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Martin NiemoellerProtestant theologian
Country:
 Germany |
Content:
Biography of Martin Niemöller
Martin Niemöller, a Protestant theologian and pastor of the Protestant Evangelical Church, was one of the most famous opponents of Nazism in Germany. He was born on January 14, 1892, in Lipstadt, Westphalia. During World War I, he served as a submarine captain (Lieutenant of the Navy) and was awarded the "For Merit" medal. After the war, he studied theology and was ordained as a minister in 1924. From 1931 to 1937, he served as the pastor of a wealthy Berlin church in Dahlem.
Early Support for Nazism
As a staunch nationalist and avid anti-communist, Niemöller, like many Protestant pastors, initially welcomed Hitler's rise to power and joined the Nazi Party. However, his disillusionment with Nazism came when Hitler began asserting the state's supremacy over the church. As the leader of the Confessional Church, Niemöller resisted Nazi interference in church affairs and founded the "Pfarrernotbund" (Pastors' Emergency League) with the support of many pastors in Germany. On June 27, 1937, amidst a large congregation, Niemöller delivered his final sermon in the Third Reich, stating, "We can no longer remain silent when the Lord commands us to speak. We must obey the Lord, not man!"
Imprisonment and Persecution
Hitler was furious when he learned of Niemöller's sermon. He harbored a deep hatred for the pastor, viewing his sermons as political agitation, while believers, both Catholics and Protestants, considered Niemöller a national hero. On July 1, 1937, Niemöller was arrested and imprisoned in Berlin's Moabit Prison. In order to deal with Niemöller, Hitler decided to utilize the regular judicial system instead of the Gestapo. The trial, known as the "Special Court" (Sondergericht), which handled cases of crimes against the state, began on March 3, 1938, after several delays. Niemöller was accused of "hidden attacks" against the state and was sentenced to seven months in a privileged prison for officials and fined 2,000 marks for "misuse of preaching activities and collecting parishioners in the church."
Infuriated by the leniency of the sentence, Hitler stated that Niemöller "should sit until he turns blue," and threatened punishment to the entire court. After serving eight months, one month longer than the sentence, Niemöller was released, only to be rearrested, this time by the Gestapo, as a "precautionary measure." Throughout World War II, Niemöller was held in concentration camps, first in Sachsenhausen and then in Dachau, where he was imprisoned alongside former Austrian Chancellor Schuschnigg, bankers Thyssen and Schacht, as well as members of royal families, Philipp of Hesse and Friedrich of Prussia. In 1945, Niemöller was liberated by the Allied forces.
Post-War Activism
In 1946, while speaking in Geneva, Niemöller acknowledged Germany's guilt for war crimes. From 1947 to 1964, he served as the bishop of the Reformed Evangelical Church in Hesse-Nassau, consistently advocating for peace and nuclear disarmament. In 1952, he visited Moscow, and in 1967, North Vietnam.
