Nazi Religious Policies And Attitude To Churches Flashcards
Why did Hitler have to work carefully in removing Christianity from Nazi Germany?
The vast majority of the population were Christians and their religions paid a very important role in the day-to-day lives of many ordinary citizens.
What was the concordat?
A deal made with the Catholic Church where the Catholic Church could keep their schools and the Nazis would not take away any of their property in return for the Catholic Church not to criticise of oppose the Nazi government.
How did the Nazis betray the concordat?
All catholic schools and youth groups were closed down, personal campaigns held against priests, catholic funds were taken away and all crucifixes and religious symbols were removed and replaced by the Swastika.
Why did the Nazis betray the concordat?
They waited a few years until they had consolidated their power to reduce the amount of opposition they received.
What happened to the priests who opposed the betrayal?
They were either murdered or arrested
What happened to the Protestant Church?
It was replaced by the German Faith Movement
What did the German Faith Movement do?
Replaced Christian ceremonies with pagan ones, the Nazi equivalent.They rejected Christian ethics and introduced the ‘Fuhrer Cult’. They also set up a group called ‘The German Christians’ to try to combine Protestantism with Nazism.
Who is Bishop Galen?
A catholic man who openly opposed and criticised the Nazi euthanasia policy. This caused them to stop for a period of time.
Who is Dietrich Bonhoeffer and what happened to him?
A Protestant pastor who helped Jews emigrate and escape from Germany. He was later killed in a concentration camp.
Who was Pastor Niemoller and what happened to him?
Niemoller wrote a famous poem about the evils of Nazism. He was later killed in a concentration camp.
Why was there so little opposition?
- Both churches were even more fearful of Communism than Nazism so sided with Nazism to reduce the risk of a communist takeover.
- Nationalism appealed to the Churches as they thought it would help the regain their traditional power.
- Both churches also feared the power of the Nazis and the potential punishment if they opposed.
