Opposition to National Socialism (SQA National 5 History): Revision Note

Summary

Socialists and communists tried to resist Nazi control from 1933. The Social Democratic Party (SPD) and Communist Party of Germany (KPD) organised many forms of resistance. Many people were arrested by the Gestapo and sent to camps, so the networks were quickly broken.

Some church leaders also spoke out. The Confessing Church criticised Nazi control of religion, and pastors like Martin Niemöller were jailed. Catholic figures such as Bishop von Galen condemned the killing of disabled people in 1941. Opposition was brave but weak because the police state used fear, informers, and harsh punishments.

Opposition to National Socialism by socialists

• After the Socialist Democratic Party (SPD) was banned in 1933, socialists worked in secret

• To avoid being caught by the Gestapo or SS, they:

  • Met in small groups at homes or workplaces

  • Used fake names

  • Passed leaflets hand-to-hand

• Leaders who escaped set up “Sopade” abroad (in Prague) to collect news from Germany and send back simple messages and instructions

• After the trade unions were crushed on 2 May 1933, socialist activists met in small “circles” at work or in homes

  • They shared news the Nazis tried to hide

  • Raised money for the families of prisoners

  • Spread calls for slowdowns

  • Helped with small acts of sabotage

• From the late 1930s, some socialists tried to unite with other opponents, including church figures and parts of the army

• SPD politician Julius Leber worked with these networks

  • He was later arrested and executed in 1945

• These efforts showed courage but were often broken by Gestapo spying and informers

Opposition to National Socialism by communists

• After the Communist Party of Germany (KPD) was banned in 1933, communists worked in secret

• To avoid being caught by the Gestapo or SS, they:

  • Formed small cells in factories and neighbourhoods

  • Used code names

  • Passed leaflets and the illegal newspaper Die Rote Fahne by hand

• Many were caught by the Gestapo

  • The KPD leader Ernst Thälmann was arrested in 1933

• Communists helped each other and kept up workplace resistance

  • Red Aid (Rote Hilfe) raised money and food for families of prisoners and paid for lawyers

• Communist activists:

  • Spread news

  • Organised short stoppages and slowdowns

  • Hid wanted comrades

  • Used forged papers to keep networks alive

• The Herbert Baum circle in Berlin wrote anti-Nazi leaflets and set fire to a propaganda show in 1942

• The Red Orchestra passed information and warned the Soviet Union about the war

• The Nazis hit back with mass arrests, torture, and executions

Opposition to National Socialism by the church

• Many pastors rejected Nazi control of the churches

• The Confessing Church was formed in 1934 it:

  • Defended independent worship

  • Opposed the “Nazified” German Christians

• The Barmen Declaration of 1934 stated that Christ, not the state, had authority in the Church

  • It rejected Nazi ideas in religion

• Martin Niemöller preached against state interference

  • He was arrested in 1937 and sent to a concentration camp

• Dietrich Bonhoeffer helped Jewish people escape

  • He later worked with the military resistance before being executed in 1945

• The Pope’s 1937 letter Mit brennender Sorge condemned Nazi racism and broken promises

• In 1941, Bishop von Galen gave sermons attacking the killing of people with disabilities (the T4 programme)

  • This forced the Nazis to slow the murders for a time

• Catholic youth groups and clergy circulated messages and protected some Jewish people, despite police pressure

• Churches used sermons, letters, youth work, and aid networks to criticise policies and help victims

• The Gestapo watched clergy, closed groups, and jailed outspoken leaders

  • Many clergy were sent to Dachau’s priests’ barracks

• Church opposition was morally important, but fragmented

• It mostly defended church rights rather than overthrowing the regime

  • Its impact on Nazi power was limited