Opposition From The Churches Flashcards
Why did German Churches support the Nazis?
-They preferred a strong, authoritarian government
-Nazis supported the family and old-fashioned values
-Nazis were opposed to communism and so were the church
-Disliked Judaism on theological grounds
What was the Concordat
-Hitler guaranteed freedom of the church to continue their services
-Their right to continue to run their own schools and youth groups
-Pastoral rights of the ministry
In return the church agreed to stay out of politics and ensure their own organisations did not interfere with the Hitler youth.
What happened in 1937
-Catholic schools were brought under the control of the Nazis so that Catholic children could be indoctrinated
-Catholic Youth organisations were banned and priests were arrested
What did Pope Pius XI
He issued a statement openly criticising Nazi actions which was extremely rare
Why was Cardinal Galen considered Nazi opposition
He publicly attacked them and revealed that they were secretly killing mentally and physically handicapped people
Who was Ludwig Muller
Minister of Religion from 1933 and Reich Bishop
What was the German Christian Church
Church that aligned with Nazi views with the aim to align German Protestantism as a whole towards those views
What was the confessional church
Opposition of the German Christian Church and Mullers views
Who was Martin Niemoller
Famous WW1 U-boat captain that opposed the views of Ludwig Muller and was an embarrassing foe to the Nazis. He was later arrested by the Gestapo
Who was Dietrich Bonhoeffer
German Lutheran Pastor that was a key founder of the Confessional Church. He was placed in a concentration camp is 1938 and executed in April 1945
What was the German Faith Movement
-Hitler was a new God
-It’s symbol was a Swastika
-Altar carried Mein Campf in Hitler Churches
