Opposition To Nazi Rule Flashcards
Why was there hardly any resistance to Nazi rule?
Police State created fear:
Many of Hitler’s political rivals were in exile, prison or hiding.
Left-wing groups distrusted each other too much to co-operate with each other in opposing Nazis
Gleichschaltung meant it was difficult for organisations to co-ordinate opposition
Massive scale of indoctrination & censorship convinced many of Hitler’s greatness & concealed any problems
Many Germans liked Hitler’s decisive leadership after weakness of Weimar politicians
Nazis had some popular achievements, such as full employment, disciplined youth & KdF
Number of unpopular policies were either dropped, such as euthanasia, or hidden, such as anti-Semitism
Hitler restored national pride by breaking terms of the Treaty of Versailles - for example by rearmament, remilitarisation of Rhineland & invasion of Austria & Czechoslovakia
How did the Protestant church oppose Hitler?
Hitler tried to unite Protestant churches into new Reich Church led by Bishop Müller
However, 6,000 Protestant ministers, under Pastor Martin Niemöller, formed Confessional Church instead
Only 2,000 clergy joined the Reich Church
800 clergy were sent to concentration camps with Niemöller held in Dachau from 1937 to 1945
Nazis were also unsuccessful in getting people to join their new pagan church, the German Faith Movement
How did Clemens von Galen oppose the Nazi regime?
In 1941, led protests against Nazi policies of killing mentally & physically ill people
These protests forced Nazis to temporarily stop implementing policy
Nazis decided too risky to silence him - they didn’t want trouble when at war, CVG had strong support
Catholic Churches in Galen’s state packed every Sunday - priests applauded by congregation when reading Galen’s words
Nazis arranged ‘Priests’ Bloc’ in Dachau - at least 400 catholic priests imprisoned
How did the Catholic Church pose Nazi regime?
Initially, Concordat with Rome in July 1933 appeared to work satisfactorily - Church stayed out of politics in return for Nazis letting its religious services, youth groups & schools continue to operate
However, as time passed some Catholics opposed Hitler because he broke Concordat’s terms
Catholic church also opposed Hitler because of growing censorship & persecution of Jews, & later policy of euthanasia.
In 1937, letter from Pope Pius XI attacking Hitler as ‘a mad prophet with repulsive arrogance’ read in every Catholic Church. Number of priests imprisoned for doing this
Although individual clerics opposed regime, most remained quiet - They didn’t speak out more vocally as they feared Hitler would eliminate religion completely if there were stronger protests from churches
They wanted to retain even minor role in German society so religion wasn’t completely erased from people’s lives
How did the Nazi regime impact on religion?
Overall, Nazis had some successes in trying to undermine influence of Protestant & Catholic Churches & limit their criticism of Hitler, but they never eliminated religion’s influence
What was the German faith movement?
Led by Nazi bishop Ludwig Muller
Adopted Nazi-style uniforms & known as ‘German Christians’
Carried slogan “with the swastika on our chests & the cross in our hearts”
Involved pagan-style worship of nature, centred on sun
Had 200,000 followers at its height
Ceremonies involved sermons, German classical music & Nazi ‘hymns’
What opposition came from Edelweißpiraten?
Edelweiss Pirates (Edelweißpiraten) - based initially in Rhineland, mainly working class
Members reacted to discipline of Hitler Youth by daubing anti-Nazi slogans & singing pre-1933 folk songs
Main activity was camping trips to countryside to get away from stifling control of Nazis
In 1942, over 700 were arrested
In 1944, Pirates in Cologne killed Gestapo chief, so Nazis publicly hanged 12 of them
What opposition came from die Weisse Rose?
White Rose group (die Weiße Rose) - formed by students at Munich University in 1943
Published anti-Nazi leaflets, distributed posters, wrote anti-Nazi graffiti & marched through city in protest at Hitler’s policies
Its leaders, brother & sister Hans and Sophie Scholl, arrested & sentenced to guillotine
What opposition came from Swing Youth?
‘Swing Youth’ & ‘Jazz Youth’ groups mainly upper middle class young people who rejected Nazi values as well as having money to visit night clubs
They danced jitterbug to banned jazz music
Closely monitored by Gestapo, who regularly raided illegal jazz clubs
What was the impact of the Nazi regime on young people?
In spite of opposition, young tended to be most active supporters of regime
They approved of Nazi slogans such as “Youth must lead the youth”
They liked diverse activities of Hitler Youth (HJ) & opportunity to get away from parental control
Hitler Youth also increased chances of university places & better jobs
Peer pressure played a part in their support for Hitler
Those who didn’t support regime often obeyed its rules out of fear of consequences of opposition for themselves or their family
