Opposition and resistance to the Nazi Party

Question 1

What organisation was set up in 1933 by anti-Nazi Protestant pastors?

Answer 1

The Pastors’ Emergency League (PEL)

Question 2

Give two reasons why the Pastors’ Emergency League (PEL) opposed the Nazis

Answer 2

1) They opposed the joining of regional churches into one national German Church

2) They opposed Nazi attempts to stop Jewish people from becoming Christians and to ban the Jewish Old Testament

Question 3

Who was the leader of the Pastors’ Emergency League (PEL)?

Answer 3

Martin Niemöller

Question 4

What church did the Pastors’ Emergency League (PEL) set up in 1934?

Answer 4

The Confessing Church

Question 5

How many times more pastors joined the Confessing Church compared to the Reich Church?

Answer 5

3 times (6,000 vs 2,000)

Question 6

How many pastors were arrested for speaking out against the Nazis? How many of these received a major prison sentence?

Answer 6

800 arrested

50 imprisoned

Question 7

Who did Martin Niemöller vote for in the 1924 and 1933 Reichstag elections?

Answer 7

The Nazis

Question 8

Why did Martin Niemöller oppose the Nazis?

Answer 8

He opposed their interference in the running of the Protestant Church

Question 9

What did Martin Niemöller discover in 1934?

Answer 9

His telephone had been bugged by the Gestapo (they could listen to his phone calls)

Question 10

What happened to Martin Niemöller between 1934 and 1937?

Answer 10

He was repeatedly arrested

Question 11

What was Martin Niemöller charged with in 1937?

Answer 11

Making ‘treasonable statements’ (statements which opposed the Nazis)

Question 12

What was Martin Niemöller’s punishment when he was found guilty of treason in 1938?

Answer 12

Solitary confinement in Sachsenhausen concentration camp

Question 13

What happened to Martin Niemöller in 1945?

Answer 13

He was freed from Dachau concentration camp

Question 14

Where were the Edelweiss Pirates based in Germany?

Answer 14

Working-class districts of big cities

Question 15

Why did the Edelweiss Pirates hate the Nazis?

Answer 15

They hated their military discipline and lack of freedom in Germany

Question 16

How did boys in the Edelweiss Pirates use their appearance to DEFY the Nazis?

Answer 16

They wore their hair longer and wore American styles of clothing (white/checked shirts and white socks)

Question 17

What would happen if the Edelweiss Pirates came across any young Nazis?

Answer 17

They would taunt or attack them

Question 18

How did the Edelweiss Pirates break away from adults and Nazi restrictions?

Answer 18

They went on long hikes in the countryside

Question 19

Give THREE things the Edelweiss Pirates did on their countryside hikes

Answer 19

1) Pitched tents

2) Sang parodies of Hitler Youth songs

3) Told anti-Nazi jokes

Question 20

In what two ways was opposition from the Edelweiss Pirates LIMITED?

Answer 20

1) Their opposition was mainly cultural, not political

2) There were 2,000 Edelweiss Pirates in 1939, compared to 8 million members of the Hitler Youth

Question 21

Where were the Swing Youth based in Germany?

Answer 21

Middle-class areas of big towns

Question 22

What country’s culture did the Swing Youth admire?

Answer 22

The USA

Question 23

What did members of the Swing Youth own to play music on?

Answer 23

Record players

Question 24

Give an example of a swing band that members of the Swing Youth would listen to

Answer 24

The Glen Miller Orchestra

Question 25

Give an example of a dance the Swing Youth would perform

Answer 25

The jitterbug

Question 26

How many people would attend illegal dances organised by the Swing Youth?

Answer 26

6,000

Question 27

What other activities would members of the Swing Youth perform when listening to music or dancing that the Nazis opposed?

Answer 27

Drinking and smoking

Question 28

What did Heinrich Himmler say about young Germans who listened to jazz music?

Answer 28

They should be “beaten, given the severest exercise and then put to hard labour”

Question 29

In what way was opposition from the Swing Youth limited?

Answer 29

They were not just anti-Nazi - they were anti-politics in general