PROTESTANT CHURCHES

• Protestants were willing to support the Nazis because of their family values, despite their other beliefs

• A number of pastors spoke in favour of them and encouraged their congregations to vote for them and were willing to allow their churches to be used as Nazi bases

• Many different Protestant churches and Hitler wanted to co-ordinate the church and control it

• REICH CHURCH: established in 1933 under Ludwig Muller, a fanatical Nazi

• Nazi policies gradually resulted in the alienation of many Protestants and in 1934 two Protestant bishops were arrested for opposing the Reich Church

• CONFESSIONAL CHURCH: independent of the state under the leadership of Martin Niemöller and attracted the support of 7000 out 17,000 pastors

• This showed some ineffectiveness of Nazi policies when deeply held religious traditional beliefs were threatened

OPPOSITION FROM THE CHURCHES

• Nazis did interfere

• Achieved limited success in controlling the churches and this caused opposition in both Protestant and Catholic churches

• Problem for government as suppression would alienate many Germans, but limited persecution did not have the desired impact

• Policies to undermine the church:

• Closure of some Church schools

• Removal of crucifixes from school walls and their replacement with swastikas

• Banning of nativity plays and carols

• Attacks on the Catholic Youth Movement

• Arrest of pastors and priest

• Confiscation of church funds

• Although this may have weakened the churches it did not destroy opposition from them, and even the Papacy criticized the regime

• Individual clergy who spoke out against the Regime, were sent to the camps to silence them

• Popularity of such individuals made it difficult for the Nazis to do any more

CATHOLIC CHURCHES

• Hitler may have been concerned by the potential threat posed by the Catholic Church, as its followers might put loyalty to the Pope before that of the state

• However, he did not want to provoke a conflict with it and, the Catholic Church was concerned to preserve its independence and therefore signed the CONCORDAT with the state in JULY 1933

• Appeared to guarantee religious freedom

• Church could run itself and appoint its own ministers, and parents were able to request Catholic schools for their children

• In return for keeping the Church put of politics, the Nazis agreed to not interfere with the legal and property rights of the Church

THE GERMAN FAITH MOVEMENT

• Regime also attempted to establish an alternative to Christianity

• Non-Christian and based on the beliefs of Germans in ancient history

• A belief in the superiority of the Germanic races and opposition to Jews

• Replacement of Christian ceremonies, such as marriage, with pagan versions as Jesus was a Jew

• A rejection of Christian ethics of mercy and forgiveness

• A belief in the cult of Hitler’s personality

• Faith Movement was a failure, only 5% of Germans joined it

• Only after military success in the war that the regime was confident enough to persecute the churches

• Monasteries were closed

• Church property was attacked and church activities restricted

• Church activities restricted

JUDGEMENT

Overall, the Regime was unsuccessful in controlling the Church with its policies; as although they wished to control the church, their methods were failures, as no matter how many policies they placed onto them, the martyrdom of members of the clergy could prevent the Nazis from fully committing. Furthermore, although Hitler did try to introduce a new faith, it could be argued to be an embarrassment for him, as only 5% of the German people joined. Furthermore, the concordat was effective, however covered one branch of the Christain faith and was introduced by the Pope- further demonstrating the weakness of the Nazi to not persecute the organisation which was criticising them so openly.