opposition - nazi germany

explain how Hitler repressed the left to weaken his political opponents

• many supporters of the left lost their jobs

• due to laws such as the Law for the Protection of the Professional Civil Service (1933)

• party and trade union activists were sent to concentration camps

• communists were subject to greater levels of persecution from the Nazis

Nazi response to communist opposition 1934-1939

• 34,000 individuals, majority communists, were tired by the people’s Court

• they received sentence averaging 6 years

• the use of capital punishment in the Third Reich accelerated for both political and criminal cases

example of radical communist resistance

• George Elser

• communist

• tried to assassinate Hitler in 1939

• by placing a bomb near the platform Hitler was to deliver a speech at

describe the Roman Catholic Church’s opposition to the Nazis

• Catholic Church had entered into an agreement with Nazism with the Concordat of 1933

• many Catholic priests opposed Nazism

• due to its promotion of neo-paganism and euthanasia

• 1938 - Papal encyclical Mit Brennender Sorge criticised the Nazi state

• there was criticism within the Church of Bishop Clemens von Galen regarding the Nazi policy of euthanasia

• around 40% of Catholic priests were harassed by the regime

• opposition from the Catholic Church was individual, instead of institutional

• as although the Roman Catholic Church had entered into an agreement with the Nazi party

• many priests and clergymen were actively speaking out against the Nazis on a small scale

describe the Protestant Church’s opposition to the Nazis

• opposition was to specific policies instead of Nazism itself

• “The Churches’ opposition was issue driven” - M Housden, ‘Resistance and Conformity in the Third Reich’

• there was generally less opposition from the Protestant Churches

• 800/17,000 Protestant pastors were arrested by the Nazis

describe the youth’s opposition to the Nazis (SWING)

• Hitler Youth report on Swing (August 1940) stated that:

• “no one danced normally”

• “you had to worry about the sanity of some of them”

• signalling to the non-conformity of the youth within the Nazi regimen

• youthful opposition was more subtle and focused on non-conformity instead of overt resistance

describe the youth’s opposition to the Nazis (PIRATES)

• 1938 - development of pirate groups

• example include the Edelweiss Pirates, the Navajos and the Roving Dudes

• the name: ‘Roving Dudes’ is significant as it is American, demonstrating the youth’s rejection of the Nazi culture of patriotism

• December 1942 - Nazis arrested 739 pirate members in Dusseldorf

• 1944-1945 growth of pirate action

why did the Nazis hate swing

• swing is a style of jazz

• jazz is a genre heavily influenced by black culture

• the Nazis held racial and religious stereotypes around jazz and swing

• with many viewing those associated with these types of music as ‘degenerates’

• the Nazis viewed swing as ‘entartete musik’ (forbidden music)

describe the White Rose Movement’s opposition to the Nazis

• attempt by a small group at Munich University to encourage an uprising against Nazism

• it was led by Hans and Sophie Scholl and Christoph Probst

• its leaders were captured and executed in 1943

• Munich University lauded the caretaker who had caught the Scholls and Probst

describe the significance of reactions to the White Rose Movement

• Munich University student lauded the caretaker who had caught the Movement’s leaders

• this portrays the popularity of the Nazi regime as high, especially within the youth and economically active

• however many might have joined in on the praise to avoid detection as anti-Nazi

• in ‘Hitler’ by JP Stern, it is described that the students’ union of Munich University organised a demonstration attended by more than 300 students

• who were “anxious to show their loyalty to the regime”

describe the White Rose Movement

• Sophie Scholl, Hans Scholl and Christoph Probst were distributing anti-Nazi broadsheets at Ludwig Maximilians Univerisity

• on February 18th 1943

• Sophie was spotted by a janitor who informed the authorities

• the Gestapo arrested the leaders

• on February 22nd 1943

• the People’s Court sentenced all three to death

• they were beheaded on the same day

explain the significance of the Nazis’ reaction to the White Rose Movement

• the speed at which the Scholls and Probst were sentenced and executed was rapid

• signalling the Nazis desire to utilise the leaders as a warning to other political enemies of the party

• the speed at which the leaders were executed also demonstrates the ruthlessness of the regime towards its opposition

why wasn’t there more opposition to the Nazis

• economic recovery - the Nazis dealt with the problem of unemployment and largely soothed fears of unemployment

• Nazi propaganda - Hitler-centred propaganda portrayed him as the saviour of the nation (Hitler Myth)

• terror tactics - the Gestapo and fear of denunciation prevented Germans from broadcasting their opposing political opinions

to what extent did opposition to Nazism change over time

• gradual shift from commitment to Nazism to conformity from many Germans

• growth of alienation towards the regime during WW2, especially from 1943, following the defeat at Stalingrad

• faith in Hitler REMAINED strong until the final few months of WW2 due to the Hitler Myth

there was little effective opposition to the Nazis 1933-1945 (FOR)

• Nazis addressed opposition by

• The crushing/control of opposition parties and trade unions. Trade Unions were outlawed on May 2 1933 and Germany became a one party state on July14th 1933.

• utilising the public’s fear of Gestapo and SS.  Fear of informers. Think about the implications for organisation of opposition. This helps to explain why opposition groups remained small and fragmented.

• extorting the weaknesses among potential opponents. Note divisions between the Communism and Socialists. Lack of leadership of opposition. Many opponents had been arrested or had fled abroad.

• Lack of unity within the Church. Opposition was’ atomised’ and issue driven

• Nazi propaganda served to isolate opponents.

there was little effective opposition to the Nazis 1933-1945 (AGAINST)

• In the face of terror, opposition did continue. Note the ongoing opposition of the Communists and the Socialists. Communists were the ‘most persistent’ opposition force throughout the whole period. About 30,000 communists were tried by People’s Courts 1934-39. This demonstrates the significant scale of ongoing opposition.

• Emergence of more youth opposition from pirate groups during the war years. Attacks on Nazis by the Edelweiss pirates. Remember the fate of Barthel Schink

• Greater opposition from Catholic priests. Opposition of Bishop Clemens von Galen to euthanasia.

• Some attempts at regime change. You could refer to army plots to remove Hitler eg von Stauffenberg Plot July 1944. Note the attempt of the White Rose Movement 1943 to spread information about Nazi atrocities and defeats in the USSR

• There widespread non-conformity eg jokes about Nazi leaders. This too was a form of opposition.