OPPOSITION How effectively did people oppose the Nazi regime?

Dissent Opposition Resistance Disagreement; grumbling about the regime. Being openly critical of the Nazi regime. Actively attempting to overthrow Hitler or the Nazi regime.

NB: Most of the evidence from within Nazi Germany comes from official records or from socialist propaganda. It was impossible for people to speak openly and honestly about the regime in public, so it is difficult to assess the extent of opposition to the regime. Opposition by the churches: Both Protestant and Catholic churches shared some of the Nazis ideals: conservatism, anti-communism and anti-Semitism. Protestants opposed attempts to Nazify the Church. Catholics opposed attempts to tamper with their influence over education. Under the Concordat of 1933, the Nazi regime had agreed not interfere with Catholic worship or education. The Nazi regimes euthanasia (the deliberate killing of people with disabilities) campaign caused the most serious opposition. The Catholic Church condemned the euthanasia campaign in 1940/41; consequently Hitler ended the campaign. NB: The churches only opposed the Nazis when their interests were at stake. Generally, they did not condemn other Nazi policies, such as the persecution of Jews and communists or the restrictions on peoples liberties. Opposition and resistance by the armed forces: Serious resistance began in 1938, with the threat of war with Britain, France or Russia. While Hitler was plotting to invade Czechoslovakia, members of the Army High Command wanted to have Hitler arrested or declared insane. But when Chamberlain (British PM) signed the Munich Agreement (giving the Sudetenland to the Germans) Hitler became even more popular with his people. While his aggressive foreign policy was successful, the plotters could not overthrow him, so it wasnt until 1943 during the war that any serious attempts were made again. This was when the war started turning against Germany. The July Plot 20th July 1944. An organised plot led by Colonel von Stauffenburg who planted a bomb in a briefcase which was designed to kill Hitler. It failed to kill him because the blast was absorbed by a table. After the failed assassination attempt, there was a brutal revenge against everyone suspected of being involved. There were no more serious, organised attempts on Hitlers life.

Why was there so little resistance from the armed forces? Oath of personal All members of the armed forces had to swear this oath allegiance after the death of Hindenburg. Nazi indoctrination By the late 1930s many junior officers were supporters of the Nazi regime. Getting rid of Hitler alone would not get rid of Nazism. Lack of help from the The allies policy of appeasement made it difficult for Allies (GB, France etc.) plotters to get foreign support to overthrow Hitler from within. During the war, the allies adopted a policy of unconditional surrender no deals with Nazis. Access to Hitler Hitler made it difficult for people to gain access to him, making assassination attempts very difficult. After 1943 he travelled less and less. Defence of Germany Hitler had many military successes in the first 2 years of the war. This made it hard to justify getting rid of him. By the end of the war the Red Army (the USSR) threatened to invade: most German officers preferred to defend Germany rather than let it be taken over by the Russians. Opposition and dissent by German youth Some young Germans rejected the Hitler Youth and the League of German Maidens. New groups sprang up, by various names: Swing Youth, Edelweiss Pirates. During the war, protests became more serious: beating up Hitler Youth, putting up anti-Nazi posters, listening to BBC broadcasts. Many were imprisoned and some were executed. White Rose Group led by Hans and Sophie Scholl at Munich University campaigned for the restoration of personal and political freedom. As the war turned against Germany (e.g. during the Battle of Stalingrad), the Scholls organised a demo against the Nazis. They were arrested and executed. Why was opposition so ineffective? The Nazi regime ran plebiscites (public votes) which, though often rigged, regularly produced Yes votes, giving the impression that everyone supported them, especially when there was full employment and foreign policy successes. Hitler himself remained very popular: opposition was difficult to organise. The regime (esp Goebells) controlled all the media newspapers, radio stations making opposition difficult to organise. There was no effective institution to challenge the regime: other political groups were persecuted, the churches stood back and the army was bound by its oath. Terror and the police state made dissent and opposition very risky, with terrible punishments. During the war people would be seen as traitors if they did not support the war effort and the ruling regime. When the war turned against the Germans, people saw the USSR and the RAF as the enemies, not the Nazi Party. Bread and games. Basic selfishness meant that people were more concerned with their own material well-being (or with the fate of their loved ones once the war had

broken out) than with the rights and wrongs of the Nazi system.