Opposition Flashcards
1
Q
What are the Types of Opposition?
A
- Passive Opposition
2. Active Opposition
2
Q
Describe how the KPD was Political Opposition?
A
- 1932 - KPD membership = 17% of vote (300000 seats)
- Communist leaflets/magazines/newspapers distributed
- 1935 - 5000 active communists in Berlin
- Leaders escaped to Moscow
3
Q
What were the Strengths of the KPD?
A
- They were supported by the Soviet Union (red army)
- Had Trade Union Links
- Organised
- Violent
- Extreme
4
Q
What were the Weaknesses of the KPD?
A
- Nazi-Soviet Pact (1939-41) compromised Resistance
- Active resistance was limited + geared towards self-preservation
- Dependent on exiled leaders
- Did not cooperate with other left wing parties
5
Q
Describe how the SPD were Political Opposition
A
- Purged + Banned by the Nazis
- Socialist were arrested
- Leaders fled to Prague
- SOPADE (socialist in excile) set up
- Collected valuable information about life in Nazi Germany
6
Q
What were the Strengths of the SPD?
A
- Had trade union links
- Considered respectable
7
Q
What were the Weaknesses of the SPD?
A
- Would not cooperate with other left wing groups
- Banned
- Small, passive groups rather than active
8
Q
Describe how the Conservatives were Political Opposition
A
- 33-39 = worked with Nazi government
- Didn’t agree with the extremes used
- Few chose to resist him - passive?
- motivation = Nazis had failed to maintain rule of law
9
Q
What were the Strengths of the Conservatives?
A
- Wealthy
10
Q
What were the Weaknesses of the Conservatives?
A
- Same ideology
11
Q
Describe how the Church was a Religious Opposition
A
- Neither of the churches coordinated - therefore enjoyed a degree of independence
- Adopted a pragmatic policy towards the Nazis
- Stood up for their own practices + traditions - genuinely refrained from wholesale denunciations of the regime
- 95% Germany = Christians
12
Q
What were the Similarities Between the Church and the Nazi Regime?
A
- Both hated communism
- Churches believed the personal behaviour under the Weimar Republic had deteriorated
- Believed that Jews had become too prominent + needed to be dealt with leaglly
- Shared views on strong family values
- Saw the war on the east as a holy crusade
13
Q
How did the Protestant Church Oppose the Nazis?
A
- Confessional Church
- Led by Niemoller + Bonhoeffer
- Wanted to retain its independence
- Did not oppose the Nazis ideologically but on the grounds that the church had lost its independence
- Niemoller sent to concentration camp + Bonhoeffer was executed
14
Q
How did the Catholic Church Oppose the Nazis?
A
- More centralised + governed by the Pope
- Concordat signed in 1933
- Some Nazi polices were popular BUT tensions increased when Catholic youth groups were banned, Crucifixes banned from schools + priests arrested
- 1941 = Bishop von Galen criticized the euthanasia program (stopped for short period) protested at removal of crucifixes
15
Q
What were the Strengths of the Religious Opposition?
A
- Very big group - 95% of Germans
- Extremely influential
- Moral opposition
