Opposition to Nazi Rule (OCR GCSE History B (Schools History Project)): Revision Note

Summary

Despite the terror and brutality of the SS and the Gestapo, there was still opposition to the Nazi Party. This opposition came from across German society. Some people were politically motivated, others were motivated by their religious beliefs. Some young people objected to the loss of their freedom and identity.

However, the Nazi police state meant that opposition was mostly ineffective and quickly dealt with.

Opposition from social democrats and communists

• As soon as the Nazis came to power in 1933, the majority of the leading social democrats fled the country for their own safety

  • Those people who remained were hunted down and arrested by the Gestapo

  • Some social democrats worked in secret to produce anti-Nazi posters and leaflets

• The Communists were enemies of the Nazis

• Hitler had an enormous hatred of communism

  • Hitler wrongly believed communism was part of a Jewish plot to take over the world

  • As a result, they became major targets for the Gestapo after 1933

• The Communists openly opposed the Nazis

• They held large meetings and published their own newspapers

  • This led to communists being easily identified by the Nazis

  • Many were soon arrested and sent to Dachau and other concentration camps

Religious opposition

• Hitler and the Nazis tried to control the Christian Churches in Germany

  • There was a written agreement (Concordat) between the Catholic Church and the Nazi Party

  • This stated that Hitler would not interfere with the running of the Catholic Church as long as the Church stayed out of politics

• After the Concordat failed, the Nazis targeted Catholic priests and shut down Catholic schools

  • The Reich Church was created to ‘Nazify’ the Protestant Church

  • The German Faith Movement aimed to turn Nazism into a religion

• However, there was still opposition within the two main Christian churches:

Catholic opposition 

• Around 400 priests were sent to the Dachau concentration camp for speaking out

• Catholic services continued, but people were scared to oppose the Nazis

• The Pope’s ‘With Burning Anxiety’ statement was read out in churches

• Hitler ordered crucifixes to be removed from Catholic churches, which was met with fierce opposition:

  • Of the 43 crucifixes removed from schools in the Mühldorf district in Bavaria, 42 were returned by the police

• The 1939 census of Germany showed that two million people still considered themselves to be Catholic

• Some individuals, including Cardinal Galen, actively resisted the Nazis

Protestant opposition 

• The Pastors' Emergency League (PEL) was the main source of opposition from Protestants:

  • Formed by Pastor Martin Niemöller

  • They opposed the formation of the Reich Church

  • They believed that Jewish people should be able to become Christians

• The PEL created the Confessional Church in 1934:

  • Around 6,000 pastors joined, and only 2,000 pastors were part of the Reich Church

  • Around 800 pastors were sent to concentration camps for opposing the Nazis

• The 1939 census of Germany showed that 43 million people still considered themselves to be Protestant:

Youth groups and opposition

• After Hitler became Chancellor in 1933, all young people were expected to attend one of the Nazi-run youth groups

• However, many young people opposed these and ran their own groups

The Edelweiss Pirates 

• Used the symbol of the edelweiss flower 

• Had different names depending on where they came from:

  • Members in Essen were called ‘Travelling Dudes’

  • Members in Cologne were called ‘Navajos’

• Resented the military discipline of the Hitler Youth

• Wanted a sense of freedom similar to the youth in Britain and the USA

• By 1939, there were only 2,000 Edelweiss Pirates compared to eight million Hitler Youth

The Swing Youth 

• They admired American culture, especially music:

  • Played music from their record players

  • Gathered together to smoke and drink alcohol

• Organised illegal dances of up to 6,000 members:

  • The 'jitterbug' was a favourite dance

• Heinrich Himmler disliked the Swing Youth’s focus on jazz music because it was associated with African Americans

• They presented more cultural opposition rather than a genuine threat to the Nazi regime