Shaping Society Topic K – Part Four - Churches and Religion

Religion in Germany O In the 1930s, most German people were Christian. Of those, two-thirds were Protestant and the remaining one-third were Catholic.

Nazis and Religion O 25-Points Programme O Number 24 O In favour of ‘positive Christianity’ O Ideology of Nazism vs Christianity O Nazism O Glorified strength, violence and war O Völkisch thought O Christianity O Taught love, forgiveness and neighbourly respect O Product of ‘inferior’ race – Jesus was a Hebrew

Himmler, Heydrich and Hitler – on religion O Himmler and Heydrich O Openly against religion O Hitler O Cautious about criticising religion O 1933 – private conversation O ‘Neither… Catholic or Protestant (religions) … has any future left… That won’t stop me stamping out Christianity.’

German Faith Movement O What? O Teutonic paganism O Who promoted? O Alfred Rosenberg O Themes? O ‘Blood and Soil’ Ideology O Replace Christian ceremonies, such as marriage and baptism, with pagan equivalents O Rejection of Christian ethics – closely linked to racial and nationalist views O The cult of Hitler’s personality

German Faith Movement badge

Parade organised by ‘German Faith Movement’

Conciliation and conflict, O Hitler’s first speech O Paid tribute to them as integral to well-being of nation O Members of SA encouraged to visit Church services O Also ‘Day of Potsdam’ linked to Protestant church O Catholic Church to Nazis O Sympathetically O Frightened of Kulturkampf of late nineteenth century

SA in Church

Conciliation and conflict, O Concordat (July 1933) O Signed by the Papacy and the regime (Von Papen - Catholic) O Nazis would guarantee the Catholic Church religious freedom O The Nazis would not interfere with the Catholic Church’s property and legal rights O The Nazis would accept the Catholic Church’s control over its own education O In return, the Catholic Church would not interfere in politics and would give diplomatic recognition to the Nazi government

Conciliation and conflict, O Why Concordat significant? O Co-operation between pope and Nazis O But O Just lulling church into false sense of security while dictatorship being established O By end 1933 – resentment in Catholic and Protestant churches

Protestant Churches and Nazis O Nazis deal with them? O Hoped to ‘co-ordinate’ them (Gleichschaltung) through German Christians (Deutsche Christen) O Reconcile religious ideas with Nazi nationalist and racist thinking – common ground O July 1933 – Church constitution O Ludwig Müller – first Reich Bishop

Müller and Hitler

Reich Church

Protestant Churches and Nazis O Reaction? O Alienated pastors O Opposition group formed O Confessional Church (Bekennende Kirche) O Orthodox Protestantism against Nazi distortions O Led by Martin Niemöller O O By 1934 – 7000 pastors of O Represent «true» Protestant Churches of Germany

Memorial to Niemöller

Churches and the state O Nazis ‘torn’ over policies O Total suppression – would alienate large numbers of Germans O Or – limited persecution – allow unacceptable amount of independence outside state control O Became – war of attrition O ‘Ministry of Church Affairs’ O Led by Hanns Kerrl

Churches and the state O ‘Ministry of Church Affairs’ (1935) O Closure of Church schools O Undermine Catholic youth groups O Personal campaigns to harass the clergy, eg. monasteries were accused of sexual and financial malpractices O Confiscation of Church funds O Campaign to remove crucifixes from schools O Arrest of more and more pastors and priests

Churches and the state O Churches weakened? O yes O Who spoke out? What did they say? O Niemöller (Confessional Church) O Sermon ‘we must obey God rather than man’ – interned and held in concentration camps until end of war O The Pope, Pius XI O ‘Mit brennender Sorge’ – 1937 – public letter (cyclical) criticising Nazis

Churches and the state O Outbreak of war – cautious O Wished to avoid unnecessary tensions O Persecution towards religion intensify from Why? O Easy victories against Poland and France O Soviet Union – atheist O Pressure from anti-Christian enthusiasts O Borman and Heydrich O How did anti-religion activities intensify? O Monasteries closed O Church property attacked O Church activities restricted

Churches and the state O How religion treated in Poland? O Example of ‘New Order’ O Ran full course O Many Catholic clergy executed and churches closed down

Success O 40% of Catholic clergy. 50% Protestant pastors O Harrassed by Nazis O No successful opposition from Churches O Not ‘co-ordinated’ – independent O Instead – pragmatic O stood up for own practices O Showed dissent not proper denunciation of regime O Church reluctant to show opposition (conservative) O Dîstrusted politics from left O Nationalist sympathy (Lutherans remembered being state church in Prussia) O Fearful of consequences – bloody consequences

Failure O German Faith Movement O 1939 – only 5% members O Maybe would have gained more support of germany had won war O Christians made stands against Nazis O Nazis wary O Loyalty to Churches survived O J.R.C Wright – ‘The Churches were severely handicapped but not destroyed. Hitler’s programme needed time: he himself was destroyed before it had taken root’

Opposition O Bishop Galen of Münster O O Sermon attacking Nazi euthanasia policy in 1941 O So powerful – authorities did not arrest him adn stopped programme O Martin Niemöller O Founder of Confessional Church O In concentration camp from 1937

Opposition O Dietrich Bonhoeffer O Orginally ‘dissent’ O From 1940 – political resistance O Helped Jews emigate O Worked with Kreisau Circle O Tried to liase with British intelligence O 1945 – murdered in concentration camp