Religion

• The Nazis and religion

  • Hitler wanted to transform German society to reflect Nazi beliefs and ideals
  • There was no room for alternative views - and this affected all elements of German society, including religious beliefs
  • The Nazis tended to persecute anyone who didn't put Nazism and Hitler at the centre of their beliefs
• Germany's main religion

  • Christianity was by far the biggest religion in Germany at this time
  • Around one third of Germans were Catholic and two thirds were Protestant
  • Religion was an important feature of people's lives, and Hitler realised that he had to be very careful in how he dealt with Christian groups
• Why did some Christians support the Nazis?

  • The Nazis had some very extreme views, so it might be difficult to understand why some Christians supported the Nazis in the early years, however:
  • The Nazis said they believed in the importance of marriage, the family and moral values. Most Christians also believe in the importance of these
  • Christians feared communism because it was anti-religious, and Hitler promised to destroy communism
  • Hitler promised to respect the Catholic Church
• The Nazis and the Catholic Church

  • Initially, Hitler cooperated with Catholic leaders
  • In 1933 he signed a Concordat with the Pope, so that they would not interfere with each other
  • But Hitler soon broke this agreement
  • He felt that German Catholics listened to the Pope more than him, so he harassed and arrested Catholic priests and closed down Catholic youth clubs and schools
  • Relations became so bad that in 1937 the Pope issued a statement called 'With Burning Anxiety', saying that the Nazis were 'hostile to Christ and his Church'
  • This was read out in Catholic churches across Germany, but it had little effect
  • The Nazis continued to arrest priests
  • In August 1941, one of Germany's best-known religious leaders, Catholic Archbishop Galen, openly criticised the Nazis for their terror tactics, euthanasia and concentration camps
  • As a result of his protests, Galen was put under house arrest until the end of the war
• The Nazis and the Protestant Church

  • Some Protestants admired Hitler for his views on marriage and moral values, and wanted to see their Church under Nazi control
  • They were known as 'German Christians' and their leader, Ludwig Muller, became the first Reich Bishop in September 1933
  • German Christians often wore Nazi uniforms and used the slogan 'the swastika on our chests and the Cross in our hearts'
  • However, some Protestants hated this because they felt that the core Nazis beliefs were totally opposed to those of Christianity
  • A new Protestant group called the Confessional Church was then formed, who openly criticised the Nazis
  • However, the Nazis struck back and arrested around 800 pastors, and the leader was sent to a concentration camp, and the Confessional Church was banned
• The Nazis and other Christian groups

  • About one third of Jehovah Witnesses were killed in concentration camps because they were pacifists and refused to serve in the army
  • Also, the Salvation Army, Christian Scientists, and the Seventh Day Adventist Church all disappeared from Germany
• The Nazis and Judaism

  • The Jewish community in Germany at this time was small (less than 1 percent of the population)
  • Jewish people had been fully integrated into German society
  • They tended to be middle class (doctors, lawyers, etc.) and many were secular in practice
  • Jewish people suffered relentless persecution in Nazi Germany and by the time Hitler stopped them from leaving the country in 1941, nearly 80 percent had already fled to other places as refugees