Religion+and+Culture+in+Nazi+Germany

=Religion and Culture in Nazi Germany=

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 * Religion**
 * Nazism and Christianity - ideologies came into opposition as Nazism sought greater control of everyday life
 * Christianity began to be seen as a threat to Nazi ideology for national community, which was supposed to be one culture, one people and therefore needed to be just one religion
 * Hitler held no regard for Christianity but knew he needed their support
 * E.g. Centre party
 * 1933 concordat signed between Third Reich and the Vatican
 * guaranteed rights of Catholics in Germany
 * provisions were soon violated
 * e.g. restrictions on Catholic church and press
 * Pope condemned persecution in the Third Reich after concordat violated
 * Nazi’s found it easier to deal with Protestant Churches in their attempts to control religion
 * Exploited their traditional loyalty to the state
 * Attempt to unify Protestant Churches = division within the church
 * Disillusioned formed Confessional Church
 * Opposed Nazi attempt to limit religious expression and silence opposition to Nazi ideology
 * Churches remained as institutions and generally remained silent to atrocities


 * Culture: **
 * Weimar Germany had nurtured a flourishing creative life
 * Hitler opposed this and creative expression restricted
 * Wanted new Nazi cultural expression
 * 1933, Nazi Minister for Popular Enlightenment and Propaganda Joseph Goebeelds begain the syn
 * Departments of cultural expression e.g. art, press
 * Controlled under ‘gleichschaltung’
 * Literature: was c ontrolled + restricted
 * All publications had to be approved
 * Public libraries with approved books
 * May 1933 at all non-German books were burnt
 * Music
 * Classical music e.g. Wagner
 * Non-german allowed as long as on par with nazi ideology
 * Jewish not allowed e.g. Gustav Mahler
 * Architecture
 * Hitler had genuine interest
 * Albert Speer was a key architect of Nazi Germany
 * Encouraged a return to classical structures e.g. Ancient Greece
 * Structures e.g. Reich chancellery in Berlin that suggested strength and celebration of Nazism
 * Monumental solid structures suggested brutality and power
 * Art
 * Must serve the interest of the state
 * Modern art was banned as it was emotive and expressive
 * Hitler believed art needed to be understood by the people
 * Link to nature, family and fatherland. Suggests the Volk community
 * Sculptures were often of large heroic figures suggesting strength and collective will