Opposition

Question 1

How did the Roman Catholic and Lutheran church firstly react to the Nazis ?

Answer 1

At first after the signing of a concordat with the Nazis in July 1933, the Catholic Church chose not to involve itself in German politics as long as the church was permitted to continue to run its own schools and activities.
However the Lutheran church was split over his attitude to Nazism. Pro Nazi Lutherans were known as the German Christians (led by Ludwig Müller who became the first Reich Bishop in July 1933) and the lutherans who disagreed with nazism set up the confessional church

Question 2

Who were the German churches?

Answer 2

• The Roman Catholic Church
• The Lutheran church
• The confessional church (anti Nazi)
• the German faith movement (Nazi)

Question 3

How and why did the church’s oppose the Nazis?

Answer 3

• By 1936 some of the terms of the Concordat were being ignored. Therefore in 1937 Pope Pius XI responded by condemning the Nazi regime because the rights of the Catholic organisations such as youth groups were being ignored
• Lutheran church - 1934 Lutherans opposed to nazism set up by the Confessional church
• Some German Church leaders such as Bishop von Galen of Münster spoke out strongly and successfully against Nazi policies, preaching a number of strongly worded sermons in 1941 (particularly against the Nazis use of euthanasia)

Question 4

Why was Hitler concerned about the loyalty of German Christians ?

Answer 4

• the churches had more members than the NSDAP

- he believed Christians were unlikely to easily abandon their faith for Nazism

Question 5

How effective and successful was the church’s opposition? (4)

Answer 5

• Niemöller And Bonhoeffer participated in anti-Nazi activities, passed secrets to the Allies and was part of the assassination attempts of Hitler in 1943 and 1944
• In 1937 he was sent to Dachau concentration camp.
• Von Galen speaking out against Nazi euthanasia of mentally ill patients resulted in an outcry and Nazis were forced to abandon this policy
• As a result he lived under virtual house arrest from that time until the end of the war

Question 6

Who were the opposition from the youth groups?

Answer 6

The edelweiss pirates
They painted anti Nazi slogans, sheltered deserters and beat up Nazi officials. In 1944, the Cologne Pirates killed the Gestapo chief

Question 7

Give evidence of Germans supporting Nazis by choice (6)

Answer 7

• turnout of Nuremberg rallies
• following of the German faith movement
• elections: popular vote in elections and plebiscites
• popular plans that were followed (breaking of ToV, bread and work)
• Nazi organisations appealed e,g HYM
• benefits e,g cheap radio, KDF

Question 8

Give evidence that Germans were forced to support the Nazis (4)

Answer 8

• creation of concentration camps
• control of media (unable to criticise Nazis, censoring)
• the police state (SS, SD, Gestapo) frightened Germans into obeying Nazis
• People’s Court (1934) scared Germans, it executed ‘opponents’ after show trials

Question 9

Youth opponents of the Nazis

Answer 9

The swing movement

The edelweiss pirates

Question 10

Describe what the German faith movement was like (2)

Answer 10

• It was a religious movement in Nazi germany which sought to move Germany away from Christianity towards a religion based on Germanic paganism and the Hitler Myth.
• Hitler hoped that it would draw people away from their loyalty to Christianity but it only had around 200,000 followers and Hitler was forced to deal with the established churches

Question 11

How did the swing movement show opposition?

Answer 11

• They gathered together and acted in a manner that they knew would anger the local Nazi leaders.
• They wore bohemian clothing and sang songs that the Nazis had banned
• Grew their hair long and danced to jazz

Question 12

How did the White Rose show opposition?

Answer 12

The non-violet White Rose movement was set up in 1942 by Munich University undergraduates Hans and Sophie Scholl. They distributed anti-Nazi leaflets which outlined the atrocities being carried out by the Nazis. The main members were executed by the Gestapo following their betrayal by a university caretaker who saw them distributing these leaflets

Question 13

When did the Reichstag fire burn?

Answer 13

27th February 1933

Question 14

How did the Reichstag fire allow the Nazis to remove certain enemies? (4)

Answer 14

• the Reichstag fire gave Hitler his best chance of destroying the KPD’s election campaign
• Since a Dutch communist, Marinus van der Lübbe, was captured at the scene the Nazis blamed the communists for the blaze and suggested it was a communist rebellion
• Hitler used the fire to exploit President von Hindenburg’s fear of a communist takeover
• He persuaded him to approve the Decree for the Protection of People and State, which gave the government the right to suspend many civil rights

Question 15

List Hitler’s list of enemies (5)

Answer 15

• President
• Reichstag and the army
• Opposition from other parties
• Germany’s state governments
• Trade union movement

Question 16

How was the 5th March 1933 election won by the Nazis? (4)

Answer 16

• It took place amidst an outpouring of Nazi propaganda and intimidation
• In Prussia Göring issued a shooting decree for police to shoot political protestors
• Thousands of the KPD’s members and trade unionists were imprisoned
• SPD leaders fled the country

Question 17

Describe the Jewish resistance in ghettos (3)

Answer 17

• April-May 1943 Jews in Warsaw revolted, killing 300 Germans
• In death camps Jews attacked guards and organised mass escapes
• As a result Nazis Shot and killed any Jews who resisted

Question 18

Army resistance to Hitler (6)

Answer 18

• Operation Valkyrie: the planned assassination attempt of Hitler in East Prussia
• 20th July 1944
• Group was led by General Ludwig Beck and Dr. Carl Goerdeler.
  The assassination was to be carried out by Claus von Stauffenberg (army officer). He was initially supportive of Hitler but his experience of the dreadful experience being endured by the German Army in its war with USSR and brutality of the SS changed his mind
• von Stauffenberg was to attend a meeting with Hitler in his Wolf’s Lair field HQ in East Prussia and leave a bomb in a suitcase. Initial attempts to plant the bomb came to nothing. On 17th July Goerdeler was evaded Arrest so on 20th July von Stauffenberg placed and primed the bomb in Hitler’s staff meeting as planned
• The Plan fails as someone else moved the case further from Hitler and when it exploded four of those attending the meeting died, but Hitler survived.
• Failure of those involved to act quickly enough to gain control of Berlin meant when VS arrived back the plot had failed and he was executed

Question 19

Why Nazi opponents were never successful in defeating Hitler and his party (6)

Answer 19

• Army prevented from targeting Hitler by their 1934 Oath of Loyalty
• Any Opposition in households or on the street would be reported to Gestapo by neighbours
• Churches were divided in opinion
• Trade unions and political parties shut down
• Many children were indoctrinated, Swing and EP were exceptions
• Nazi policies benefited Aryan Germans so long as they didn’t interfere with their persecution of minorities

Question 20

Did most opposition occur in 1939-1945 ? (4)

Answer 20

• Most Opposition occurred during war years (Youth, churches, Jewish resistance, army)
• Because there were more opportunities as Nazis had to focus on war progress as well as home front
• More violent opposition occurred e.g Army plots to kill Hitler
• More Direct actions against the Nazi regime, rather than criticism of it (political parties, churches)

Question 21

Where were Nazis popular ? (3)

Answer 21

• Rural Protestant areas
• Many lower middle class people - small businessmen and shopkeepers were - pro-Nazi
• The Young adventure and comradeship of the Hitler Youth were most likely to be keen Nazis

Question 22

Who were less likely to support the Nazis?

Answer 22

• Nazis were less likely to be supported by the urban working classes and the unemployed

Question 23

What happened to the Catholic Churches ?

Answer 23

In 1933 the Nazis started to close Catholic Churches and the Catholic youth organisation was abolished.
- Around 400 priests were arrested and sent to the Dachau concentration camp

Question 24

Opposition from youths aside from the Swing or Edelweiß Pirates (2)

Answer 24

• Before 1933 the Social Democrat and Communist Parties had youth wings, and these continued (as ‘Friends of Nature’ hiking clubs) until 1936, when the government made it compulsory to join the HY movement
• Many German youths (maybe as many as a million) avoided this by simply not attending

Question 25

How did the Edelweiss pirates show opposition?

Answer 25

- They wore a lapel pin of the edelweiss flower | - Hung around in parks and committed acts of vandalism

Question 26

How did Jews show opposition with armed resistance ? (4)

Answer 26

- In April-May 1943, Jews in Warsaw Ghetto revolted and fought for a month, killing 300 Germans. 13,000 Jews died - At Treblinka in August 1943 and Sobibor in October 1943 Jews attacked their guards and organised mass escapes - Auschwitz October 1944 the Sonderkommando Jews stole some explosives and blew up a crematorium - These rebellions were undertaken by people who knew it was hopeless and that death was inevitable

Question 27

Non-violent resistance of Jews (1)

Answer 27

- In ghettos they smuggled food, produced underground newspapers, forged papers and destroyed files

Question 28

Resistance in co-Operation

Answer 28

- In Hungary, the lawyer Rezso Kasztner was a known friend of the Nazis, but he organised the Kasztner train which diverted 1684 Jews from Auschwitz to Switzerland

Question 29

Effectiveness of opposition (4)

Answer 29

- populations’ fear of the regime and security forces played a significant part in their conformity - Destruction of the party system and weakening of trade unions robbed Germans of a means of demonstrating opposition - Despite some domestic opposition it wasn’t enough - However The determination of some groups and individuals to express their opposition to the regime and its policies was proof of Hitler’s failure to gain control over every German citizen and not every Nazi policy was able to be implemented successfully