Resistance in the Third Reich? : political dissent in Rottenburg am Neckar, 1933-1938 / by Ellen Jean Thorne.

This thesis is an investigation of popular opinion and political dissent in Rottenburg, Germany from 1933 to 1938. Relying on oral interviews conducted by German researchers, this thesis explores the attitudes of ordinary Germans to the seizure and strengthening of power by the Nazi regime. The main aspect of opinion addressed is the effect of the Church-State conflict on this Catholic population and the extent to which their religious and social values were able to withstand Nazi attack. It is found that, although there were no major acts of resistance, a distinct climate of dissent existed within the city. The inhabitants of Rottenburg, like many other average Germans, were not effectively integrated in the Volksgemeinschaft and they did retain their religious allegiances and former convictions.