1. Society and economy in Nazi Germany Part two The Protestant and Catholic churches

2. Aims of the lesson By the end of this lesson you will Understand why the churches were important in Germany Understand how and why Hitler handled the Protestant and Catholic churches in different ways Evaluate the extent to which the Nazis had the churches under their control

3. Nazi policy towards the churches Nazis realised that the churches had (possibly) more power than the party At first he tried to win the churches over – sympathetic towards the Nazis because they feared the Communists At the same time the Nazis made it clear what would happen if the churches upset them

4. The Catholic Church In 1933 the Nazis signed a Concordat with the Catholic Church Nazis keep out of church affairs and the church keep out of political affairs Worked well – except for run ins with Cardinal Galen Pope Pius XI condemned Nazi racial policy in 1939

5. The Protestant Churches Hundreds of different Protestant denominations in Germany – difficult to control Nazi united them into one “Reich Church” led by a “Reich Bishop” Any people who opposed this change such as Niemoller and Paul Schneider were put in concentration camps

6. The Nazis and the Occult Many Nazis in the SS believed in the occult Tried to turn away the German people away from Christianity Did not work – people did not like it Even had Nazi Wedding ceremonies

7. How effective was Nazi control of the church? Most people in Germany feared god a lot more than they feared the Nazis The SS church did not take off – Germany remained a Christian country The churches realised that if they spoke out against the Nazis their members would face persecution Nazis realised that they would face opposition if they clamped down on the churches