Then they came for me
Subtitle: Martin Niemöller, the pastor who defied the Nazis
By: Matthew D. Hockenos
Edition: First edition.
Publisher: Basic Books
Published: 2018
Language: eng
Number of pages: 322
ISBN-13: 9780465097869
Subjects: Biography; Bekennende Kirche; Lutheran Church; Clergy
Other titles: Martin Niemöller, the pastor who defied the Nazis
Description: "First they came for the Communists, and I did not speak out--because I was not a Communist..." Few today recognize the name Martin Niemöller, though many know his famous confession. In Then They Came for Me, Matthew Hockenos traces Niemöller's evolution from a Nazi supporter to a determined opponent of Hitler, revealing him to be a more complicated figure than previously understood. Born into a traditionalist Prussian family, Niemöller welcomed Hitler's rise to power as an opportunity for national rebirth. Yet when the regime attempted to seize control of the Protestant Church, he helped lead the opposition and was soon arrested. After spending the war in concentration camps, Niemöller emerged a controversial figure: to his supporters he was a modern Luther, while his critics, including President Harry Truman, saw him as an unrepentant nationalist.
Notes: Includes bibliographical references (pages 269-301) and index.
Table of contents: title: With God for king and fatherland (1888-1914); title: Serving the Kaiser on the high seas (1914-1918); title: From U-Boat to pulpit (1918-1933); title: Trusting God and Hitler; title: Fighting pastor (1934-1937); title: Hitler's personal prisoner (1937-1945); title: Guilt, repentance, renewal (1945-1946); title: Barnstorming America (1946-1947); title: Swords to ploughshares (1947-1956); title: Ambassador for God (1956-1984).