Opposition and Resistance in Nazi Germany

The Reichstag Fire and Reichstag election.

He convinced President Hindenburg to call a new Reichstag election and used the Reichstag fire to persuade Hindenburg to pass an emergency law restricting personal liberty.

Make laws without the Reichstag's approval for four years.

To make Germany self-sufficient in four years.

Tighter controls on imports and subsidies for farmers to produce more food.

20% of its food and 33% of its raw materials.

The Labour Front, Strength Through Joy, and Beauty of Labour.

The ‘German Christians’ group within the Reich Church promoted Nazi ideas.

Hitler made a Concordat with the Pope, promising not to interfere in the running of the Catholic Church if it stayed out of political matters.

The Nazis tried to stop Catholics from using the crucifix in church, suppressed Catholic schools and youth organizations, banned Catholic newspapers, and sent hundreds of Catholic priests to concentration camps.

The Ministry of Enlightenment and Propaganda used methods such as censorship of the press, control of radio broadcasts, mass rallies, use of sports events, and loudspeakers in public places to spread Nazi propaganda.

"Opposition" refers to acts that openly defied the regime, while "resistance" refers to active attempts to overthrow Hitler and the Nazis.

The stability and economic growth brought by an authoritarian regime, the restoration of Germany's international prestige through rearmament, the dismantling of the Treaty of Versailles, and the extensive propaganda, especially targeted towards German children, convinced many Germans of Hitler's greatness.

Protestant pastors formed the Confessional Church in opposition to Hitler's Reich Church. Martin Niemöller and Dietrich Bonhöffer were notable members of this opposition movement.

Despite the Concordat, some Catholic priests opposed Hitler. The Pope's message "With Burning Concern" attacked Hitler and the Catholic Archbishop of Munster, von Galen, led a successful campaign against euthanasia.

The Nazis banned trade unions, political parties, and took over state governments. They also carried out the Night of the Long Knives to eliminate internal opposition within the Nazi Party.

When Hitler became Führer, he declared himself the absolute ruler of Germany. This neutralized sources of opposition within the army and extended his power through reorganizing local government, abolishing trade unions, and signing an agreement with the Catholic Church.

The Nazis required judges to swear an oath of loyalty to Hitler and act in the interests of the Nazi state. They controlled lawyers through the Nazi Lawyers' Association and weakened the role of defense lawyers in criminal trials. The number of crimes carrying the death penalty increased, and convicted criminals were often sent to concentration camps.

The Nazis saw Christianity as a potential source of opposition and tried to control the Churches. They established a state Reich Church for Protestantism under the Nazi Bishop Ludwig Müller. They used policies and bargaining to exert control over both Catholic and Protestant Churches.

The Nazis controlled young people through education by influencing their beliefs through the Hitler Youth and altering the curriculum to reflect Nazi ideology and priorities. All teachers had to join the Nazi Teachers’ Association and the curriculum included courses on the rise of the Nazi Party, Nazi racial theories of evolution in eugenics, and Nazi beliefs on race.

The Nazis expected women to stay at home, look after the family, and produce children in order to secure the future of Germany. They believed women's lives should revolve around the three 'Ks': Kinder (children), Küche (kitchen), and Kirche (church). They discouraged women from working and introduced measures to increase the birth rate, such as the Law for the Encouragement of Marriage and the Mother's Cross award for women with large numbers of children.

The Nazis introduced measures to discourage women from working, including financial incentives to stay at home through the Law for the Reduction of Unemployment and delaying conscription of women for war effort until 1943. However, female labor was still needed in the workplace and the number of women in employment actually rose by 2.4 million between 1933 and 1939.

The main economic policies implemented by the Nazis included a program of public works, such as building hospitals, schools, and public buildings, including the 1936 Olympic Stadium. The construction of the autobahns created jobs for thousands of men. Rearmament also played a significant role in economic growth, creating millions of jobs. Hitler wanted Germany to become an autarky, producing everything it needed and ceasing trade with the outside world.