Opposition to the Nazi

• The Nazis did everything they could to try to control the thoughts and actions of the German people through propaganda and censorship, control of religious organizations, and the terror of the police state
• On the whole, the Germans did at the very least conform with the Nazis' rules and ideals
• Many Germans continued to support the Nazis throughout the 1930s, partly because of the success of propaganda and censorship in controlling what the people learned about the Nazis, and also because of some of the Nazi policies that appeared to be very successful, such as the apparent eradication of unemployment
• Not everyone in Nazi Germany was happy, and there were oppositions from various groups that were dealt with harshly
• Groups that opposed the Nazis

  • Members of the army
  • Former members of the now-banned trade unions
  • Former members of the SPD (Social Democratic Party)
• General Ludwig Beck, a senior member of the army, tried to get the army to arrest Hitler and sent a message to the British promising the German army wouldn't fight back if the British attacked, but was unsuccessful in both these plots and later attempted to assassinate Hitler on two occasions
• Former trade union members tried to undermine the Nazis by calling in sick or working slowly on major projects, but the effect of this was limited
• The SPD produced an opposition newspaper called the Red Shock Troop, which sold around 3,000 copies, but the organizers were arrested and sent to concentration camps
• There were also individuals and small groups who opposed the Nazis in small ways, like producing leaflets or writing graffiti, and some who spied on behalf of the communists or the western powers
• Two main groups of opposition that need to be known in detail

  • Religious opposition
  • Opposition from the youth of Germany
• In 1936, membership of the Hitler Youth for boys and the League of German Maidens for girls became compulsory, and most young people conformed to the expectations
• Groups of young people who rebelled against the Nazis

  • Edelweiss Pirates
  • Swing Youth
• Edelweiss Pirates


  Mainly working-class young people, mostly boys, who hated the military discipline of the Hitler Youth and the lack of freedom that the Nazis allowed, and would hang around on street corners, taunt or beat up Hitler Youth members, and go on hikes to get away from the adults
• Swing Youth


  Mainly white middle-class teenagers who enjoyed American culture and fashion, particularly the music, and would play illegally imported music on record players and dance forbidden dances such as the jitterbug
• It is estimated that around 6,000 young people considered themselves members of the Swing Youth, not all of whom liked swing music, with some preferring jazz which was popularized by black singers such as Louis Armstrong
• The opposition provided by these groups was limited, as they were only focused on opposing rules for young people and rarely spoke out about wider issues, and the numbers involved were small compared to the 8 million members of the Hitler Youth in 1938
• The Nazis were never really challenged by these youth groups, and it wasn't until the outbreak of World War II that the youth groups began to make physical attacks against the Nazis