Controlling the church

Question 1

Why was the Church deemed a threat to Hitler/ the Nazis?

Answer 1

-they held a lot of power and influence over people’s opinions, views and actions
-concordat between the Pope
-the Church’s message was love and peace which contrasted the Nazi ideology
-large number of Christians in Germany
-Hitler wanted to be seen as God-like and the Church hindered this ideology->people believed in God more than Hitler
-opposed Nazi ideology

Question 2

What were the 1939 census results on religion?

Answer 2

-1,944,000 Roman Catholics
-42,636,000 Protestants
-1,208,000 Without belief
-2,746,000 Neo-pagan

Question 3

What were Hitler’s aims with religion/the Church?

Answer 3

-control over existing churches
-weaken the hold of traditional Christianity
-replace Christianity with a new Nazi religion
-in 1933 almost all Germans were Christians: 1/3 Catholic and 2/3 were Protestant

Question 3

What were Hitler’s private intentions for the Church?

Answer 3

-to get rid of Christianity

Question 4

What were the policies towards Protestantism?

Answer 4

-supported German Christians who wanted Nazi spirit incorporated into their faith
-set up a official Reich Church which attempted to combine all Protestants within one structure

Question 5

How did Hitler try and gain support of the Pope through policies towards Catholicism?

Answer 5

-initially the Pope was co-operative and agreed to disband the Centre Party
-July 1933 Concordat meant that the Pope recognised the new Regime and the Regime promised not to interfere with the Church->they kept educational institutions, youth groups and other communal facilities

Question 5

Why were Protestantism easier to control than Catholicism?

Answer 5

-Protestantism doesn’t have a leader/Pope so it was easier to gain control

Question 6

Why was policy towards Catholicism harder to control than Protestantism?

Answer 6

-Hitler recognised the difficulty of controlling the Catholic Church so he looked for an agreement from the Pope to gain control

Question 7

Who did the Nazis target to increase control over Catholicism?

Answer 7

-church schools->they closed a number of them which was pushing the next generation into Nazism

Question 8

How was the Concordat with the Pope not stuck to by the Nazis?

Answer 8

-in 1936 Catholic youth groups were disbanded and parents were pressured to send their children to state schools->more control over spreading Nazi ideology without the Church’s influence
-in 1935 65% went to denominational schools but by 1937 there was only 5%

Question 9

How did the Nazis decrease the influence of the Priests?

Answer 9

-200 priests were accused of financial and sexual misbehaviour
-show trial happened due to this and it led to monasteries closed down

Question 10

What happened to the Concordat about Pope Pius XI?

Answer 10

-as the terms weren’t stuck to and Pope Pius became disillusioned and issued ‘with burning grief’-> outspoken attack on Nazism
-led to the Nazis losing the support of the Pope

Question 11

What was the Church more concerned about over excommunicating those who were involved in the genocide?

Answer 11

-more concerned with maintaining itself through the regime

Question 12

What was Hitler’s public and private view on the Church?

Answer 12

-Hitler publicly acknowledged the role of Christianity but because of its opposing values
-he privately vowed to eliminate it

Question 13

Why did many Christians support Nazism?

Answer 13

-due to its anti-communism and respect for traditional cultural values

Question 14

What was the Nazi approach?

Answer 14

-was initially to try and control the Churches then weaken them and finally replace them

Question 15

What were the Catholic Church still concerned by even since signing the agreement with Hitler?

Answer 15

-the governments actions

Question 16

What was the Reich Church created to do?

Answer 16

-to control Protestantism and try and merge the two
-but the breakaway confessional Church rejected government interference

Question 17

What ways did the Nazis fail in controlling the Church?

Answer 17

-some priests were arrested and some Church organisations were threatened but the Christian faith remained strong and increased again during WW2
-the Nazi efforts to introduce the German Faith movement failed
-there was more criticism of and opposition to the regime from individual Christians than from the Church’s institutions

Question 18

What were the results of policies towards Protestantism?

Answer 18

-Confessional Church set up – over 100 Pastors set this up to preserve the independence of Protestantism
-a lot of public outcry when German Christians required Pastors to swear Oath of Loyalty to Hitler and when two Pastors were arrested
-In 1933 the Reich Church (Nazi) was set up to unite all Protestant Churches

Question 19

What did the Nazis set up in 1933 to unites all Protestant Churches?

Answer 19

-the Reich Church

Question 20

What lines did songs include in the Hitler Youth?

Answer 20

-“Germany had all it needed in Hitler it did not need Christianity”
-“The Swastika was better than the cross”

Question 20

What changes did Hitler make to religion?

Answer 20

-prayers were said which included thanks to God for sending Hitler to Germany as he was seen as a saviour
-festivals were held to celebrate the German Bronze age past-> a pagan past

Question 21

What did the German Faith Movement include?

Answer 21

-many non-Christian sects grew up ->The German Faith Movement: all pro-Nazi and anti-Semitic, most were Pagan, worshiped the suns and the seasons->no god, Nazi ceremonies to replace Christian weddings, baptisms and funerals

Question 22

What was the German Faith Movement?

Answer 22

-it sought to move Germany away from Christianity and towards a religion based on ‘immediate experience’ of God
-didn’t catch on and had a small following

Question 23

What were Pastors required to do?

Answer 23

-Pastors were required to take an oath of loyalty to Hitler

Question 24

What did all of this mean to Hitler? (controlling the church)

Answer 24

-he had increased control over the Church and therefore had more control over Germany
-he was gaining more influence over the youth than the Church

Question 25

What was a result of the Reich Church?

Answer 25

-made clear Nazi intentions and prompted over 100 Pastors to create the Confessional Church
-whilst not being anti-Nazi explicitly it attempted to prevent Nazi interference with the Protestant Church

Question 26

When the Nazi Party launched a ‘Church secession campaign’ in the mid 1930s what did it encourage Germans to do?

Answer 26

-abandon their churches and by 1937 over 100,000 Christians left the Church

Question 27

When was Pope Pius XII elected and how did this help the Nazis?

Answer 27

-March 1939
-did not condemn Nazism just communism
-no comment on anti-Semitism
-refused to excommunicate those who were involved in genocide

Question 28

What was the Confessional church more concerned about?

Answer 28

-protecting itself than destabilising the Nazi regime

Question 29

How much did the Church support the Nazis?

Answer 29

-initially they cooperated but then became more critical with things like the Euthanasia programme
-the church was a big issue to the Nazis as it had so much influence

Question 30

Who did the Nazis imprison to gain more control over the church?

Answer 30

-priests