controlling religion

• why did Nazis and Christianity clash?


  Their beliefs and values clashed
• what were the two main Christian groups in Germany?

  protestants- 20 million

  Catholics- 40 million
• Why did some Christians support the Nazis?


  -The Nazis believed in the importance of marriage the family and moral values.

  -Hitler had sworn to destroy communism. This appealed to Christians because communism was anti religious

  -Hitler promised to respect the church
• what was the role of religion to nazis?


  - used religion to promote their own ideology and regime.

  - attempted to set up a Nazi church called the 'Reich Church'.
• why did Nazis want to control religion?


  -religious groups followed religious leaders i.e. the pope not Hitler

  -Hitler wanted to replace with own Nazi religion

  -Christianity and Nazis had opposing ideologies so religious groups could oppose gov
• how did Hitler try to control the catholic church?


  -Hitler initially agreed to work with church and signed agreement with pope in 1933

  -however Hitler broke promises and attacked catholic church by arresting priests and shutting down catholic schools
• how did Nazis control the protestant church?


  -Hitler admired by some protestants - leader of protestants became first "Reich bishop" of German Christians in sept 1933

  -however others totally opposed Nazis such as pastor niemoller who formed the confessional church that openly criticised Nazis
• how successfully did the Nazis gain control of religion?

  faced continuous opposition from religious groups and could never fully control it