The Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod's Reaction to World War Two

Abstract

Two great events marked the first half of the twentieth century: the First and Second World Wars. The common theme of these two catastrophic events is that Germany found itself on the wrong side of history in both cases. One would expect that a Lutheran Synod with German roots would have been persecuted during both wars due to suspicion of German sympathizing. That is exactly what happened in WWI. But persecution of the Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod during WWII was almost non-existent. This thesis will explore the reasons for why this German Lutheran synod in America was not persecuted or oppressed during WWII.