The White Rose

Die Gedanken sind frei.

The past year of  lock downs, emergency orders and other unexpected government actions has forced me to take a long pause and consider the results of circumstances I have never before experienced. It brought back memories of travel and interactions that had faded in my mind. Due to the extended time at home, plus the stirring of experiences past, I began to follow some paths of study for myself. The restrictions imposed on us have had me thinking about many issues that as Americans we have all been able to happily live life without being concerned about.

• Safety and fear. 
• Personal responsibilty and government overreach. 
• Freedom and tyranny. 

Despite my life of living in freedom, I have had a few hand fulls of personal encounters with people who have not had the benefit of liberty for the entirity of their lives. I have met and had conversations with people who have lived without the blessing of being able to take the pursuit of life, liberty and happiness for granted. 

I've written about one of those connections in another post regarding the grandfather of the host family I lived with in Germany. The year following my highschool graduation, I spent a year in Germany. That was long enough ago to actually have oppportunities to speak with Germans who had lived through WWII. Knowing even one person who has survived a tryanical regime in their homeland during their lifetime is enlightening. Listening to their experience can have a lifelong impact on understanding more than just that person's life experience. Due to the fact that this past year of 2020, governments world wide have taken many personal decisions out of the hands of citizens to declare that bureaucrats are assuming the responsibility for health and safety of every individual, conversations I've had with people who have lived through tyranny often came to mind. 

 "Do not forget that every people
deserves the regime it is willing to endure."
from the first White Rose leaflet
 produced in 1942.

An important story I meant, over the years, to learn more about was the story of the White Rose. The White Rose was the name chosen by a resistance movement in Germany during the Third Reich. It is a facisnating story of the resolve and courage of young german citizens to speak out against the tyranny that was happening in their country. The background of and the circumstances that created a group of young people willing to make attempts to wake up the consciences of their fellow german citizens should become a story of awareness and warning to us all. 

In reference to the censorship taking place under the regime, Richard Hanser writes, "The word verbot (prohibition) was taking on increasing significance for more and more Germans in every phase of intellectual life. It was not necessary to be an artist or sculptor or writer to feel the weight of it. No one of inquiring mind or active intelligence could escape its impact."  A Noble Treason The Story of Sophie Scholl & The White Rose Revolt Against Hitler pg.53

"So it was in their years of adolescence and early maturity the members of the White Rose had witnessed the choking off of all voices of moral protest. They had seen their own churches grow silent and ridgid as the spirit animating them departed under the aegis of brutal force." Sophie Scholl & The White Rose. pg 64.

Reading complicated and detailed history often takes more effort than even the most enthusiastic interest can carry a beginning student through. Starting with more simplified outlines of an era can contribute to a basic understanding which can then lead to more detailed reading as interest builds.

The following titles all tell the story of the brave young people of the White Rose, who stepped up to the self assigned challenge of awakening Germans in the midst of tyranny and brutality. I've listed them in order of reading level and more detailed accounts. The atrocities that took place during WWII are heavy and hard to fathom. Please, review all of these for yourself before including them in learning materials for younger readers. Also, consider the temperment and maturity of your students before diving in.

The White Rose book list below and link to AbeBooks:

The White Rose Movement by Bridey Heing (a title in the Peaceful Protesters series by Cavendish Square Publishing)

We Will Not Be Silent by Russell Freedman

Sophie Scholl and the White Rose by Annette Dumbach and Jud Newborn

A Noble Treason The Story of Sophie Scholl and The White Rose Revolt Against Hitler by Richard Hanser