Opposition, resistance and conformity

Many Germans supported the Nazis, or at least accepted them:

• the economy recovered, and unemployment fell
• Hitler restored order, and national pride after Versailles
• propaganda convinced many people.

Others conformed: they went along with the regime, because they feared what would happen if they did not.

Historians' debate: it is hard to know how many Germans truly supported the Nazis, because people could not express their views freely, and votes were not free.

The Catholic Church: in 1933, Hitler signed the Concordat with the Pope. The Church agreed to stay out of politics, and Hitler promised not to interfere with it. But he broke his promise: Catholic schools and youth groups were closed, and priests were arrested. In 1937, the Pope criticised the Nazis publicly.

The Protestant Churches: the Nazis tried to unite them in a Reich Church, controlled by Nazi supporters. Pastor Martin Niemöller set up the Pastors' Emergency League in 1933, which became the Confessing Church, independent of Nazi control. Niemöller was arrested in 1937, and held in concentration camps until 1945.

By the late 1930s, some young people rejected the Hitler Youth:

• The Swing Youth: mostly middle-class young people in the cities, who loved American jazz and swing music, which the Nazis disapproved of. They held dances, and wore fashions from Britain and the USA.
• The Edelweiss Pirates: mostly working-class young people, named after a flower they wore as a badge. They went on hikes and camping trips, sang their own songs, and sometimes fought the Hitler Youth. During the war, some members took more dangerous action.

Extent: open opposition was limited. Most of it was small-scale: grumbling in private, telling jokes about the Nazis, or refusing to give the Nazi salute.

Why opposition was limited:

• Fear: the Gestapo, informers and concentration camps.
• Opponents removed early: communists, socialists and trade union leaders were arrested from 1933.
• No organisation: other parties and trade unions were banned, so opponents could not unite.
• Propaganda and censorship shaped what people thought.
• Support: many Germans were better off, or agreed with the Nazis.