Transcript The Nazis and the Churches

The Nazis and the Churches
www.educationforum.co.uk
The New Christianity... 100% Aryan
Daily Mirror 1941
Ideological Tensions
• The Nazis tended to see Christianity as tainted by
Judaism – a product of Jewish culture
• Hitler is quoted in 1933 as promising ‘to stamp out
Christianity’
• Early radical Nazism was hostile to Christianity – 24
point programme 1920 talked about promoting a new
form of ‘positive Christianity’ involving a rejection of
Jewish inheritance, rejection of traditional churches
and the adoption of ‘Aryan’ and ‘pagan’ rituals
• The influence of radical Nazism can be seen in the
German Faith Movement which in 1934 became the
official religion of Germany
The German Faith Movement
•
•
Set up and led by Jakob Wilhelm Hauer
Sought to move Germany away from
Christianity towards a religion based on
"immediate experience" of God
The development of the German Faith
Movement revolved around four main
themes:
• the propagation of the 'blood and soil'
ideology
• the replacement of Christian ceremonies
by pagan equivalents; the most favoured
pagan deity being the sun, as can be seen
from the flag of the faith movement
• the rejection of Christian ethics
• the cult of Hitler's personality.
Never caught on – never more 200,000
followers – less than half of 1% of
population.
• Hitler therefore still had to ‘deal’ with the
traditional Roman Catholic and protestant
Churches in Germany both of which
maintained significant following and
loyalty.
Relations with the Roman Catholic
Church
• The Nazis feared the influence of the RC
Church . It was the only international and
independent organisation operating within
Germany – a potential source of opposition.
• At first Hitler attempted to compromise with
the RC Church buying their compliance with
an agreement or Concordat with the Pope in
1933
The Terms of the Concordat 1933
1. The RC Church guaranteed its ‘religious freedom’ and right
to conduct its own affairs free from government
interference.
2. RC Church property was guaranteed and the legal status
of clergy guaranteed. RC Church to retain the right to
appoint its own clergy.
3. RC Church allowed to continue its role in education.
4. RC Church not to be subjected to GLEICHSLATUNG.
5. In return the RC Church promised not to interfere in
politics and accepted the disbanding of its own political
party The Centre Party.
The Pope thought he had won a great victory whereas Hitler
knew he had bought some time
Hitler Ignores the Concordat
• Very quickly it became apparent that the
Concordat meant little to the Nazis ... SA
continued to harass Catholic clergy and Youth
Groups
• By the mid 1930’s the Concordat had broken
down completely
Conflict with the RC Church
• In 1937 Pope Pius XI issued a public letter or
encyclical called ‘Mit Brenneder Sorge’ in
which he condemned Nazi paganism,
condemned the lack of human rights in
Germany, condemned the absence of ‘law’,
condemned the Nazis racial policies and
describe Hitler as ‘arrogant and dangerous’.
Hitler’s Response
• Hitler told catholic Germans to make a choice
between their religion or Nazism
• He handed ‘religious affairs’ to the SS to
monitor – persecution, harassment increases
• Removed all crucifixes from classrooms
• All Church youth and voluntary organisations
closed down
All this triggered serious opposition in catholic
areas such as Bavaria
Impact of War on Relations
• War intensified the conflict between the Nazis
and the RC Church
• 1941 Cardinal von Galen spoke out against the
Nazi euthanasia programme and the
programme was dropped quickly
• Harassment and arrest of lower clergy
intensified
• RC Church failed to speak out against the Final
solution ..... Why do you think this was?
The Nazis and the Protestant Churches
• 28 protestant churches in Germany with over 45 million
members – largest the Lutheran Church with 18 million
• Divisions and lack on international dimension arguably
made Protestantism easier to ‘Nazify’
• In April 1933 Hitler appointed Ludwig Muller as National
Bishop or ‘Reich Bishop’ as a first step to ‘coordinating’
Protestantism
• Hitler also set up a new GERMAN CHRISTIAN CHURCH
headed by Muller in which the Jewish origins of Christ and
Christianity were rewritten and an attempt made to marry
Nazi ideas to protestant ideas.
• Hitler called on all protestant pastors to join the new
church – only around 2,000 of 17,000 did so.
The Confessional Church
• This was a direct response to Hitlers attempt to Nazify
protestant and was a breakaway independent church set
up by Martin Niemoller.
• 7,000 protestant pastors joined the Confessional church
• Confessional church openly and publicly criticised the Nazis
throughout the period leading to many arrests and
executions.
• Niemoller himself was arrested and spent 7 years in
Sachensenhausen and Dachau concentration camps.
• Originally Niemoller had welcomed Nazism because of its
opposition to communism – only became a critic when he
witnessed Hitler's religious plans in operation.
Ministry for Church Affairs
• The failure of Muller and the growth of the Confessing
Church prompted Hitler to set up the Ministry of
Church Affairs in 1935
• Its main role was to harass, arrest and imprison critical
Christians – Niemoller himself arrested in 1937
• It was partial successful – even the confessing Church
remained silent in the face of the Final Solution
• Some heroic exceptions e.g. Dietrich Bonhoffer – active
resistance fighter and member of the Confessing
Church – eventually executed 1945
Key Questions – discuss and complete
in your revision twin
• What were the key events in relations
between the Nazis and the churches – draw 2
timelines to show these and learn them
• Why did Hitler and the Pope sign the
Concordat? – spider diagram the motives of
both
• Why was there so little opposition to the Nazis
from Christians? List possible reasons