Religion - N Flashcards
Why would the Church support the Nazis?
Hitler liked traditional values and wanted to respect old traditions.
The Nazis liked the idea of marriage because they wanted to promoted Lebensborn and increase the birth rate in Germany.
Communists were opposing of religion and Hitler had been violently targetting them.
Nazis had proven to be strong, effective rulers after years of chaos in Germany.
Why would the Church oppose the Nazis?
Nazis weren’t very forgiving of their enemies - killing millions of political enemies and racial groups.
Nazis hated the weak and vulnerable - started a programme of euthanasia to deliberately kill people with disabilities.
Nazi study of Eugenics which taught that some races were better than others.
Hitler was the Furhrer which made him appear to be a God-like figure.
All youth groups expect those that promoted Nazis values like Hitler Youth were banned.
How many Germans were Christian?
20 million Catholics.
40 million Protestants.
How did the Nazis control the Catholic Church?
1933: Hitler signed a Concordat with the Pope saying that the Nazi Party and Catholic Church wouldn’t interfere with eachother.
Hitler soon broke this agreement. Catholic priests were harasses and arrested. Catholic youth clubs and schools were closed down.
1937: “With Burning Anxiety” statement from the Pope, declaring that the Nazis were “hostile to Christ and his Church”.
Catholic support fell as Hitler replaced crosses with swastika and Nazi symbols.
- but many Catholics remained strong supporters of a strong Reich and anti-semetism.
Bishop Galen was openly critical of the Nazis.
August 1941: He held protests against euthanasia arguing that all men were equal in the eyes of God.
- The Nazis didn’t want to kill him as it would make him a martyr and could lead to more protests.
- He was put on house arrest until the end of the war.
How did the Nazi Party control the Protestant Church?
Many protestants agreed with Nazi anti-semetism.
Reich Church: set up to make all Protestants work under the instruction of one authority as many would only listen to their local priest.
It was led by Bishop Ludwig Muller in September 1933.
Pastor Martin Neimoller was critical of the unfair treatment towards Jews and other minorities.
- Formed a Confessional Church which openly criticised Nazis.
- The Nazis arrested around 800 pastors of the Confessional Church.
- Neimoller was sent to a concentration camp in 1938 and the church was banned.
Dietrich Banhoeffer helped Jews and contacts Allies trying to make a peace deal in return for overthrowing Hitler.
- Was hanged in 1945.
