The White Rose
By: Matthew Murphy
In early Summer 1942, a group of young men at the University of Munich began organizing an anti-Nazi resistance group. Inspired by their philosophy professor Kurt Huber, founding members Hans Scholl, Willi Graf, and Christoph Probst sought to resist the moral and political injustices of the Third Reich. As medical students, they had often been sent to the eastern front as medics. It was here that they deepened their thinking and began forming their opinions about the Nazi regime. On a 3 month long deployment in late Summer of 1942, these young men witnessed first-hand the brutality of war and confirmed their fears regarding the persecution of Jews. Determined to oppose these injustices, they came together formally to lead a nonviolent resistance. Gathering their name from a Spanish Novel “La Rosa Blanca,” they united as the White Rose—a symbol of purity and spirituality.
Inspired by various religious backgrounds, the group was vehemently opposed to the Nazi’s absolute disregard for human rights, especially the mass murders they learned of in Poland and Russia. With their freedoms of speech and expression having been stolen by the Nazi regime, they started an underground operation to expose the injustices that the state-run media did not. In the Summer of 1942, Hans Scholl and Alexander Schmorell authored 4 pamphlets that were distributed throughout the University of Munich, in public phone booths, and delivered to students and professors at nearby universities. The first leaflets appealed specifically to German intellectuals as they heavily quoted the Bible and numerous classical philosophers. Due to the difficulty of acquiring paper and especially envelopes during the war, mass printing was a major challenge in and of itself. Mailing the leaflets was an even greater challenge as the authorities were aware of bulk purchases of postage stamps that raised suspicion. |
As such, the first pamphlets had as few as 100 copies printed. Of the ones that were mailed, more than a handful were intercepted before reaching their destination. The group’s fifth leaflet saw much more widespread distribution, with nearly 10,000 copies reaching cities such as Berlin, Innsbruck and Hamburg.
In addition to their use of pamphlets to spread their message, 3 members—Willi Graph, Hans Scholl and Alexander Schmorell—began a graffiti campaign following the German loss at Stalingrad. Using tar to write slogans and draw crossed out swastikas, they covered walls at the University of Munich, and later throughout the city with quotes such as “Down with Hitler” and “Hitler Mass Murderer.” Their riskiest actions however never got them caught and they remained completely anonymous until Hans and Sophie Scholl were seen by a custodian as they distributed flyers in the atrium at the University of Munich. They were arrested that day and tried and sentenced to death days later. Less than two months later, more executions followed and the movement was effectively over. During its short-lived lifespan, the White Rose never truly gathered the support of the German public. The movement never acquired the necessary resources to reach the masses and many German’s feared the consequences of voicing support for a group of young college students who opposed such a powerful regime. The state-run newspapers referred to the members as rogues and traitors and an official demonstration was even held at the University of Munich to disgrace the traitors who had opposed the Nazi party. However, the Allied Powers had a different opinion of the White Rose. They praised them for their bravery and ultimately flew over Germany on July 27, 1943 and distributed thousands of copies of a previously unpublished pamphlet newly named “The Manifesto of the Students at Munich.” |
Resources
|
Quick links to files
|