Faith Under Fascism

Martina Cucchiara is a professor of history at Bluffton University. She is the author and co-editor of a number of publications on the topic of women, religion, and modern Germany, including The Evil That Surrounds Us: The WWII Memoir of Erna Becker-Kohen and Women, Religion, and Emotions in Modern Germany and Beyond.

Acknowledgements A Note on Names Abbreviations Introduction 1. Athletes of God: The School Sisters in the Long Nineteenth Century 2. Between Accommodation and Conviction: Teaching in Nazi Germany 3. Under Siege: The Battle for Catholic Schools 4. Escalation: The Foreign Currency Trials Against the Catholic Church 5. Under Orders: The School Sisters at Work and at War 6. Sisters in Arms: The Last Years of the War and Collapse Conclusion Notes Bibliography Index

"Underpinned by exemplary archival research, and guided by an original focus on female religious orders, Faith under Fascism represents a splendid addition to the historiography of Catholicism in Nazi Germany. This is an important and beautifully written work, which deserves a wide readership." -Thomas Brodie, author of German Catholicism at War, 1939-1945 "In Faith under Fascism, Cucchiara fills a gaping void in the history of Nazi Germany: what was happening among women religious. In a well-researched and engagingly written account, readers will have the opportunity to meet the School Sisters and see how they reacted, adapted, and generally were able to withstand the onslaught of the Nazis." -Beth A. Griech-Polelle, author of Anti-Semitism and the Holocaust "Faith under Fascism uncovers a wealth of new material that investigates the ways Nazism transformed Catholic schools run by women religious. Martina Cucchiara highlights the significance of local initiatives undertaken by Catholic sisters, emphasizing the complicated interplay of obedience, deference and agency." -Carmen Mangion, author of Contested Identities "This is an innovative study that significantly expands our understanding of what constitutes 'church' to include women religious as independent actors and is a model for future scholars in the field. Thus, this work opens a new avenue for future research and sets a standard against which future works will be measured." -Martin Menke, author of "The Center Party 2020" in Weimar 2020