What groups were working to oppose Hitler and trying to

destroy his dictatorship?

Created by: Alecia Stevenson

The White Rose• One of the best known• Intellectual students and academics from Munich• Committed Christians• Founded in June 1942 by Hans Scholl, Alexander Schmorell, and

Jurgen Wittenstein• Stands for purity and innocence in the face of evil• Outraged that educated Germans went along with Nazi policies• Very small because of huge risk of being caught• Shared same hatred and disgust for all aspects of the Third

Reich• Passive resistance• Inform the German youth that they were being misused by the

Nazi government• Distributed leaflets that denounced the Nazis-most dangerous

aspect• Attacked the morality of the Nazi government• Urged opponents to refuse to contribute to collections of

clothes, money, and metals, essentially anything that could aid the Nazi cause in the war

• Targeted scholars, medics, and pub-owners• Throughout Germany and then in Hamburg• Wanted to influence people’s minds against Nazism and

militarism• Encouraged the idea of sabotage in armaments industry

Who were the members of the White Rose Society and what were

they like?

Members of the White Rose Society

“For Hitler and his followers there is no punishment on this earth commensurate with their crimes. But out of

love for coming generations we must make an example after the conclusion of the war, so that no one will ever again have the slightest urge to try a

similar action… We will not be silent. We are your bad conscience. The White Rose will not leave you in

peace!”

Hans Scholl“The government – or rather, the party – controlled everything: the news media, arms, police, the armed forces, the judiciary system, communications, travel, all levels of education from kindergarten to universities, all cultural and religious institutions.”

•Arrested while distributing leaflets in February 1943 and executed

Alex Schmorell“In 1942, several

university students including Hans Scholl, Alex Schmorell, George Wittenstein, Sophie Scholl, and Christopher Probst came together to form a Nazi resistance group known as the White Rose Society. They secretly created six ‘leaflets,’ preaching their ideas of free speech, love of all humanity, and peaceful resistance against the Nazi cause. They made hundreds of copies and dispersed them throughout Germany.”

Jurgen Wittenstein

Sophie Scholl“Even though many of the leaflets ended up into the hands of the Gestapo, the White Rose Society helped communicate to the German public the atrocities of the Nazi party. Not many people knew of the actual activities of their own government because the Nazis outlawed all forms of communication with anti-Nazi peoples. The leaflets helped people to understand what their own government was doing and undermined confidence in the Nazis. The White Rose leaflets contributed greatly to people’s understanding of what they could do to resist Hitler’s horrible regime.”

•Arrested while distributing leaflets in February 1943 and executed

Christopher Probst

•Arrested while distributing leaflets in February 1943 and executed

Kurt Huber“Huber was a professor

at the University of Munich and was renowned by his students for his ability to secretly denigrate the Nazi party in his lectures. Professor Huber became a member of the White Rose Society in 1942 and was noted as a spiritual and mental guide for some members of the society. On February 27, 1943, the Gestapo had traced ties to the society back to Huber and he was quickly arrested and tried in front of the ‘People’s Court.’ He was executed on July 13, 1944, but not before he could give a final motivational speech to his young cohorts, ‘…I hold it be not only my right but also my moral duty to take part in the shaping of our German destiny, to expose and oppose obvious wrongs…’”

What is the other popular/well known resistance group?

The Red Orchestra

• Group of mainly communists• Around Arvid Harnack and Harro Schulze-Boysen

in Berlin• Helped victims of the Nazis• Central focus-establish links with Russians• 1941-sending spy information led to 126 members

arrested or killed• Sought to end Adolf Hitler’s dictatorship by

helping the Soviet Union defeat Germany

Who were the members of the Red Orchestra and what were they like?

Members of the Red Orchestra

Mildred Harnack-Fish•Wisconsin born and bred•Followed husband to Germany-1929•Instructor in American literature•Wrote newspaper articles•Translated German and American literature•1941-received Ph.D. in American literature•Formed a resistance group with husband to oppose Hitler- “Red Orchestra”•Passed on intelligence to Americans and the Soviets•Executed at Plotzensee on February 16, 1943•September 16-birthday-day of remembrance in Wisconsin

Arvid Harnack

•Scholarly family- Darmstadt•Nephew of Adolf von Harnack•Raised in Stuttgart and Jena•Fought with the Freikorps, a right-wing paramilitary group in Silesia, Kiel and Berlin.•Awarded two doctorates•Awarded a Rockefeller scholarship•Married Midred Fish in 1926 in WI•Returned to Germany•Became a civil servant•1932-became secretary of Arplan, a group dedicated to studying the planned economy•1935-joined the Economics Ministry•1942-promoted to Oberregierungsrat•Tried by the Reich’s Court Martial Court•Executed for treason- Dec. 22, 1942

Martha Dodd•Born 1908 in Ashland, Virginia•Graduated from University of Chicago•Assistant literary editor of Chicago Tribune•Briefly married to a banker-George Roberts•Moved to Berlin-father became FDR’s ambassador-1933•Wrote a book column for Berlin Topics•After several affairs she fell in love with Boris Vinogradov•Persuaded by another Russian to help the Soviets by passing on info obtained from opening her father’s mail and gossip from parties•Married Alfred Stern in 1938•Published several books•Fled to Mexico City with their son•Fearing that they were about to be extradited, they emigrated to Prague•Died in 1990

Harro Schulze-Boysen•First lieutenant in the Reich’s Luftwaffe Ministry•33 years old when tried and sentenced for death for the “preparation of high treason, demoralization of the armed forces and giving aid and comfort to the enemy”•Family firmly grounded in naval tradition

•1932-became editor of the magazine, Gegner•1933-nearly beaten to death by the SA•Marriage to Libertas Haas-Heye•Gathered a circle of resisters•Arrested at his office in Auguest, 1942

John R. Commons•First great economist to put his knowledge to work•Improved conditions of the laborer•One of the fathers of the “Wisconsin Idea”•Contributed to practically every piece of progressive social and labor legislation in the first half of the 20th century•1934-wrote an autobiography entitled Myself

Ernie Meyer

•Born in Denver, Colorado-1892•Grew up in Milwaukee•Entered the University of Wisconsin in 1914•Edited the Wisconsin Literary Magazine•His senior year-expelled for refusing military service as a conscientious objector•Jailed in Fort Leavenworth•Decade later reinstated by the UW Regents•1922-joined the pro-LaFollette Capital Times as a managing editor•Columnist from 1935-41•Weekly columnist for the Progressive•Telegraph editor of the New York Daily News•Died in New York-1952

Dorothy Meyer

•Seven years old arriving at Ellis Island•Attended night school while working in needle trades•Entered Cornell University in 1920•Graduate student at the University of Wisconsin in Madison•Met her future husband, Ernest L. Meyer and Mildred and Arvid Harnack•Visited the Harnacks in Berlin in 1932•Wrote a column for the New York Post•Became a teacher in the city’s public schools•Died in New York in 1992

Clara Leiser•Born in Milwaukee•Attended the University of Wisconsin at Madison•Favorite student of William Ellery Leonard•Became his literary executor•Author of 5 books•Visited Germany several times during the 1930s•Later years, she lived in New York City where she devoted her life to the Youth of All Nations

Jane Donner Sweeney•Niece of Mildred Harnack•Born in Chevy, Chase, Maryland-1916•Sailed to Germany for a visit with Arvid and Mildred•Married an economist, Otto Donner•Ph.D. in American Literature•First son, Andreas, born in Oct. 1940•Two more sons were born during the war before Jane and her sons were evacuated from Berlin due to the Allied bombing•Joined a column of German refugees fleeing advancing Russian troops•Diagnosed with tubercular meningitis•Died shortly after the war ended•Returned to the United States•Became a psychotherapist•Divorced Otto Donner in 1965•Remarried Vincent Sweeney•Founded the Center for Study of Human Systems•Her and her younger son died in a boating accident in Chesapeake Bay-1994

William Ellery Leonard•English professor for many years at the University of Wisconsin•Poet•Translator of Beowulf and Lucretius•Abiding love for German culture•Married 4 times to 3 wives, all of them red-headed

Greta Kuckhoff•Met the Harnacks when they were all at the University in 1927•Member of Commons’ group the Friday-Niters•Assistant of the sociologist, Edward Ross•Free-lance English teacher translator•Married Adam Kuckhoff in 1937•Son Ule born in 1938•Arrested by the Gestapo on September 9, 1942•Tried in 1943 and given a death sentence but it was changed through the intervention of the president of the Court Martial Court•Another trial-sentenced to ten years in prison•Freed by the Red Army in May, 1945•Became president of the Notenbank•Died in 1981 in Berlin

Libertas Schulze-Boysen•Born in Paris-1913•Youngest of 3 children•Spent her childhood at Liebenberg•Finished her education in Switzerland•Returned to Germany •Got a position in the press office of MGM•1936-married Harro Schulze-Boysen•1940, Greta Kuckhoff introduced Libertas to Mildred Harnack and the two couples joined forces against the Nazis•Wrote film criticism for the Essen newspaper•Collected evidence on the Nazi war crimes•Arrested as she was attempting to leave Berlin by train on September 8, 1942•Was tried with the main defendents•Executed by guillotine on December 22, 1942

Thomas Wolfe•Author of Look Homeward, Angel and Of Time and the River when he came to Berlin for the first time•Wrote an article severely critical of the Germans which appeared in the New Republic entitled “I Have a Thing to Tell You”•Died in 1938

Dietrich Bonhoeffer•Born 1906•Theology student of Adolf von Harnack’s in Berlin•Completed his doctorate in 1930•Arrived at the Union Theological Seminary in New York on a fellowship•One of the leaders of the Confessing Church after 1933•Spent two years in Tegel prison•Was executed on April 9, 1945

Herbert Gollnow•Born in Berlin-1911•Worked for the German railroads as an inspector•Studied English with Mildred Harnack•1939-became a lieutenant in the Luftwaffe•Passed on information about operations to the Harnacks who in turn passed it on the “Kent” when eh came to Berlin in October, 1941•Arrested in October, 1942•Tried in December, 1942 receiving the death sentence•Executed on February 12, 1943

Falk Harnack•born in 1913•Between 1933 and 1937 he studied at Berlin and Munich universities•Worked at the German National Theater in Weimar•Drafted into the Wehrmacht in 1941•Arrested in March 1943•1943-deserted Greece after an order for his arrest came from Himmler•Fought with the Greek partisans•Artistic head of DEFA•Married to the actress Kathe Braun•After a long illness he died in Berlin in 1991

Adolf Von Harnack•One of Wilhelmine Germany’s most proment scholars•Born in Dorpat in 1851•Became a professor at Leipzig•1879-he married Amalie Thiersch•Had seven children•Appointed to the theological faculty of Kaiser Wilhelm University in Berlin•Became the adviser to Kaiser Wilhelm on the question of the Baltic Germans•In 1911 he helped found the Kaiser Wilhelm Society now the Max Planck Institute and served as its president until his death in 1930

Adolf Henning Frucht•born in Torgau in 1913•Studied medicine•Received a fellowship in 1938 to study in the United States•He returned to Germany on the last boat•Military doctor during World War II•During the Russian campaign he was a tank commander•Became a professor of physiology at Humboldt University•Head of the Institute for Work Physiology•Arrested in 1967•Served ten years of a life sentence in East Germany’s most notorious prison, Bautzen•Exchanged for a Chilean communist•Died in 1993 in Berlin

Donald Heath•Born in Topeka, Kansas in 1894•During World War II he served as an infantry officer in France•Served as the White House correspondent for the United Press•1938-he was sent to Berlin as the First Secretary of the Embassy•Served as a clandestine link to Harnack and to Hjalmar Schacht, the former German Minister of Economics•Left Germany in the summer of 1941•1944-joined Eisenhower’s staff as Political and Technical Adviser of the U.S. Military Government in conquered Germany•1947-served as U.S. Minister to Bulgaria until he was expelled in 1950•Survived 3 assassination attempts•Ambassador to Saudi Arabia•Died in 1981

Were there any other groups besides these two or was that

basically it?

Edelweiss Pirates• Industrial regions- Rhine and Ruhr• Mostly working or lower class• Escape the militarism of Hitler Youth• Best known for fights with Hitler Youth• Made of German Youth• Formed in Bavaria• Meet secretly to discuss even, share information and to reaffirm their religious objections toward Nazism• Very successful• Painted slogans on walls• “Down with Nazi Brutality”• “Medals for murder”• Helped Jews and forced laborers• Biggest group in Cologne-3,000 members• 1941-policy of arrest, prison, torture, concentration camp or death sentences• Plan to blow up Cologne Gestapo headquarters- arrested 13 conspirators (October 1944) including 6

Edelweiss Pirates• Hanged in the street as an example.

Swing Youth

• Rejected Nazis-ideology, conformity, militarism, restrictions on personal freedom

• Stood for freedom of expression and enjoyment of life

• Hamburg-leading center of swing youth• SS arrested over 300- August 1941• Leaders sent to concentration camps• Under 18 sent to special youth camps

Opposing at the Workplace

• Strikes• Absences• Refusal to work overtime• Slowdowns• Bad workmanship• Pressure on fast workers• Feigned sickness• Carelessness• Accidents leading to damage to machinery

Why don’t we hear a lot about these groups?

•Courts ruled that a resistance action was only legitimate if it demonstrated higher ethical or political conviction•Some people believe that the real importance of the Holocaust was just the lives that were lost

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2011. http://www.traces.org/castofcharacters.html.“German Resistance.” Citizendium: The Citizens’ Compendium. N.p., 30 May

2009. Web. 23 May 2011.

http://en.citizendium.org/wiki/German_Resistance.Gill, Anton. “’Protest of Youth’ – [The White Rose].” Literature of the Holocaust. N.p., 6 Aug. 2004. Web. 19 May 2011.

http://www.writing.upenn.edu/~afilreis/Holocaust/gil-white-rose.html.“The People.” History Day: CRF-USA. N.p., n.d. Web. 19 May 2011.

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N.p., n.d. Web 19 May 2011.

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