The Church in Nazi Germany

What was Nazi policy towards religion?

Ludwig Mueller, a Nazi sympathizer, was elected to the position of Reich Bishop in 1933 as Hitler attempted to unite regional Protestant churches under Nazi control. Berlin, Germany, November 17, 1933.

Church = possible threat to Nazi power

1925 census: German population of 65 million, 40 million belonged to the main Protestant

(Evangelical Lutheran) church21 million to the Roman Catholic church620,000 to various smaller, mostly Protestant

denominations. "Church Struggle" - strained relationship between

church and state in Germany in the 1870s and then again during the Nazi regime.

Aim of churches: keep control over institutions and maintain freedom to worship

Concordat (Treaty) with Catholic Church (1933)

• Hitler not interfere with the Catholic Church while the Church would not comment on politics

• Confirmed the dissolution of German Catholicism's trade unions and political organizations

• Guaranteed the church traditional rights to cultivate and promote the practice of the Catholic rite, to maintain Catholic schools, and to appoint Catholic clergy

• Many provisions of the agreement were promptly violated, e.g. persecution of Jesuits

Catholic Church continued

• Concordat lasted until 1937 - Hitler started a concerted attack on the Catholic Church arresting priests etc.

• In 1937 pope Pius XI, issued his "Mit brennender Sorge" statement ("With burning anxiety") over what was going on in Germany

• But never a total clampdown on the Catholic Church in Germany

• World-wide movement with much international support

The Protestant Church• Number of different churches represented - easier to deal with• Until 1933 = separate Landeskirchen in 28 areas - own structure• Split: the "German Christians" led by Ludwig Muller who believed that any

member of the church who had Jewish ancestry should be sacked from the church

• Merged into one national “Evangelical Church” - aryans only • Muller supported Hitler and in 1933 he was given the title of "Reich

Bishop". • 1935: greater control: Minister of Church affairs Hanns Kerrl• Opposed: the "Congressional Church”• Led by Martin Niemoller (famous in Germany as WW1 U-boat captain =

potential embarrassing to Nazis) • Arrested by Gestapo for opposing Hitler: Niemoller was sent to a

concentration camp for 7 years where he was kept in solitary confinement• Many other Confessional Church members suffered the same fate.

The Reich Church

• Created 1936• Swastika replaced

Christian cross as its symbol

• The Bible was replaced by "Mein Kampf" which was placed on the altar, also sword

• Only invited Nazis were allowed to give sermons in a Reich Church.

Discussion:

• How were churches affected by Nazi rule?

• In what ways did the Nazis use Christianity to further their control?

• http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/football/european_football/article1082418.ece