Study Guides

Unit Summary

In this unit, pupils study a modern society and the issues that affected it in great depth over a shorter period. They learn about the key events, developments, people and stories that shaped this modern society over a period of around twenty to thirty years.

Lesson Summary

You will learn to describe Nazi policies towards the Catholic and Protestant Churches in Germany.

Key Notes

• Germany was a deeply religious country and the Nazis saw this as a source of opposition, requiring state control.
• In 1933, Hitler signed a Concordat with the Pope - but soon broke his promise not to interfere with the Church.
• Catholic schools and youth groups were dismantled as part of Nazi religious control.
• A new state Church, the Reich Church, was set up to promote Nazi ideas and unify the Protestant Churches.
• Some Church leaders resisted Nazification and, despite arrests and pressure, the Nazis never fully controlled religion.

Vocabulary To Learn

• Reich: meaning empire; under the Nazis, it referred to the Third Reich, their name for Hitler's regime, which they saw as the third great German empire after the Holy Roman Empire and the German Empire
• Vatican: the centre of the Roman Catholic Church, based in Vatican City, an independent state in Rome; it is led by the Pope and acts as the Church's spiritual and diplomatic authority
• concordat: a formal agreement between the Vatican and a government, usually about the rights of the Church within that country
• Nazification: the process of bringing institutions and daily life under Nazi control, influencing schools, churches, and local organisations; part of a wider Nazi policy known as Gleichschaltung (coordination)

Common Mistakes To Avoid

• All religious leaders opposed the Nazis.

3 Quick Questions (With Answers)

More Lessons In This Unit

• 1923, the Ruhr and hyperinflation Study Guide
• Early unrest and the Treaty of Versailles Study Guide
• Economic recovery under Stresemann Study Guide
• Employment in Nazi Germany Study Guide
• Goebbels and propaganda in Nazi Germany Study Guide
• Hitler's creation of a dictatorship Study Guide
• How Hitler became Chancellor of Germany Study Guide
• Nazi control of the police and the legal system Study Guide
• Nazi racial ideology and the treatment of minorities Study Guide
• Opposition and resistance in Nazi Germany Study Guide
• Social and economic change 1924-29 Study Guide
• Stresemann's international achievements Study Guide
• The early development of the NSDAP Study Guide
• The First World War and the German Revolution Study Guide
• The growth in support for the Nazi Party Study Guide
• The growth of unemployment and rise in support for the Communist Party Study Guide
• The Munich Putsch Study Guide
• The NSDAP's 'lean years' Study Guide
• The persecution of Jews Study Guide
• The Reichstag Fire and the Enabling Act Study Guide
• The Weimar Republic Study Guide
• Threats to the Weimar Republic from the left and the right Study Guide
• Weimar culture 1924-29 Study Guide
• Women in Nazi Germany Study Guide
• Work and life in Nazi Germany Study Guide
• Young people in Nazi Germany Study Guide