RRRRReeeeesssssiiiiissssstttttaaaaannnnnccccceeeee aaaaannnnnddddd cccccooooonnnnnfffffooooorrrrrmmmmmiiiiitttttyyyyy iiiiinnnnn ttttthhhhheeeee TTTTThhhhhiiiiirrrrrddddd RRRRReeeeeiiiiiccccchhhhh What was the relationship between ordinary Germans and Hitler’s government? Why did such a dreadful political system find any popular support at all? Who was brave enough to defy the laws of the Third Reich? This book examines decisions made by different social groups to resist or conform to the Nazi regime. Using accessible language, and drawing on the full range of sources available to historians, Martyn Housden adopts a thematic approach to the subject. He considers, for example, why church-goers failed to reject decisively Hitler’s atheistic political movement; what impact the persecution of Germany’s Jewish citizens had on the everyday lives of other Germans; why the Hitler Youth held such appeal for young people. ROUTLEDGE SOURCES IN HISTORY Series Editor David Welch, University of Kent OTHER TITLES IN THE SERIES The Suez Crisis Anthony Gorst and Lewis Johnman FORTHCOMING The Russian Revolution Ronald Kowalski Italian Fascism John Pollard The Holocaust John Fox The German Experience Anthony McElligott The Rise and Fall of the Soviet Union Richard Sakwa RRRRReeeeesssssiiiiissssstttttaaaaannnnnccccceeeee aaaaannnnnddddd cccccooooonnnnnfffffooooorrrrrmmmmmiiiiitttttyyyyy iiiiinnnnn ttttthhhhheeeee TTTTThhhhhiiiiirrrrrddddd RRRRReeeeeiiiiiccccchhhhh Martyn Housden London and New York Cover image: every effort has been made to contact the copyright holders of this image. In the event of any queries, please contact Suzanne Collins at Routledge, London. First published 1997 by Routledge 11 New Fetter Lane, London EC4P 4EE This edition published in the Taylor & Francis e-Library, 2002. Simultaneously published in the USA and Canada by Routledge 29 West 35th Street, New York, NY 10001 © 1997 Martyn Housden All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced or utilised in any form or by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publishers. British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library Library of Congress Cataloguing in Publication Data Housden, Martyn, 1962– Resistance and conformity in the Third Reich/Martyn Housden. —(Routledge sources in history) Includes bibliographical references and index. 1. National socialism. 2. Germany—Politics and government—1933–1945. 3. Jews—Persecutions—Germany. 4. Anti-Nazi movement—Germany. I. Title. II. Series. DD256.5.H69 1997 96–18379 943.086—dc20 CIP ISBN 0-415-12133-7 (Print Edition) 0-415-12134-5 (pbk) ISBN 0-203-13465-6 Master e-book ISBN ISBN 0-203-17875-0 (Glassbook Format) For Gill, Patrick and Alexander CCCCCooooonnnnnttttteeeeennnnntttttsssss Series Editor’s preface ix Acknowledgements xiii 1 National Socialism: what was its character and immediate appeal? 1 2 The workers: class action? 23 3 The churches: opposition born of belief? 46 4 Youth: rebels for which cause? 68 5 Conservative élites: successful opposition from the men of 20 July? 93 6 Germany’s Jewish citizens: like lambs to the slaughter? 117 7 Exploring the inexplicable: what was the relationship between ordinary Germans and racial policy? 137 8 Opposition, resistance and German society: black and white, or grey? 161 Further Reading 177 Bibliography 179 Index 192 SSSSSeeeeerrrrriiiiieeeeesssss eeeeedddddiiiiitttttooooorrrrr’’’’’sssss ppppprrrrreeeeefffffaaaaaccccceeeee Sources in History is a new series responding to the continued shift of emphasis in the teaching of history in schools and universities towards the use of primary sources and the testing of historical skills. By using documentary evidence, the series is intended to reflect the skills historians have to master when challenged by problems of evidence, interpretation and presentation. A distinctive feature of Sources in History is the manner in which the content, style and significance of documents is analysed. The commentary and the source are not discrete, but rather merge to become part of a continuous and integrated narrative. After reading each volume a student should be well versed in the historiographical problems which sources present. In short, the series provides texts which will allow students to achieve facility in ‘thinking historically’ and place them in a stronger position to test their historical skills. Wherever possible the intention has been to retain the integrity of a document and not simply to present a ‘gobbet’, which can be misleading. Documentary evidence thus forces the students to confront a series of questions which professional historians also have to grapple with. Such questions can be summarised as follows: 1 What type of source is the document? (cid:127) Is it a written source or an oral or visual source? (cid:127) What is its importance? (cid:127) Did it have an effect on events or the decision-making process? 2 Who wrote the document? (cid:127) A person, a group or a government? (cid:127) If it was a person, what was his/her position? (cid:127) What basic attitudes might have affected the nature of the information and language used? 3 When was the document written? (cid:127) The date, and even the time, might be significant.