German Churches' response to the Reich by

How did the situation in Germany after World War I affect how churches reacted to the Nazi Party's rise?

lginyard1 — 2023-10-20 14:21:22 UTC

After their devastating loss in World War I, Germany was in a state of political, economic, and social turmoil. The Nazi Party, whose leader was Adolf Hitler, capitalized on the nation's desperation and rose to power. At first, the churches in Germany, specifically the Protestant churches, were hesitant to confront and rebel against the Nazi regime. Furthermore, many church leaders believed that the Nazis could bring stability and order, which was once present before World War 1, to a nation that needed it. Church leaders also viewed the Nazi's goal of stregthening nationalism and traditional values as aligning with their own beliefs. However, when the Nazis began to implement policies that were in conflict with Christian teachings, the churches began to speak up against the regime. Specifically, the Nazi policies on aspects such as racial purity and the treatment of Jews and other minority groups were disagreed with by church leaders. For example, the Aryan Paragraph was written during the Nazi era and aimed to exclude Jews and other non-Aryans from aspects of public life and establish a hierarchy of races with the Aryan race at the top. In addition, The Confessing Church was particularly opposed the Nazi regime becuase they though the Nazis' policies were in conflicted with Christian teachings. In the end, the Nazis continued to persecute the churches and their leaders and religious leaders were arrested.

Sources:

https://encyclopedia.ushmm.org/content/en/article/the-german-churches-and-the-nazi-state

Lauren's Question: How did the Nazis try to influence or control religious groups in Germany? Were they successful?

lginyard1 — 2023-10-20 14:21:41 UTC

The Nazis had a widespread antisemitism ideology. They used propaganda (spreading fake news or an extended lie to further advance opinions on them to better themselves) and violence (burning synagogues and killing innocent Jews) to manipulate others. The Nazis propaganda "incited hatred and fostered a climate of indifference to their fate". This aided in the hatred of Jews. Because the Nazis were so persuasive and manipulative antisemitism spread through the party and others who wanted to be a part of it. When Hitler was elected chancellor he was found to be very persuasive. The Germans were looking for someone to lead them and Hitler was the person to step up. The Nazis also wanted their religion to be superior and the only one. They were successful, the Nazis became the #2 party and gained thousands of followers.

Sources:
https://encyclopedia.ushmm.org/content/en/article/nazi-propaganda
https://encyclopedia.ushmm.org/content/en/article/the-german-churches-and-the-nazi-state

Aryn's Question: What was the "Confessing Church" movement? How did it respond to the Nazi government and why?

astewart180_1 — 2023-10-22 21:17:39 UTC

The "Confessing Church" movement was a Protestant Christian movement in Germany that emerged during the time of the Nazi regime. The movement arose in opposition to Nazi government-sponsored efforts to align Nazi ideology with the church's teachings. This was because the Nazi regime sought to control all aspects of German society, including religion, so the German Protestant Church became a clear target for Nazi manipulation. As a result of the movement, a continuous debate between those who strived for a "nazified" church and those who opposed it surfaced. As the author writes about the effects of this debate, he states, "Both the Confessing Church and the "German Christians" remained part of the German Evangelical Church, and the result was a Kirchenkampf, or "church struggle" within German Protestantism". The "Confessing Church" movement denied the efforts by the Nazis to combine Nazi ideology with the church's teachings because they believed that the church's only allegiances were to God and scripture, not wordly authorities such as the government. Furthermore, as the "Confessing Church" movement continued to resist Nazi influence, many religious leaders associated with the movement were arrested, imprisoned, or expelled from their positions within the church.

Grace Anne's Question: 5) Were there times when churches worked together with the Nazi Party? Why did they do this and what did it look like?

gsandstrom1 — 2023-10-23 15:34:58 UTC

There were times when churches worked together with the Nazi Party. Although not all, some did because they believed that the Nazi's could protect their religion and provide a stable environment for them to express their beliefs. An example is the Catholic Church, they signed a treaty that protected the rights of the Catholic Church in Germany. Some even believed that working with the Nazi Party strengthened their nationalism. Showing their support to Germany was a party of their religion and proved their loyalty. Another reason that churches worked together with the Nazi Party was because they saw communism as a threat. The Nazi's proposed an anti-communism regime and some churches were intrigued by this if they felt that their religion and society could be threatened by communism. In contrast, some churches did go against the Nazi's and faced consequences.

sources:
https://encyclopedia.ushmm.org/content/en/article/the-german-churches-and-the-nazi-state