The White Rose & Other Resistance Movements
The Holocaust Memorial Museum of San Antonio is proud to host a special exhibit on The White Rose & Other Resistance Movements. The exhibit will be on display until April 2023.
Between 1933-1945, a variety of resistance groups both in Germany and other areas of Europe grew out of opposition to the practices and ideology of the Nazi Party.
The White Rose was a non-violent, intellectual resistance group in Nazi Germany founded summer of 1942 by five students and one professor from the University of Munich. The group consisted of students Hans Scholl, Sophie Scholl, Christoph Probst, Alexander Schmorell, Willi Graf, and Professor Kurt Huber.
The founding members believed the German population needed to be stirred into action against the cancerous policies of the Nazi-controlled government. The White Rose wrote and distributed six leaflet that called on readers to resist the Nazi party, fight for freedom, and stand up for human rights.
On February 18, 1943, Hans and Sophie were arrested distributing leaflets at the University of Munich. Hans had a copy of an unpublished seventh leaflets written by Christoph Probst at the time of his arrest. The Gestapo arrested Probst two days later. On February 22, 1943, Hans, Sophie, and Christoph were executed by guillotine.
The remaining members of the White Rose were later arrested and executed as well.
After the executions, the text of the sixth leaflet was smuggled out of Germany to Great Britain. Allied planes dropped copies of the leaflets into Germany, continuing the work of the founding members.
Other resistance groups were found throughout Germany and other parts of Europe including the “Red Orchestra” and the Edelweiss Pirates.
The Red Orchestra was a resistance group scattered throughout Europe with their main hubs in Berlin, Lucerne, and Brussels. The group frequently spied on the Nazis and provided invaluable information to the Soviet Union and other Allied Nations during the Second World War.
The Edelweiss Pirates were a network of teenagers that refused to join the Hitler Youth and encouraged cultural resistance against the Nazi Party. Members of the Edelweiss Pirates frequently dressed in opposition to Nazi expectations of youth in Germany and wore metal edelweiss pins to indicate their allegiance to the Edelweiss Pirates.
“We will not keep silent; we are your guilty conscience; the White Rose will not leave you in peace!” - Leaflet 4
The White Rose & Other Resistance Movements will be available as a traveling exhibit for use in libraries and classrooms beginning Spring 2023.
Article Sources: National WW2 Museum, USHMM, White Rose Foundation