Opposition to Nazi Regime

Overall judgement

The Nazis were largely successful in eliminating political opposition; however, while small reactionary forms of social opposition were eventually eliminated, they were not prevented

Elimination of the Left

The Reichstag Fire Decree and 661 seats won in November 1933; by 1935, 219 had been arrested (including Ernst Thalmann) and 24 were dead; their newspaper Roter Stosstrupp (Red Shocktroop) was shut down in December 1933 by the Gestapo

Elimination of the traditional elite

The 20 February 1933 secret meeting by Goering with firms Farben and Krupp co-opted industry; conservatives were purged in the Night of the Long Knives - e.g. von Papen's speechwriter Edgar Jung, for making a post-Hitler government list

Spontaneous rebellion: strikes

1935 riots in Berlin from a lack of eggs and butter

Youth opposition

The Edelweiss Pirates of West Germany - Barthel Schink hid Jews until executed in 1944; the Swing Youth wore makeup and the Union Jack, listened to jazz, wore short skirts and smoked

Church opposition

Dietrich Bonhoeffer - a founding member of the Confessing Church who aided the Barmen Declaration that Christ, not Hitler, headed the church - was only arrested in 1943; Pope Pius XI's 1937 With Burning Concern