Home / IB DP History / IBDP History HL Paper 3 – European Totalitarianism (1918–1941))- Exam-Style Questions
To what extent was there significant resistance to Hitler in Germany between \(1933\) and \(1939\)? \([15]\)
Detailed solution
There was resistance to Hitler between \(1933\) and \(1939\), but its significance was limited by repression, state control and the regime’s popularity.
Political opposition included the SPD vote against the Enabling Act and the activities of SOPADE. Some conservatives and members of the Reichswehr also resisted aspects of Nazi policy.
Workers, often organized by communists, took part in strikes in \(1935\) and \(1936\). Religious resistance came from Protestant pastors in the Confessional Church and from Jewish groups opposing discriminatory measures.
Some young people, including the Edelweiss Pirates and Navajos, rejected Nazi conformity by avoiding the Hitler Youth and conscription.
However, the Gestapo, the destruction of political parties and trade unions, and control of press and radio severely limited resistance. Many Germans also supported the regime, so opposition existed but was not strong enough to threaten Hitler’s rule.