"R.I.P. Sophie, Hans, and Christoph." Attack the System.
They Left aN UNIMAGINABLE Legacy
“It would be a ‘cheap show’ to try to emulate in the present what had required true heroism in the case of the White Rose".
- Helmut Thielicke
"The example set by the Geschwister Scholl is of high importance in Germany and beyond, because as Aryans they were protesting against the fate of the Jews purely out of common humanity.” "What they did transcended the easy division of good-German/bad-German and lifted them above the nationalism of time-bound events. Their actions made them enduring symbols of the struggle, universal and timeless, for the freedom of the human spirit wherever and whenever it is threatened." “Freedom is responsibility, the responsibility to defend human rights whenever they are endangered. As a sign of the readiness and capacity to assume that responsibility, the White Rose is a sign of hope [...], but ultimately each generation decides anew whether it will preserve a tradition". |
The White Rose may not have been trying to do so, but they broke and continue to break the stereotype that the Germans did nothing and were apathetic while Hitler committed atrocities. Germans after World War II felt the need to try and compensate for their lack of resistive action during the war. The White Rose influenced peoples’ ideas on freedom and what freedom truly is. The White Rose was also one of the first groups to promote passive resistance, and this was idea was taken by many other freedom fighters who used techniques such as boycotting and starvation to get their point across. The White Rose teaches a lesson about freedom that will never lose significance or decrease in value. They taught the world that anyone can make a difference. It doesn't matter if the person is just an average Joe. The White Rose were a bunch of average citizens who felt the affects of Nazism hands on, and they wanted to improve society for themselves and for others. The German youth today especially admire the actions of the White Rose, since many young people were involved and they look up to them as role models. Although they are not well known throughout the rest of the world, The White Rose still remains as a group of heroes who managed to bring Germany out of the dark and into the light. Although their death did cause a large silence in Nazi Germany, their courage sparked a lot of national pride. People appreciated the risk they took for their country, and their fight against a totalitarian ideology. This is seen through the many signs in remembrance of the White Rose that exist today, including streets, buildings, monuments, and more named or made in their honor. These physical signs of remembrance help show the continued importance of what the White Rose did and what they stood for. |