Opposition-The Church

The Church

The Church as an institution. It was an organisation. Potentially, it could have provided an organised approach to oppose the regime. They could orchestrate actions of people.

Why would they oppose?

The regime was brutal (the way the left was crushed after the Reichstag Fire, anti-Semitism)

The creation of the Reich church.

The removal of crucifixes in classrooms.

Euthanasia.

Why would they not oppose?

There was a fear of destruction by the regime. They were willing to compromise in order to achieve self reservation.

Fear of communism.

approval of policies, for example, role of women and importance of the family unit.

1937: Pope Pius issued and encyclical 'With Burning Grief' against the Nazis.

The Christian church never institutionally co-ordinated by the regime.

There was applause for Church leaders whenever they appeared in public. High attendance at services and festivals (the response of the German people when the Nazis tried to control it)

Acts of extreme courage were carried out by individual Christians of both denominations.

1/3 Catholic priests suffered some kind of reprisal during the Third Reich. Around 400 German Catholic priests and 35 evangelical pastors were incarcerated in the Priests block at Dachau.

Not matched by equally vigorous denunciation of Nazi inhumanity and barbarism-with the exception of Galen's open attack on the euthanasia programme in August 1941.

in defence of humanitarian rights and civil liberties, the response of both churches (Catholic and Protestant) was muted.

Anti-Jewish policy came largely by way of private protest letters to government ministers There was public silence following the Reichkristallnacht pogrom (anti Jewish violence) in 1938

'institutionally understand but morally regrettable reluctance to engage the regime on issues beyond the 'church struggle'.

The detestation of Nazism was overwhelming within the Catholic church which grew more extensive within the ideologically as well as the theologically divided Evangelical church.

Support for patriotic foreign policy and war aims. Obedience toward state authority (except where it was regarded as contravening divine law) approval of the destruction of 'atheistic' Marxism (and the crusade against Soviet Bolshevism)

In an essay it is important to consider both branches (Catholic and Protestant) of the Church as well as whether or not you woudl consider the Church as resistance rather than opposition?