https://alphahistory.com/nazigermany/opposition-to-the-nazis/Opposition to the Nazis existed but it was notoriously difficult. Dissenters and protestors against the Nazi regime risked both their freedom and their lives.
Despite this, there was a good deal of criticism of and resistance to the Nazi regime between 1933 and 1939. Much of this resistance was conducted in secret because of the expansive Nazi police state and the extensive powers of agencies like theGestapo. The Nazi regime’s decisive leadership and economic successes also meant it remained popular with many Germans, some willing to denounce others for anti-Nazi behaviour.
Sources of anti-Nazi sentiment
Opposition movements took several forms across different sections of society. There were several resistance groups formed from the remnants of political parties disbanded by the Nazis in mid-1933. There was opposition among industrial workers and former trade unionists.
University halls and campuses were notable sources of anti-government criticism and protest. There was also anti-Nazi activity among some urban youth groups.
Christian churches, both Catholic and Protestant, opposed the imposition of Nazi ideology on German life. Some members of these churches gave shelter to those persecuted by the regime, such as dissidents and Jews.
There was even opposition to the Nazis in the ranks of the German military. Some high-ranking officers in theWehrmachtdespised Hitler and there were occasional discussions about removing him from power.
The SPD
Germany’s largest non-Nazi political group, the Social Democratic Party (SPD) was arguably the largest source of resistance.
The SPD was declared illegal in May 1933, robbed of its funds and forced to disband. The party leadership relocated to Prague, where they continued to operate, calling this exiled partySopade.
Many SPD members also remained in Germany and went ‘underground’, forming a resistance group calledRoter Strosstrupp(‘Red Strike Troops’). By late 1933, this group had around 3,000 members. They produced a fortnightly newspaper highlighting Nazi abuses of power and calling on a workers’ uprising to overthrow the regime.
By mid-1934, the SPD’s underground activities in Germany had been suppressed. TheGestapolocated and arrested leaders ofRoter Strosstrupp, while the Nazi regime was accepted by too many Germans to incite an effective counter-revolution. Another SPD-led group called ‘New Beginnings’ operated through the mid-1930s but continued pressure from theGestaporendered it largely ineffective.
Resistance in the workplaceGerman workers who were not affiliated with political parties also organised resistance campaigns, such as strikes and go-slows. These were usually motivated by deteriorating working conditions or rising food prices, rather than ideological opposition to Nazism.Some workers took individual action by refusing to give Nazi salutes, not turning up for work or sabotaging factory machinery or equipment. The usual Gestapo response was to arrest organisers or rabble-rousers and detain them in concentration camps or conventional prisons.In 1939, a factory worker named Georg Elser was so incensed by the erosion of workers’ rights that he planted a bomb in a Munich beer hall where Hitler was scheduled to speak. Elser’s timing was perfect, however, Hitler finished his speech several minutes earlier than planned and left the stage before the bomb detonated.
It is certain today that every honest German is ashamed of their government. Who among us has any conception of the dimensions of shame that will befall us and our children, when one day the veil has fallen from our eyes and the most horrible of crimes – that infinitely outdistance every human measure – reach the light of day.”Hans SchollTheGestapospent weeks searching for the creators of the White Rose pamphlets. In February 1943, a tip-off led to the arrest of three students, including Hans Scholl and his 21-year-old sister, Sophie Scholl. They were interrogated, tortured, tried and executed, all within six hours.
