Sophie Scholl and the White Rose
by Jud Newborn, Annette Dumbach
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Book Summary Information
Author: Annette Dumbach, Jud NewbornEdition: Paperback
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 2007-06-02
ISBN: 1851685367
Number of pages: 224
Publisher: Oneworld
Book Reviews of Sophie Scholl and the White Rose
Book Review: Coming Up Roses
Summary: 5 Stars
On a warm Munich evening in May of 1942, four young army medics and a university coed gathered in a small apartment to celebrate the arrival of Sophie Scholl as a new student at the University of Munich. The picture was a convivial one - Sophie, her brother Hans, Hans' girlfriend Traute Lafrenz, and Hans' friends Christoph Probst, Alex Schorell, and casual acquaintance, Willi Graf drank wine, at cake, read poetry aloud and quietly made sarcastic remarks about the Nazi regime. To the naked eye, one might eye the scene as nothing more than an innocent gathering of good friends. However, later that evening, the conversation would take on a far more serious tone. And when the party ended, these were no longer jovial, naïve bystanders to the Nazi terror. Rather, they had become the White Rose, who, along with the assistance of a middle-aged professor, would attempt one of the few non-violent uprisings against the Third Reich. And yet, little more than a year later, five of the six partygoers would have their lives ended by the unrelenting blade of the guillotine. However, as is revealed in Anne Dumach and Jud Newborn's Sophie Scholl and The White Rose, these young people did not die in vain.
Sophie Scholl and the White Rose does not merely provide a narrative of a few young adults' struggle with totalitarianism. Rather, the authors delve into the gestalt of the passive resistance movement. Specifically, the Catholic Church's efforts to counter Nazi beliefs are sighted as an influence on the White Rose. In chapter eight, the authors write, "Hitler signed a concordat with the Vatican on July 20, 1933, about half a year after taking power...The agreement, a marriage of
convenience on both sides...forbade any activities that intruded on the functioning of the state." (p.62) In essence, this meant that the Catholic Church ceased to exist as a benign opponent of political extremism. After the initially successful assault on Eastern Europe, the Nazis betrayed the Church by abandoning the terms of the concordat, which led to the arrest and, in some cases, deportation to concentration camps of outspoken priests. The authors explain that the church reacted with the creation in 1935 of the Bekennende Kirch, which translates into English as the "Professing church". However, even this effort was stifled by the Nazis. The Bishop of Münster, Clemens August Galen, reacted by preaching that the real enemy was the one at home (the Gestapo). However, in his sermons, many of which were printed and distributed throughout Germany, he stated that violent action was not an option in dealing with this enemy. One of the recipients of the written sermons was none other than one of the tow de facto leaders of the White Rose, Hans Scholl. Hans reacted by reading the sermon repeatedly and by stating to his family "Finally someone has the courage to speak, and all you need is a duplicating machine." (p.68)
The book also contends with the White Rose's passive resistance. In June of 1942, the first four of six separate publications were distributed via letter (with no return address, of course) to several thousand recipients throughout the Munich area. Leaflet one states bluntly that "every people gets the government it deserves!"(p. 187) This apparently was meant to get the German public to rise up from their apathy, but to do so passively - "Adopt passive resistance - resistance - wherever you are...block this war machine before it is too late..." (Ibid)
In leaflet three, the group quantifies the ways their fellow citizens can spread passive resistance. "And now every resolute opponent of National Socialism must ask himself ...how he can inflict the most damaging blows. Through passive resistance, without a doubt." (p.194) Yet the groups plans were not inert passivism, rather, they encouraged the public to sabotage armament industries, assemblies, rallies. They also promoted the non-violent undoing of cultural institutions, pro-Nazi publications, and public fund-raising drives and any institution related to the scientific and intellectual teachings of war.
However, not all the White Rose felt passive resistance might prevail of the Nazi war machine. This was the seventh, "honorary" member of the group, Philosophy Professor Kurt Huber. According to the authors, Huber possessed a dry wit, and during a lecture on Spinoza uttered, "Careful, he's a Jew! Don't let yourselves be contaminated." (pgs. 86-87) Huber's home became a refuge for the White Rose. However, his inability to denounce his militant Prussian upbringing and his belief in the necessity for a Wehrmacht after the overthrow of the Nazis made him an outsider to the group, albeit one they could trust. Regardless of his political philosophy, Huber too would be executed for what the discursive hanging judge Roland Freisler described as "high treason".
Sophie Scholl and the White Rose approaches the topic of resistance from several different angles. It should not be read as a chronological narrative. Although the story progresses sequentially, the authors frequently use the flashback technique to tell their story. In addition, what begins as a simple point about a character digresses into a larger theme. While this makes the book a bit difficult to follow at times, overall the non-linear approach provides a fresh approach and brightens the descriptions of both time and place for the reader.
Much has been written about the terrors of the Third Reich. Students of history have often asked: "Why didn't the Germans rise up and defeat Nazism?" Through the authors' broad-minded approach, the reader obtains a rare glimpse as to how a few brave men and women actually attempted to answer the question through passive resistance.
Summary of Sophie Scholl and the White Rose
From beginning to end, the captivating story of Sophie Scholl and the White Rose is an uplifting and enlightening account of the largely untold story of German resistance to the Third Reich. With details of Scholl's arrest and trial before Hitler's Hanging Judge, and Roland Freisler including the leaflets that the White Rose circulated throughout the German population, this volume is an invaluable addition to World War II literature. And it is a fascinating window into human spirit.Historical Books
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