Many Germans falsely believed that Adolf Hitler, with his audacity and palpable devotion to his country, had the ability to successfully repair and reunite a broken Germany. Hitler’s rise to power imposed a new set of rules on the German population as a whole. Any citizen who showed opposition to the Nazi regime risked allegations of treason. With their unrivaled bravery, only one group, composed of students from the University of Munich, dared to speak out against the Nazi ruling party. This group, known as the White Rose, risked their lives by distributing leaflets that condemned the Nazi regime and its deadly policies. Though they knew that they faced almost certain death, the White Rose continued to fight tirelessly because their courage assured those who secretly opposed Hitler that they were not alone, and enlightened those who were not yet conscious of his murderous intentions. The White Rose symbolizes the importance of fighting for freedom if it is ever jeopardized. The non-violent resistance movement, which was initiated in 1942 by Hans Scholl, was composed of college students from the University of Munich. In her book The White Rose, the eldest of the Scholl children, Inge Scholl, describes that these students felt it was their moral obligation to “try to kindle …show more content…
In order to be as secretive as possible, they worked late in the night (Scholl, 37). They met secretly in a garden house behind the apartment where Hans and Sophie Scholl lived (Scholl, 41). Here, they printed thousands of leaflets using a duplicating machine. Since the mimeograph machine had to be hand-cranked, the students took turns cranking it (Vinke, 136). In her book, Inge Scholl describes that though the group was filled with fear of being caught by the Gestapo, “a great sense of satisfaction also filled them as they worked” (Scholl,
Many people would willingly assist someone in danger, yet many German citizens sat idle as innocent people were slaughtered by the thousands. By the mid 1920s, Germany was plunged into a state of economic depression and people were desperately looking for someone to follow. Many people simply conformed to the ideals of others, despite their own thoughts and beliefs. Herd mentality is the subconscious adoption of the attitudes and behaviors of one’s peers. As a result of this ingrained disposition, people are more likely to “bind together in the wrong direction than to be alone in the right one” (Taleb 192). Through the use of propaganda, Hitler effectively targeted people’s innate need to conform to prevent the rapid decline in his following
The theme of Alice Walker’s “Roselily” is letting go of your past life to start a new one. Letting go of what came before is something that many deal with, and this is a struggle that the main character of the story faces and ponders as she takes her first steps on a new journey. The story “Roselily” is about a middle-aged african american woman who will be taking on a brand new life in marriage. However, she does not know what this future will bring her and she contemplates if her new life will truly be happier than the one she is leaving behind (encyclopedia.com).
With Germans of all outlooks desperately seeking solutions for the nation's problems, Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party began their climb to power. 'Hitler was gifted with effective political talents. He offered an explanation for Germany's defeat, and a vision of Germany's future destiny, that played upon the fears, prejudices, and hopes of many Germans. He promised to rebuild Germany's power and restore its prosperity' (Isaacman, 16). This won the support of many Germans. Hitler was such an effective speaker that anything he said was believed even if it was not true.
Within Germany, a country torn between the rise of a totalitarian party that determined a superior race, Nazism, and the survival of the oppressed, young Germans face a test between a sense of self and society. Individuality would be suppressed within this new type of society, and being different would be the deadliest obstruction to life. The violations of the rights to life, religion, and speech are relived through the stories of the German youth that lived through this haunting time, whose name would be tarnished in their struggle to survive. In their fight, their morals would be challenged and influenced until the Nazi regime ended, and the violation of human dignity would leave them wondering if life was worth living after all. The Nazi Party grew under its leader, Adolf Hitler, which struggled not to use violence against those that disagreed with their views, starting with armed groups known as the Strum Abteilung, who pledged to be ready to sacrifice their life in the aims of the Nazi Party and absolute loyalty to their leader. Their cruel intolerance began by their strong nationalism and their hatred of democracy and communism, and they gained power through the economic depressions around the world, controlling the media by instilling fear and propaganda that influenced a strong belief in their leaders. This belief in the leaders would soon seem to override Church influence when the official body of the Church failed to do anything significant
The courage in the people of Germany during WWII caused them to take chances in order to stay alive, do the right thing despite the sacrifices and resist Nazi propaganda. In Germany during WWII anyone who resisted the Nazis would receive punishment. “ Hans blew it online verge of joining the party. Everyone knew you weren’t supposed to paint over the slurs written on a Jewish shop front” (Zusak 104). Hans was a very skilled painter and one day decided to go and paint over the slurs the Nazis had written on Jewish shops. Hans did this on purpose because everyone knew you would be punished for erasing Nazi propaganda. This reveals that Hans and also other Germans resisted the Nazis despite the consequences. They chose to resist their propaganda because they did not agree with it. In the novel there was various incidents were courage
During the time of the Nazis coming to power, some of German citizen soon questioned the Nazi empires authority. Then soon after the German citizens at the time question if they went against the Nazi Empire what would happen. “Most Germans worried primarily about their own survival and thus, as information began to leak out about the deportation of Jews and the other Nazi abuses, they kept any concerns they might had to themselves” (Hoffmann 1). Showing the oppression of the Nazi empire affecting their citizens and not only the Jews. This however started to oppress the people that did not agree with the Nazi ideology at the time. Than citizens were questioning why no one would go against the Nazi rule and try to rebel against their ideas and the
Because of the un-bravery of German citizens, 11 million non Aryan people lost their lives. I think that one of the most important reasons this happened was because many people did not have the courage to stand up to there government. If something is being done that isn’t right, and you don’t agree with it, why wouldn't you stand up for what is right? I think, that if enough people were to stand up against Hitler, we would have never have been learning about the holocaust and
During World War II, there were truly no bystanders. It was practically impossible to feign ignorance to the pervasive and overbearing power of the Nazi party, as propaganda was spread with abandon, both in favor of the swastika and staunchly against it. In the United States, catchphrases such as, “When you ride alone, you ride with Hitler!” were common to see, the alternate to anti-Bolshevik and anti-semitic ideals in Axis controlled Europe. Yet, there was often a limitation to what the average European would do- whether out of fear, loyalties, or sheer apathy- and true resistance was left to the bands of organized rebels or local militaries. Cowardice was prevalent in even the considerably holiest members of communities. Pastor Martin Niemoller
It was started by Sophie Scholl, a German girl who was disgusted by the treatment of Jews. Through secret messages and advertising, she gained more members who passively opposed the Nazis. Together, “members transported and mailed mimeographed leaflets that denounced the regime,” (“White Rose” 3). “[They] distributed pamphlets urging students in Munich to rebel,” (“White Rose” 4). Through these secret actions, the White Rose Society spread the ideas of equality and opened people's eyes to what the Germans were really
Even though Germany was left in a period of struggle and economic weakness after WW1, Adolf Hitler would take a stand by creating a party that would help refine the structure of the economy. This party, when abbreviated, was called Nazi, would also create harsh laws and unrelentless punishment. Due to the Nazi party’s quick growth, there was an immediate impact on lifestyle and politics for the people of Germany. The long term impact brought forth by the consequences or legacy of the Nazi party included a population decrease and an increase in deaths. To make both of these impacts, Hitler had to overcome many hard challenges.
He urged the people, “go into your churches, kneel before God, and implore his help for our brave army.”(25) This moment hinted at a more independent minded approach to traditional authority. When coupled together, the emotions of the crowds and the ability of groups like the Fatherland Party to find a footing in the political arena, gives reason to believe that the German people were ready to make a change that served their newfound interests. Fritzche explicitly makes this point, “the patriotism that Germans displayed was of their own making and suited to new conceptions of nation and citizenship which invited rather than discouraged public participation.” (66) At the conclusion of the war, millions of people were at a loss, and the Nazis stepped in to fill a void left by their opposition who had stoked the flames of nationalism but failed to capitalize on its apparent momentum. This included a strong message that laid blame for the German surrender at the feet of those in charge. Also, previous notions of class were turned upside down or, for the Nazis, right side up, making it possible for an illiberal, fascist community to become the norm. Simply put, “Basic elements of the Nazi message spoke to the political aspirations that burghers had held for more than ten years.” (192) Germans became Nazis by their own choosing, they were not forced to
When looking into the history of Germany and determining what led to the startling rise in Nazism in Germany and its detrimental effects on the social outcasts in Europe, it can be easy to deduce that the Nazi regime was one where Hitler walked in with his officials and took office by force. The truth is that, while the Nazi party is responsible for the atrocities that occurred before and during WWII, they would have not gotten far if it hadn’t been for the cooperation of the German people themselves. Life in the Third Reich provides proof through voting, youth programs and village life that the Nazi party rose into power with German support.
The white rose society were some of the first ones to start this revolt against hitler. Alexander Schmorell and Hans Scholl , both of whom were studying medicine, were the first LMU students to consider mounting an active campaign of resistance against the Nazi regime. Within two weeks, between the 27 June and 12 July 1942, they wrote, printed and distributed the first four “White Rose” protest
In a very similar way the author of “The Flowers,” Alice Walker, knew very well how to illustrate the surrounding to the utmost details in her story. Myop and Alice share a special appreciation and awe for the beautiful surroundings. Alice was also raised in her parent’s farm; providing extra special attention to the realistic portrayal of a sharecropper’s farm in the South.
The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui gives an account of how the Nazi German were the center of the World War II; they were among the leading