Resistance from the Elites

Defining the Elites and the Nature of Opposition

Who were considered the "elites" in Germany?

Individuals holding traditional positions of power such as the Army High Command senior Civil Servants aristocratic landowners lawyers and big business leaders

Why was elite opposition fundamentally undermined?

Many conservatives broadly shared Hitler’s goals like rebuilding military strength and opposing Communism even if they disapproved of his methods

How did the regime consolidate power early on?

Through alliances with the army big business and conservative politicians

Why were these elite groups compromised?

Their cooperation with the regime hindered their ability to resist later

What tradition did the Civil Service and Army follow?

A strong tradition of serving the state regardless of who was in charge

What would active opposition require from elites?

A major intellectual and emotional shift

How many opponents were there within the Civil Service and Army?

Very small in number

Who made the most significant efforts at resistance among elites?

Minor nobility civil servants and the officer corps

Non-Military and Intellectual Resistance

What forms did elite opposition take besides violence?

Intellectual and public criticism

What did Vice-Chancellor Franz von Papen do in June 1934?

Criticised Nazi excesses in his Marburg University speech demanding an end to terror

Why was von Papen's opposition significant?

It carried the approval of President Hindenburg

What did economist Hjalmar Schacht do in August 1935?

Deplored anti-Semitic violence

Effectiveness of Elite Opposition

Was elite opposition effective in removing the regime?

No it was strategically ineffective

Why was elite opposition ineffective?

Opponents lacked unity and had varied motives from moral conviction to patriotic concerns to traditional conservative desires

What was the public reaction to the July Bomb Plot?

Gained very little sympathy and the plotters were vilified as traitors

What did SD reports indicate about public feeling after the plot?

Widespread relief that Hitler survived

What did organised resistance groups like the Kreisau Circle show?

That a fully totalitarian state was not achieved

Did elite resistance threaten the Nazi system as a whole?

No it ultimately failed and the regime was destroyed only by military defeat from outside

The extent and effectiveness of opposition

What forms and motives of dissent existed?

Varied forms motivated by grumbling about economic hardship and shortages

How were small criticisms treated in Nazi Germany?

Could result in arrest or charges

How did propaganda and repression affect loyalty?

Created an atmosphere of loyalty and fear

How did the majority of Germans view the regime?

Supported or at least accepted it

Was there organised large-scale resistance?

No opposition was fragmented isolated and lacked mass support

Why did most people accept the regime despite disagreements?

Believed Nazis restored order prosperity national pride and eliminated internal enemies