Kirchenkampf
Encyclopedia
Kirchenkampf is a German term that translates as "struggle of the churches" or "church
struggle" in English. The term is sometimes used ambiguously, and may refer to one or more of the following different church struggles:
Historian Susannah Heschel
states that the Kirchenkampf is "sometimes mistakenly understood as referring to the Protestant churches' resistance to National Socialism. In fact, the term refers to an internal dispute between members of the Bekennende Kirche Confessing Church and members of the (Nazi-backed) Deutsche Christen German Christians over control of the Protestant church." [parenthetical added]
First (spring to fall 1933):
Second (fall 1933 – fall 1934)
Third (fall 1934 – February 1937)
Fourth (February 1937 – 1939)
Fifth stage (1939–1945)
Martin Bormann
was the leading advocate of the Kirchenkampf, a project which Hitler for the most part wished to keep until after the war. Worried about the dissention caused by the Kirchenkampf, Hitler told Goebbels
in the summer of 1935 he sought "peace with the Churches" - "at least for a period of time". As with the "Jewish question", the radicals nonetheless pushed the Church struggle forward, especially in Catholic areas, so that by the winter of 1935-1936 there was growing dissatisfaction with the Nazis in those areas. Borman's view of Christianity was epitomized in a confidential memo to Gauleiter
s in 1942; the memo reignited the fight against Christianity which had been in a detente, stating that the power of the churches "must absolutely and finally be broken" as Nazism "was completely incompatible with Christianity."
Church Body
A local church is a Christian religious organization that meets in a particular location. Many are formally organized, with constitutions and by-laws, maintain offices, are served by pastors or lay leaders, and, in nations where this is permissible, often seek seek non-profit corporate status...
struggle" in English. The term is sometimes used ambiguously, and may refer to one or more of the following different church struggles:
- the internal dispute between the German ChristiansGerman ChristiansThe Deutsche Christen were a pressure group and movement within German Protestantism aligned towards the antisemitic and Führerprinzip ideological principles of Nazism with the goal to align German Protestantism as a whole towards those principles...
and the Confessing ChurchConfessing ChurchThe Confessing Church was a Protestant schismatic church in Nazi Germany that arose in opposition to government-sponsored efforts to nazify the German Protestant church.-Demographics:...
over control of the Protestant church - the battle between the Nazi regime and the Protestant church bodiesLandeskircheIn Germany and Switzerland, a Landeskirche is the church of a region. They originated as the national churches of the independent states, States of Germany or Cantons of Switzerland , that later unified to form modern Germany or modern Switzerland , respectively.-Origins in the Holy Roman...
- the battle between the Nazi regime and the Roman Catholic ChurchRoman Catholic ChurchThe Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church, with over a billion members. Led by the Pope, it defines its mission as spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, administering the sacraments and exercising charity...
Historian Susannah Heschel
Susannah Heschel
Susannah Heschel is Dartmouth College's Eli Black associate professor of Jewish Studies, an award-winning author, and the daughter of Abraham Joshua Heschel....
states that the Kirchenkampf is "sometimes mistakenly understood as referring to the Protestant churches' resistance to National Socialism. In fact, the term refers to an internal dispute between members of the Bekennende Kirche Confessing Church and members of the (Nazi-backed) Deutsche Christen German Christians over control of the Protestant church." [parenthetical added]
Five stages of Kirchenkampf
The Kirchenkampf can be divided into five stages.First (spring to fall 1933):
- Hitler makes efforts to assimilate the churches into the culture of National Socialism.
- The ReichskonkordatReichskonkordatThe Reichskonkordat is a treaty that was agreed between the Holy See and Nazi government, that guarantees the rights of the Catholic Church in Germany. It was signed on July 20, 1933 by Secretary of State Eugenio Pacelli and Vice Chancellor Franz von Papen on behalf of Pope Pius XI and President...
was an outcome of this stage. - The preparation to create a unified single Reichskirche from the 28 regional Protestant churches , the Ludwig Müller controversy, and the beginning of the rise of the Confessing ChurchConfessing ChurchThe Confessing Church was a Protestant schismatic church in Nazi Germany that arose in opposition to government-sponsored efforts to nazify the German Protestant church.-Demographics:...
Second (fall 1933 – fall 1934)
- The regime attempted to bring the churches under the control of the Nazi state
- Opposition to these efforts led to the emergence of the Confessing ChurchConfessing ChurchThe Confessing Church was a Protestant schismatic church in Nazi Germany that arose in opposition to government-sponsored efforts to nazify the German Protestant church.-Demographics:...
- The regime breaches various portions of the Concordat
Third (fall 1934 – February 1937)
- The regime tried to bring the Protestant churches under its control by taking charge of church finances and governance structures.
Fourth (February 1937 – 1939)
- More open conflict based on "Nazism itself and its anti-Christian worldviews"
- The regime increased its imprisonment of resistant clergy, such as Martin NiemöllerMartin NiemöllerFriedrich Gustav Emil Martin Niemöller was a German anti-Nazi theologian and Lutheran pastor. He is best known as the author of the poem "First they came…"....
Fifth stage (1939–1945)
- More clergy were imprisoned
- Dietrich BonhoefferDietrich BonhoefferDietrich Bonhoeffer was a German Lutheran pastor, theologian and martyr. He was a participant in the German resistance movement against Nazism and a founding member of the Confessing Church. He was involved in plans by members of the Abwehr to assassinate Adolf Hitler...
was imprisoned and executed - Clergy were drafted into the military
- Church publications were censored or banned
- Services and functions restricted or banned
Nazi Party and the German churches
Some historians maintain that Hitler's goal in the Kirchenkampf entailed not only ideological struggle, but ultimately the eradication of the Church. Other historians maintain no such plan existed.Martin Bormann
Martin Bormann
Martin Ludwig Bormann was a prominent Nazi official. He became head of the Party Chancellery and private secretary to Adolf Hitler...
was the leading advocate of the Kirchenkampf, a project which Hitler for the most part wished to keep until after the war. Worried about the dissention caused by the Kirchenkampf, Hitler told Goebbels
Goebbels
Goebbels, alternatively Göbbels, is a common surname in the western areas of Germany. It is probably derived from the Old Low German word gibbler, meaning brewer...
in the summer of 1935 he sought "peace with the Churches" - "at least for a period of time". As with the "Jewish question", the radicals nonetheless pushed the Church struggle forward, especially in Catholic areas, so that by the winter of 1935-1936 there was growing dissatisfaction with the Nazis in those areas. Borman's view of Christianity was epitomized in a confidential memo to Gauleiter
Gauleiter
A Gauleiter was the party leader of a regional branch of the NSDAP or the head of a Gau or of a Reichsgau.-Creation and Early Usage:...
s in 1942; the memo reignited the fight against Christianity which had been in a detente, stating that the power of the churches "must absolutely and finally be broken" as Nazism "was completely incompatible with Christianity."
See also
- Persecution of Jehovah's Witnesses in Nazi GermanyPersecution of Jehovah's Witnesses in Nazi GermanyJehovah's Witnesses were persecuted in Nazi Germany between 1933 and 1945. Members of the religious group refused to serve in the German military or give allegiance to the Nazi government, for which hundreds were executed. An estimated 10,000 were sent to concentration camps where approximately...
- Confessing ChurchConfessing ChurchThe Confessing Church was a Protestant schismatic church in Nazi Germany that arose in opposition to government-sponsored efforts to nazify the German Protestant church.-Demographics:...
- The Evangelical Church of the old-Prussian Union under Nazi Reign
- German ChristiansGerman ChristiansThe Deutsche Christen were a pressure group and movement within German Protestantism aligned towards the antisemitic and Führerprinzip ideological principles of Nazism with the goal to align German Protestantism as a whole towards those principles...
- Nazism and religionNazism and religionThis article gives an overview about religion in Nazi Germany and the Nazis' complex and shifting policy towards religion."The German census of May 1939 indicates that 54 percent of Germans considered themselves Protestant and 40 percent considered themselves Catholic, with only 3.5 percent...
- The Ninth DayThe Ninth DayThe Ninth Day is a German film, made in 2004 and directed by Volker Schlöndorff. It was released by Kino International.The film is about a Catholic priest from Luxembourg who is imprisoned in Dachau concentration camp, but released for nine days. The story is based on a portion of Pfarrerblock...
- Catholic Church and Nazi GermanyCatholic Church and Nazi GermanyIn the 1930s, the Catholic Church was faced with the dilemma of how to respond to the rise of totalitarianism. After initially making an effort to negotiate a modus vivendi with such regimes in Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy, it found such accommodation increasingly difficult to maintain in the...
- Christmas in Nazi GermanyChristmas in Nazi GermanyThe Christian festival of Christmas was celebrated in Nazi Germany, although with variations from traditional practice. It was referred to as "Julfest".-Changes during the Nazi era:...