Nazi Policies towards the Church Learning Intention: We will be able to understand and explain the problems Hitler had with the Church and how he tried to control it. “Christianity was ‘the unshakeable foundation of the moral life of our people’” – Hitler (speech at the Reichstag in 1933)

Starter: Fill in the bubbles LI: We will be able to understand and explain the problems Hitler had with the Church and how he tried to control it.

What is the significance of this poem? LI: We will be able to understand and explain the problems Hitler had with the Church and how he tried to control it. Pastor Martin Niemoller 'First they came for the Communists, but I was not a Communist, so I said nothing. Then they came for the Social Democrats, but I was not a Social Democrat, so I did nothing. Then came the trade unionists, but I was not a trade unionist. And then they came for the Jews, but I was not a Jew, so I did little. Then when they came for me, there was no one left to stand up for me.‘

The Churches in Germany LI: We will be able to understand and explain the problems Hitler had with the Church and how he tried to control it. Churches before 1933 Catholic Members: 22 million (32% of population); concentrated in west and south Powerful institutions with range of bodies; e.g youth organisations (1.5 million members), schools, charities The Catholic Z and BVP parties together regularly received about one-fifth of the votes in Weimar elections Protestants Members: over 40 million (58% of population) Mainly Lutheran (evangelical) and Calvinist Organised separately in 28 state-based Churches Youth organisations have 700,000 members

Should the Nazis destroy the churches? LI: We will be able to understand and explain the problems Hitler had with the Church and how he tried to control it. Destroy them! In 1933 nearly all Germans were Christians – 1/3 Roman Catholic and 2/3 were Protestants. Protestant church had more members than the Nazi Party. Religious beliefs are powerful – people who believed in God might be less likely to believe in Hitler. Church taught very clear rules of behaviour and attitude – what if this conflicted with Nazi ideas Use them! Many Church members voted for Hitler – Protestant church pastors were among the most successful Nazi election speakers. Common ground – importance of family – Church supported emphasis on Military – marched into Rhineland in 1936 Church was the local power base of the Nazis – build on this and they could be stronger still

Concordat – June 1933 LI: We will be able to understand and explain the problems Hitler had with the Church and how he tried to control it. Concordat – Agreement/Understanding between Catholic Church not to interfere with each other. Hitler allowed religious work to continue Catholics to not involve themselves in politics

Should the Church support the Nazis? LI: We will be able to understand and explain the problems Hitler had with the Church and how he tried to control it. This photo taken in the 1930s shows Catholic bishops in Germany giving the Nazi salute. List as many reasons as you can, why you might expect the Catholic Church to support the Nazis and why you might expect them to oppose them.

Should the Church support the Nazis? LI: We will be able to understand and explain the problems Hitler had with the Church and how he tried to control it. Reasons for supporting Nazis 1933 – 45 Nazis were in government Nazis projected themselves as guardians of moral values Fear & intimidation July 1933 Concordat Tradition of anti-Semitism? Reasons for opposing Nazis Nazi ideology contradicted Christian values Zentrum Party natural choice for Catholic supporters Threat to religious authority & influence of Catholic Church

What changes were made? LI: We will be able to understand and explain the problems Hitler had with the Church and how he tried to control it. PolicyEffect Stage 1: Control – gain as much control as possible over existing Churches a) Creation of a unified Protestant Reich Church Failed since Confessional Church broke away b) Concordat agreement with Pope Initial harmony; later criticism of state infringement of the Concordat Stage 2: Weaken – weaken hold of traditional Christianity a) Make Protestantism more Nazi via German Christians Provoked reaction and increased support for Confessional Church b) Undermine and reduce influence of Catholic Church Public hostility Stage 3: Replace – replace Christianity with a true Nazi religion Replace Christianity with German faith movement Only sporadic attempts to achieve this; postponed until after war

What changes were made? LI: We will be able to understand and explain the problems Hitler had with the Church and how he tried to control it. Your Task Hitler’s policy towards the Church as you have seen can be summarised as control, weaken and replace. Read your handout and find evidence of these three stages. Record your findings in a table like the one below. StageEvidence Control Weaken Replace

What changes were made? LI: We will be able to understand and explain the problems Hitler had with the Church and how he tried to control it. StageEvidence Control Reich Church Concordat (1933) Law against Formation of New Parties (1933) ended Zentrum party German Christians But…Confessional Church, outcry over oath of loyalty, challenges to Reich Church Weaken Church groups disbanded & Hitler Youth compulsory from 1936 Education secularised, e.g. less emphasis on RE, crucifixes removed from classes; denominational schools closed (65% of children went to church schools in 1933, 5% by 1937) Church secession campaign; in 1937 over 100,000 Christians left the church Replace 1939 – 3.5 million Germans were members of Gottglaubig (God- believing) neo-pagan movement After World War Two Hitler intended to replace Christianity with new German Faith Movement

Support for Nazis within Church LI: We will be able to understand and explain the problems Hitler had with the Church and how he tried to control it. Ludwig Muller Müller was the leader of the German Christians. Strongly nationalist and anti-Semitic Protestant army chaplain. Elected Reich Bishop in Pushed into the background after the Confessional Church broke away Alfred Rosenberg Was anti-Semetic, anti- Christian Nazi ideologue. Promoted the German Faith Movement as a new pagan cult. Within the party fought against Christianity. Pope Pius XII Was a papal diplomat in Germany and played a major part in negotiating the Concordat. After being elected Pope in 1939 he did not openly condemn Nazism, just communism.

Resistance to Nazis from within Church LI: We will be able to understand and explain the problems Hitler had with the Church and how he tried to control it. In 1934, Confessional Church – broke away from Reich Church due to resistance to state interference; Martin Niemöller & Dietrich Bonhöffer Bishop Galen, Catholic Bp. Munster, aka ‘Lion of Munster’ for outspoken sermons

Did the Nazis succeed in controlling the churches? LI: We will be able to understand and explain the problems Hitler had with the Church and how he tried to control it. After 1935, once the Nazis felt they had more control over Germany, the policies to control the church became bolder. Policy was chaotic – Nazis improvised, changed their minds, and bowed to public pressure. Local leaders were responsible for setting the policy – some sent SA men to murder priests while others went to church every Sunday and sang in the choir! Success therefore varied from place to place 1939 census results: 1,944,000 Roman Catholics 42,636,000 Protestants 1,208,000 Without belief 2,746,000 Neo- pagan What do the figures above tell us?

Fill in the bubbles LI: We will be able to understand and explain the problems Hitler had with the Church and how he tried to control it.