Opposition, resistance and conformity Flashcards
How well supported was the Nazi regime?
Many Germans went along with the Nazis because Hitler’s military spending and ambitious public-works programs, including building a German autobahn, helped restore prosperity after the shock of the Depression.
The Nazi focus on the “whole nation” brought lots of Germans together at a time where they thought Democracy had been weak and had kept society fractured.
What did opposition from the Church look like?
Many religious leaders opposed the Nazis. Some openly, and some in secret.
Some Catholic Priests spoke out against the Concordat and Nazi ideas and policies. Around 400 Catholic Priests were imprisoned in the “Priests’ Block” at Dachau, which had been the first Concentration Camp opened in 1933.
A group of Protestant Pastors set up a protest against
1.The joining of regional churches into one national German Christian Church.
2.Nazi attempts to stop Jews becoming Christians and to ban the Jewish Old Testament.
What was the specific role of Martin Niemoller?
He did not like Nazi interference in the Protestant Church and opposed the ban on Jews becoming Christians. In 1934, he discovered his phone had been “bugged” by the Gestapo and realised that Germany had become a Totalitarian State.
He spoke out against the Nazis more and more and was sent to the Sachsenhausen Concentration Camp in 1938 after being found guilty of crimes against the country (treason).
What did youth opposition look like?
Edelweiss Pirates: teenage boys and girls and influenced by American culture. If they found members of the Hitler Youth they would taunt and even attack them. They would get together and camp and sing songs that mocked the Hitler Youth.
The Swing Youth: emerged in richer districts of Germany. They also admired American culture. They would listen to American “swing music” such as the Glenn Miller Orchestra.
