 – Priests stopped from teaching religious
classes in schools.
 1939 – All remaining church schools abolished.
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