Reviews for The Holy Reich: Nazi Conceptions of Christianity, 1919-1945

The average rating for The Holy Reich: Nazi Conceptions of Christianity, 1919-1945 based on 2 reviews is 3.5 stars.

Review # 1 was written on 2018-10-22 00:00:00 Kristin Johnson Steigmann-Gall challenged scholarship stressing the anti-christian nature of National Socialism by arguing that point 24 of the NSDAP platform highlights the ways in which the Nazis saw themselves as part of the wider Christian community. Until 1937, Nazis made an active attempt to attract protestant membership. Protestants were seen as more nationally German than Catholics, and veneration of heroes such as Martin Luther was common. Only after 1937 did Bormanns influence on the party lead to a loss of power for Christians. Even then, they continued to appeal to point 24. So far so good. As academic reviewers noted, however, Steigmann-Gall underestimated the influence of polytheism and paganism in the Nazi ranks, taking the occasional pro-Christian statement of men like Han F.K. Günther wildly out of context. Nazis often used Christian language without any deep rooted Christian beliefs. Nazism was a fundamentally anti-christian movement.

Review # 2 was written on 2019-11-10 00:00:00 James Callaghan Thoroughly enjoyed this book, and I value the work the author put into researching and writing it. The myth that the Nazis were anti-christian, pagan, or even atheist is far too common even among educated people. On the whole, the author provides strong evidence that the Nazi regime was either Christian or at least highly supportive of Christianity. The issues were far more with the contradictions of protestantism and Catholicism than Christianity itself. Many members also had problems with the institutions of Christianity, but not the religion itself. There was a pagan faction with Nazism, but its influence is highly exaggerated. There was absolutely no Atheist faction. Hitler's Table Talks are often used as definitive proof that Hitler was not Christian, but closer examination shows this is far less clear. While he did heavily criticize Christianity at times, he also still highly praised Jesus as a warrior against Jewish Materialism. Overall, excellent history. Highly recommend.