The Church During Nazi Germany

The Church During Nazi Germany

What view did the Nazis have of the Church?

The Nazis believed in Constructive Christianity and freedom for every religious denomination (group). But in reality, the Nazis saw the Church and Christianity as a threat to their policies. One-third of Germans were Catholics and two-thirds were Protestants. At the beginning they cooperated with the Nazis. They believed that the new government protected them from communism and maintained traditional morals and family values.

How did they try to control the Church?

Hitler signed a concordat with the Pope in 1933. He promised full religious freedom for the Church and the Pope promised that he wouldn’t interfere in political matters. 

Then:

• The Nazis started to close Catholic churches. Many monasteries were also shut down
• The Catholic Youth Organisation was abolished (remember that the Nazis had created the Hitler Youth Movement).
• Around 400…