Opponents of the Nazis Flashcards
Who were the 3 main political opponents to the Nazis?
The Socialist Party, the Communist Party and the Trade Unions
Why did the Nazis have political opponents?
Their groups were banned in July 1933, amongst other reasons
What did the political opponents do in protest? (4 things)
They were mostly working class citizens, so they striked: there were 400 strikes from 1933 to 1935. They also promoted their groups by handing out leaflets, held secret meetings and graffitied anti-Nazi slogans on walls
What did the Nazis do to their political opponents? (3 things)
They raided, ransacked and closed their offices, members of the Reichstag and former party ministers were put in concentration camps and members were beaten up
How effective were the Nazis in getting rid of their political opponents?
Pretty effective because they shut down their offices so the other parties had to go into hiding
The church was an opponent of the Nazis. What percentage of Germans were Christian?
About 32% were Catholic (22 million people) and 58% were Protestant (44 million people); there were also other smaller churches
Why did the church oppose the Nazis?
Dietrich Bonhoeffer (a minister trainer) preached that true religion was standing up to evil and corrupt governments and that Nazism was anti-Christian
In what ways did the church oppose the Nazis? (2 things)
Many Protestant ministers refuse to swear an oath of loyalty to Hitler in the new Reich Church and by 1934, 6000 Protestant pastors had left the Reich Church. Individuals also stood up to the Nazis, for example Dietrich Bonhoeffer
What did the Nazis do the church? (3 things)
They closed down all church youth groups and church schools by 1936 and 1939 respectively, 50 pastors (out of 17,000) and 1 bishop were imprisoned and a few individuals were executed
How effective were the Nazis in getting rid of their Christian opponents?
Very effective because there was not a lot of opposition
Who opposed the Nazis in the army?
Army officers who disagreed with Hitler’s war tactics ad military strategy
Why did the Nazis have military opponents?
They didn’t like the way the army was being run and wanted to replace Hitler and have more power
In what ways did the army oppose the Nazis? (1 thing)
They tried to assassinate Hitler- there were dozens of plots but the one that came the closest was Claus von Stauffenberg’s plot in Hitler’s military headquarters in July 1944
What did the Nazis do the army? (1 thing)
After Stauffenberg’s bomb plot, Hitler rounded up all his known opponents; 5000 people were arrested and executed
How effective were the Nazis in getting rid of their military opponents?
Quite effective as 5000 opponents were killed
