Nazi Church Policy and Prot. Churches in Austria

The Austrian “Anschluss” in March of 1938 was welcomed enthusiastically by the Protestant church, a minority church with just under 300,000 members. The “Anschluss” nurtured the hope of finally being able to enjoy equal footing with the Catholic Church. Protestant pastors, church government and congregational members had demonstrated their willingness to take advantage of the Nazi regime’s political strength for their interests, too.

As of April 23, 1938, Josef Bürckel served in Vienna as Reich Commissioner for the “Reunification of Austria with the German Reich”. His ambition was to present Hitler as the “Peacemaker with the Churches”. This was intended to set an example for the “Altreich” (Germany in the borders of 1937).

The Department of “Education, Culture and Public Education” in the new “Ministry of Internal and Cultural Affairs” made sure that these important domains of society were reorganized according to National Socialist precepts. The consequence was a flood of laws, decrees and directives. The churches were systematically marginalized from every sphere of public life: Nursery schools were incorporated in the “National Socialist People’s Welfare”, every denominational school was closed or made public by September of 1938. Education at schools of theology was increasingly restricted, religious instruction was gradually reduced.

The marginalization of the churches from public life also entailed restricting the press and regulating hospital and prison ministry as well as the celebration of holidays. Such measures for the “de-confessionalization of public life”, frequently in collaboration with the Gestapo and Security Service, were also common practice in the so-called “Altreich”. Since the Catholic Church’s concordat had however been rescinded in Austria and the Protestant Church had proven to be a compliant instrument, it was possible to step up anti-church measures there or even implement them for the first time.

The Law on the Collection of Church Contributions of April 28, 1939 ended the state’s involvement in financing the churches in Austria. Also intended to foment a movement to leave the church, the law served as a model for other annexed territories. The goal was to bleed the Churches dry financially. A law of Bürckel’s from May of 1939, which revoked the Protestant High Consistory’s status as a “government body” served the concept of the separation of church and state.

The “Liquidation Commissioner” for associations, organizations and organizations subjected all of the churches’ organizations to a review, the majority was disbanded and had its assets confiscated.

Together with government authorities, acting President of the Evangelical High Consistory (EOK) Hans Kauer’s aimed to prevent the Kirchenkampf from spilling over from the “Altreich”. Confessing Church pastors were barred from entering the Ostmark, as Austria was officially called as of 1938.

The Law of the Provisional Church of June 24, 1939 enacted by the EOK in Vienna made the Evangelical Church in Austria a coordinated regional church of the German Evangelical Church. This “incorporation” and actual Gleichschaltung was preceded by ideologically adopting Nazi church policy and capitulating to German Christian theology.