The phenomenon of the “brown” priests in the Third Reich: causes of occurrence

Abstract

The paper analyses the causes and extent of the cooperation between German Catholic and Protestant clergy and Nazis. The author considers various definitions of the term “brown” priests in historiography. The paper aims to show that this collaborationism was not based on the commitment of priests to Christian teaching, they were often encouraged to cooperate with Nazis with their own political and career considerations and personal motives.

Keywords

• Third Reich
• Nazism
• Church
• Christianity
• collaborationism
• Catholicism
• Protestantism
• brown priests