17 pages • 34 minutes read
Martin NiemöllerFirst They Came...
Fiction | Poem | Adult | Published in 1946A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Background
Authorial Context
Niemöller’s status as an anti-authoritarian hero is disputed given his history of nationalism and antisemitism. As a conservative anti-communist, he voted for the Nazi party from 1924 to 1933. His concerns about Nazi rule grew as he saw the new state infringing on church affairs and directly altering church doctrine. In a 1934 meeting between Adolf Hitler and church leaders, Niemöller pushed against Hitler’s assertion that he would “take care of the German people” (Pace, Eric. “Martin Niemöller, Resolute Foe of Hitler.” The New York Times, 1984), seeing it as a direct threat to the Lutheran Church’s spiritual obligation to the German people. Even as he fought to preserve church autonomy, he agreed with the Nazi party’s antisemitic policies. He volunteered mid-internment to fight in the German Navy in 1939 and was denied.
It was not until after the war in 1945 that Niemöller began to change his views. He reflected on this slow, radical shift in 1982, stating that he started his adult life as “an ultra-conservative who wanted the Kaiser to come back; and now I am a revolutionary. I really mean that. If I live to be a hundred I shall maybe be an anarchist” (Hockenos, Matthew. “Pastor Martin Niemöller, German Protestantism, and German National Identity, 1933-1937.” Christianity and National Identity in Twentieth-Century Europe, edited by John Carter Wood, Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht, 2016).
Religious Context
In 1933, the Confessing Church formed as a splinter group within the Lutheran Church of Germany. The state, they argued, had no right to interfere in church affairs. Any attempts to do so would violate Jesus’ command to “render unto God what is God’s” (Hockenos, Matthew. “Pastor Martin Niemöller, German Protestantism, and German National Identity, 1933-1937.” Christianity and National Identity in Twentieth-Century Europe, edited by John Carter Wood, Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht, 2016). Niemöller struggled to balance his love of country with his beliefs through 1936, and by 1937, Christian persecution and resistance were consistent themes in his sermons.
Different members of the Confessing Church espoused a variety of political philosophies. Upon his arrest, Niemöller claimed he never intended for his sermons to advocate anti-state actions; Christian leaders had an obligation to remain apolitical in the pulpit. In contrast, several of Niemöller’s fellow Confessing Church cofounders expressed more liberal views. Dietrich Bonhoeffer called for church resistance as a direct response to Jewish persecution, and theologian Karl Barth openly critiqued other scholars who were Nazi supporters.
Cultural Context
Niemöller gained notoriety in the postwar period for his opposition to the Nazi regime. He gave lectures and interviews around the world in a variety of settings, urging the German people and church to confess their guilt in not doing more to prevent the Holocaust. His views on various issues consistently drew criticism from different sides. He began advocating for nuclear disarmament in the 1950s, and in 1965 he made a controversial visit to North Vietnam to meet Ho Chi Minh. Niemöller continued to use “First they came…” in extemporaneous speech to advocate for solidarity between peoples. Activists of all manner of identities and beliefs continue to use “First they came…” to speak against persecution and call for united resistance.
