3) Nazi Society 3: Religion Flashcards
What did Nazism glorify?
Strength, violence and war whereas Christianity taught love, forgiveness and neighbourly respect
What philosophy was nazism based upon?
A fundamentally anti-christian philosophy
What did nazis aim to cultivate?
A teutonic paganism which became known as the German Faith Movement
What did the Day of Potsdam give the impression of?
A unity between the Protestant church and the state
What was signed in July 1933?
A Concordat was signed between the Papacy and the regime
Name three things that were decided in the concordat agreement.
- That Nazis would guarantee the catholic church’s religious freedom
- Nazis would accept the Catholic church’s control over its education
- In return, the catholic church wouldn’t interfere in politics and would give diplomatic recognition to the Nazi government
By 1935 what was clear that the nazi leadership had achieved?
Only limited success in its control over the churches
What was the church being lulled into by the hazis with the signing if the concordat in July 1933?
The church was being lulled into a false sense of security while the dictatorship was being established.
By the end of 1933 what was happening between the church and nazis?
By the end of 1933 nazi interference in religious affairs was already causing resentment and disillusionment in both the catholic and protestant churches.
What did the nazis hope would gradually happen to the protestant churches?
The nazis hoped that the protestant church would gradually be coordinated through the influence of the group known as the german christians
What did the group, the german christians, hope to reconcile?
The german christians hopes to reconcile their protestant ideas with nazi nationalist and racial thinking
In order to destabilise churches, when was established?
In order to destabilise the churches, the Ministry of Church Affairs, led by Hans Kerrl, was established.
Name three measures that Hans Kerrl, leader of the Ministry of Church Affairs, passed.
- The closure of church schools
- Confiscation of church funds
- The arrest of more and more pastors and priests
What did the anti-religious measures introduced by Hans Kerrl stimulate?
They stimulated opposition from both Caths and Prots for example, Pastor Niemöller delivered a sermon saying “we must obey God rather than man.”
What did Pope Pius XI eventually do?
In 1937 Pope Pius XI attacked the Nazis in his encyclical, With Burning Concern.
