The_Church_Struggle Priest_Barracks_of_Dachau_Concentration_Camp

prior reichstag vote enabling act under hitler gained temporary dictatorial powers went on permanently dismantle weimar republic, hitler promised reichstag on 23 march 1933, not interfere rights of churches. however, power secured in germany, hitler broke promise. divided lutheran church (germany s main protestant denomination) , instigated brutal persecution of jehovah s witnesses. dishonoured concordat signed vatican , permitted persecution of catholic church in germany. long term plan de-christianise germany after final victory . nazis co-opted term gleichschaltung mean conformity , subservience national socialist german workers party line: there no law hitler, , no god hitler . within short period, nazi government s conflict churches had become source of great bitterness in germany.

hitler himself possessed radical instincts in relation continuing conflict catholic , protestant churches in germany. though spoke of wanting delay church struggle , prepared restrain anti-clericalism out of political considerations, own inflammatory comments gave immediate underlings license needed turn heat in church struggle, confident working towards fuhrer . threatening, though sporadic persecution of catholic church in germany followed nazi takeover. regime agreed reichskonkordat treaty vatican, prohibited clergy participating in politics. concordat, wrote william shirer, hardly put paper before being broken nazi government . on 25 july, nazis promulgated sterilization law, offensive policy in eyes of catholic church. 5 days later, moves began dissolve catholic youth league. clergy, nuns , lay leaders began targeted, leading thousands of arrests on ensuing years, on trumped charges of currency smuggling or immorality . in face of persecution, pope pius xi issued mit brennender sorge encyclical, denounced pagan ideology of nazism. in response, hundreds more clergy arrested , sent concentration camps.

martin niemoller, hitler s personal prisoner , leading christian voice against nazism. incarcerated @ dachau 1941 until liberation in 1945.

ian kershaw wrote subjugation of protestant churches proved more difficult hitler had envisaged. 28 separate regional churches, bid create unified reich church through gleichschaltung failed, , hitler became disinterested in supporting so-called german christians nazi aligned movement. hitler installed friend ludwig muller, nazi , former naval chaplain, serve reich bishop, muller s heretical views against st paul , semitic origins of christ , bible alienated sections of protestant church. pastor martin neimoller responded pastors emergency league re-affirmed bible. movement grew confessing church, clergymen opposed nazi regime. confessing church banned on 1 july 1937. neimoller arrested gestapo, , sent concentration camps. remained @ dachau until fall of regime. theological universities closed, , other pastors , theologians arrested. dietrich bonhoeffer, leading spokesman confessing church, outset critic of hitler regime s racism , became active in german resistance – calling christians speak out against nazi atrocities. arrested in 1943, implicated in 1944 july plot assassinate hitler , executed.