Religion in Nazi Germany (Edexcel GCSE History)

How Important was the Church to Nazi Germany? - Summary

The Concordant with the Catholic Church

How Christian was Germany in 1933?

• Germany had historically been very Christian and this was no different by 1933:

  • Most of the country were either Protestant or Catholic

• Christianity was a threat to Hitler and the Nazi Party because the Christian Church held different beliefs from the Nazi Party:

How did the Nazi Party conflict with Christianity?

• However, it wasn’t clear whether Christianity and churches should be completely eradicated:

Hitler's Conflict with Christianity

• Hitler initially tried to reassure the Christian churches by encouraging them to work with the Nazi government

• The Catholic and Protestant churches reacted differently to Nazi interference

• Catholics represented a number of challenges for Hitler:

  • Their first allegiance was to the Pope

  • They supported the Catholic Centre Party before the passing of the Enabling Act

  • They had their own Catholic schools, which taught different beliefs to Nazi schools

• Hitler signed an agreement known as a Concordat with the Pope in July 1933 on behalf of the Catholic Church:

  • It allowed Catholics to worship freely and to continue with Catholic schools

  • In return, Catholic priests would not interfere in politics and would swear loyalty to the Nazi regime

• Persecution of Catholics continued throughout the 1930s:

  • Around 400 priests were sent to the Dachau concentration camp

  • Catholic schools were controlled or closed

  • Youth groups like the Catholic Youth League were banned

  • Monasteries were closed down

• By 1937, it was clear the Concordat had failed:

  • The Pope released a statement known as ‘With Burning Anxiety’, which criticised the Nazi regime

    • Hitler is referred to in the statement as a “mad prophet”

The Protestant Reich Church

• Many Protestants supported the Nazi Party by 1933 as the party had promised protection from communists, who were anti-Christian

• Ludwig Müller became Reich Bishop of a unified Protestant church called the Reich Church:

  • Around 2,000 individual churches joined

  • The swastika was displayed in some churches

  • Jewish people were not allowed to be baptised in the Reich Church

• Pastor Martin Niemöller resisted Nazi intervention and set up the Pastors’ Emergency League (PEL):

  • The Confessional Church was created in 1934 and 6,000 churches joined