Sample Answer for Hitler and Mussolini Church/State Relations 1922-39

Essay Plan

INTRO:

• Mussolini and Hitler became dictators in Italy and Germany.
• Both adjusted church-state relations to stay in power and enhance their cult of personality.
• Mussolini sought Catholic influence, while his alliance with Hitler led to his downfall.
• The Catholic Church in Germany cooperated with Hitler due to shared anti-communist views.

BODY PARAGRAPHS:

1. The Roman Question.
2. The 1929 Lateran Pacts.
3. Mussolini's Church conciliation.
4. Racial laws in Italy.
5. The Pope's stance during WWII.
6. Hitler's views on religion.
7. Securing Lutheran support.
8. Concordat with the Catholic Church.
9. Protestant divisions.
10. Worsening relations with the Catholic Church.

CONCLUSION:

• Nazism was a totalitarian, racist, and anti-communist regime.
• Church-state relations were weaker in Italy.
• The Church preferred fascism over communism, but it could have done more for Jews.
• Germany was less religiously driven, with many still Catholic but less influence overall.

Sample Essay

Mussolini and Hitler dealt with church-state relations similarly during the inter-war years. Both were fascist dictators, seeking to amend church-state relations to boost their cult of personality and gain control. Italy was Catholic, and Mussolini changed his views to pander to the church. In Germany, the majority of people were Protestant, and the church cooperated with Hitler, as they saw fascism as the lesser of two evils and the alternative to communism.

Firstly, Italy had a lot of anti-clerical policies, reducing the church's power and causing the country to be bitterly divided after the unification of Italy in the late 1800's. Pope Benedict XV attempted to end the catholic vote ban but failed. Mussolini sought to solve the Roman Question and improve relations between church and State. To do this, he baptised his kids and opposed divorce and abortion. Mussolini did not believe in God, but he pandered to the church which began to work closer with him.

The 1929 Lateran Pacts, named after Pope Pius XII, were the next step in amending church-state relations in Italy. They declared the Vatican an independent sovereign state. Catholicism was made the state religion and was made compulsory in school. Divorce was banned, and all Bishops had to be Italian. The Lateran Pacts improved relations significantly, especially after the 60-year feud between the church and State, during which the Pope felt as though he was "a prisoner of the Vatican." Mussolini aimed to change this, to achieve a strong and united Italy.

The Lateran pacts resulted in the Concordat and conciliation, effectively ending the feud between church and state. The Mussolini regime was acclaimed internally and externally, gaining praise from the church. Mussolini claimed that the "Roman Question was a personal triumph" as the concordat allowed the regulation of church/state relations, meaning it would be easier to control.

Racial laws against Jewish people were also introduced in 1938 as further pandering to the church. Marriage between Jews and Italians was banned, along with the ownership of certain industries and occupations. The laws weren't strictly followed until 1943, during the German occupation. The church was criticised for not helping Jews, as they could have done more to oppose the fascist regime, but they were afraid of further persecution and preferred fascism over communism.

When WW2 broke out, Italy and Germany allied to form the Rome-Berlin Axis. Italy invaded France, which ended in disaster and eventually contributed to Mussolini's removal from power. When Rome was bombed, Pope Pius XII visited the city, whereas Mussolini did not. Despite his attempts at church-state relations, this settled the issue that Mussolini didn't care about his people, whereas the Pope did. Mussolini's alliance with Hitler contributed directly to his downfall.

Hitler, like Mussolini, was also a fascist dictator but in Germany. He sought to end Christianity in the country, But the church, which was anti-communist, did nothing to stop him. Two-thirds of Germany was protestant, and the church's influence was weak (particularly in education) during the Weimar Republic. The Hitler Youth was created to replace remaining religious groups. This showed that Hitler intended to deal with church-state relations through propaganda and terror.

Hitler needed Protestant and Lutheran support to continue gaining control. A unified church would be easier to control than the 28 self-governing regional churches. In 1933, these were replaced by Reichskirche, and young people were ordered to join the Hitler Youth. The German Christian Movement, an antisemitic and racist organisation, was formed, and religious opposition organisations were banned. Eventually, Hitler lost interest when the Movement failed to replace traditional Christianity in Germany.

In further attempts to gain control, Hitler signed a concordat in 1933. This allowed Catholics freedom of worship, but the church had to withdraw from politics, and the Catholic Centre Party disbanded. The Nazis quickly broke the concordat when the Gestapo began to intimidate former Catholic politicians and banning youth groups. Pope Pius XI condemned the Nazi regime but to no effect. Nazism catered to spiritual and material needs, eliminating the need for functional church-state relations.

Things escalated with violent attacks like Kristalnacht but resulted in little pushback from Christian church leaders who did not challenge antisemitic legislation. Bishop von Galen, however, opposed the Nazi program of euthanasia. Many clerics were sent to concentration camps. Despite the prosecution, many Germans remained Catholic or Protestant and Nazi policy failed to reduce religious alliances. In light of this, most of the effects of Hitler's meddling in church-state relations were negative.

Antisemitism only grew exceptionally, mainly due to jealousy of the economic success of Jews and general opposition to non-Christians. Some even held more outrageous beliefs that Jews controlled communism. The Nazis developed racial theory and claimed Aryan supremacy, where Jews were regarded as 'untermenschen' (officially under the Nuremberg Laws). The altered church-state relations led to violent antisemitism, where no group dared to condemn Hitler, which ultimately led to the Holocaust.

In conclusion, both Mussolini and Hitler manipulated church-stale relations to gain power and control. Antisemitism did not take off in Italy as it did in Germany. Nazism became a political religion in Hitler's dictatorship. Overall, the church could have could have could have done more for Jewish people, but fascism was preferred to communism. Today, Italy is still Catholic, whereas Germany is more secular. Fascist symbols remain banned across Europe, and church-state relations are largely moderated.