CO-OPERATION AND OPPOSITION IN
NAZI GERMANY
Wa s t h e r e m u c h
opposition to Hitler
and the Nazis, 193339?
W H Y WA S T H E R E L I T T L E OP P OS I T I O N ?
 T h e N a z i s f a c e d re la t i v e l y l it t l e o p e n o p p o s i t i o n d u r i n g t h e ir 1 2 ye a r s in p ow e r.
 P r i v a te l y, m a ny c o m p l a in e d a b o u t t h e re g i m e :
 Some refused to give the Nazi salute
 Some told anti-Nazi jokes and rude stories about senior Nazis
 Importantly, criticism was always done in private
W H Y WA S T H E R E L I T T L E OP P OS I T I O N ?
 Te r ro r !
 M o s t w e r e to o a f ra i d to s p e a k o u t o p e n ly a g a in s t t h e N a z i re g im e .
 A l l t h e N a z is m a i n o p p o n e n t s h a d b e e n k i l le d , e x il e d , o r p u t i n p r i s o n .
 H ow e v e r, t h e re a r e s o m e f a c to r s w h i c h c a n b e u s e d to e x p l a i n w hy t h e r e w a s s u c h
l i t t l e o p p o s it io n .
NAZI SUCCESSES
 M a ny a d m i r e d a n d t r u s te d Hi t l e r.
 S o m e w e r e p re p a re d to to l e r a te t h e
te r ro r o f N a z i r u l e , a n d to a b a n d o n
t h e i r r i g h t s to p o l i t i c a l f r e e d o m a n d
f r e e s p e e c h , in re t u r n f o r w o rk , f o re ig n
p o l i c y s u c c e s s , a n d s t ro n g g ov e rn m e n t .
NAZI SUCCESSES

Th e ap par en t econ omi c su ccess of th e regi me p l eased many.

Many felt that the Nazis were bringing discipline, order and
tradi ti on val ues back to Ger many.

Foreign policy succe sse s betwee n 1 933 -3 9 made many
Germans feel a sense of national pride once again.

For many Germans, th ey may n ot h ave like d th e methods of th e
Nazis, but they felt the ends justified the means.
ECONOMIC FEARS

Wo r k e r s l i v e d i n f e a r o f s p e a k i n g o u t i n c a s e t h e y l o s t t h e i r j o b .
“The average German worker is primarily interested in
work and not in democracy. People who previously
enthusiastically supported democracy showed no
interest at all in politics. One must be clear about the
fact that in the first instance men are fathers of
families and have jobs, and that for them politics
takes second place and even then only when they
expect to get something out of it.”
A report by a Socialist activist in Germany, February 1936.
ECONOMIC FEARS
 A f te r t h e e f f e c t s o f t h e d e p re s s io n m a ny w e r e
te r r i f i e d by t h e p ro s p e c t o f b e i n g o u t o f w o rk
again.
 B u s i n e s s e s t h a t d id n ot c o n t ri b u te to N a z i Pa r t y
f u n d s r i s ke d lo s i n g N a z i b u s i n e s s a n d g o i n g
bankrupt.
 S o , f o r s o m e , c o n f o rm in g wa s a n a c t o f s e lf defence.
P RO PAG A N DA
 T h e N a z i p ro p a g a n d a m a c h i n e
u n d e rp i n n e d t h e w h o l e re g im e .
 T h i s e n s u re d t h a t m a ny G e r m a n s f o u n d
out ver y little about the bad things that
were happening.
 O r, i f t h ey d i d t h ey o n l y h e a r d t h e m w it h
a p o s i t i v e , p ro - N a z i s l a n t .
“Hitler Builds.”
L AC K O F C H R I S T I A N O PPO S I TI O N
 What about the Churc h?
 Why did the Church c hoose to believe
Hitler’s promises?
 Watc h the following clip about lac k of
opposition from the Church