White Rose (resistance movement)
The White Rose was a nonviolent resistance movement formed by a group of German students and a professor during World War II, primarily active between 1942 and 1943. Originating from the University of Munich, the group included prominent figures like Hans and Sophie Scholl, Alexander Schmorell, Willi Graf, Christoph Probst, and philosophy professor Kurt Huber. They composed and distributed a series of six leaflets, which denounced the Nazi regime and encouraged fellow citizens to rise against Adolf Hitler's oppressive government. The movement arose in response to witnessing atrocities committed against Jews and others targeted by the Nazis, and it aimed to foster opposition to fascism and militarism.
Despite the immense risks associated with their activities, the White Rose members meticulously distributed leaflets in public places and sought to inspire action among the populace. Unfortunately, their efforts led to their capture by the Gestapo in February 1943, resulting in severe consequences, including treason charges and executions. Initially overlooked, the legacy of the White Rose has since been recognized as a symbol of moral courage and resistance against tyranny. Today, their story serves as a poignant reminder of the importance of standing up for justice and human rights in the face of oppression.
White Rose (resistance movement)
The White Rose was a political resistance movement during World War II (1939–1945). It was begun by a group of five students and one professor who nonviolently protested Adolf Hitler and the Nazi regime. Between the summer of 1942 and February of 1943, the group composed and distributed six leaflets that called for people to rise up against the Nazi Party. The Gestapo eventually caught the White Rose members, and they were charged with treason and sentenced to death. However, their calls for the denouncement of Nazi ideals would be remembered long after World War II.
Background
Under the direction of Adolf Hitler, the Nazi Party rose to power during the 1930s in Germany. The party wanted to turn Germany into what it considered a racially pure Aryan state. Hitler ruled the regime and instituted laws that limited the rights of many people who did not fit the mold; these included people of Jewish and Polish heritage.
The Nazis exterminated numerous people whom they considered inferior. This became known as the Holocaust, in which millions of Jews, Poles, and others were mass murdered. The Nazis used propaganda to spread their ideals, and Germany forged ahead to extend its ruling power. World War II began in 1939, when Germany invaded Poland. Many people criticized the war and the Nazi regime, but they feared for their lives from the Gestapo (secret state police) and Nazi security forces. Anyone who spoke out against Hitler or the Nazis were arrested and put on trial.
However, some people openly opposed Hitler and the Nazi Party. A group of students formed a political resistance group to oppose the Nazi regime in Germany. Members of the nonviolent movement began an anonymous leaflet campaign in June of 1942 in response to its members witnessing a horrific act against a group of Jews. The leaflets denounced the actions of the Nazis and called for people to organize against it. Students Sophie Scholl, Hans Scholl, Alexander Schmorell, Willi Graf, and Christoph Probst and philosophy professor Kurt Huber led what became known as the White Rose movement. The group distributed six leaflets, which called for people to unite against the Nazis, until February of 1943.
As youngsters, siblings Hans and Sophie Scholl were members of the Hitler Youth and Bund Deutscher Mädel (also known as the League of German Girls), respectively. They later were influenced by the ideals of the d.j.1.11 youth group of the German Youth Movement. Probst was a member of the German Youth Movement. Graf was part of the Catholic youth association Neudeutschland. In time, they all came to realize that Hitler and the Nazi Party were wrong, and they called for opposition to fascism and militarism.
Various members of the White Rose wrote and distributed the leaflets. They put them in public places such as telephone booths and mailed them to universities and other businesses. Later, it would be discovered that thirty-five of the original one hundred leaflets were handed over to the Gestapo. People thought that if they turned over anti-Nazi literature to the authorities, the Gestapo would not find them suspicious. In addition, propaganda had made the Germans believe that the Gestapo may have written and distributed the fliers to test people's loyalty to the Nazi Party.
At the time, there was great risk associated with composing and distributing anti-Nazi leaflets. The entire White Rose operation was both difficult and dangerous. Over time, it encompassed members in Hamburg, Freiburg, Berlin, and Vienna. Paper and postage stamps were scarce and difficult to procure, so someone who needed more than a few would raise suspicion. Carrying papers also carried risk, as police could stop and search anyone and ask for identification. Members of the White Rose movement worked carefully and feverishly to write up and pass out the leaflets without being caught. Hans Scholl and Schmorell wrote the first four leaflets with input from Probst; Graf and Huber worked on the fifth one. Huber composed the sixth flier. Sophie Scholl helped to secure stamps and paper. All the members worked and traveled to distribute the leaflets. Probst wrote a draft of the seventh flier.
Downfall
Over three nights in February of 1943, Hans Scholl, Schmorell, and Graf wrote anti-Nazi and anti-Hitler messages, such as "Down with Hitler," on buildings near the University of Munich, while police patrolled the nearby streets. On February 18, the Scholl siblings dropped off the organization's sixth flier at various locations throughout the university. As they were leaving, they noticed a few leaflets remained and decided to toss them from the top floor into the air. A janitor named Jakob Schmid saw this action and reported them to the Gestapo. The Gestapo found the draft for a seventh leaflet on Hans Scholl and confiscated it. The Gestapo then arrested the Scholls along with other White Rose members.
Police interrogated Sophie Scholl, Hans Scholl, and Probst and ordered them to stand trial on February 22, 1943. The People's Court of Germany found all three guilty of treason and sentenced them to death on the very same day. All three were killed by guillotine. Right before he was beheaded, Hans Scholl shouted: "Long live freedom!" Later in 1943, the court found Schmorell, Graf, and Huber guilty and sentenced them to death. Several other people associated with the White Rose received prison sentences.
While the members of the White Rose movement had hoped their actions would ignite others to oppose and stand up to the Nazi regime, this was not the case. The White Rose was mostly forgotten until after the end of World War II, when members were remembered for their heroic actions and courage.
Bibliography
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