Christian Resistance to Hitler
Sophie Scholl (German, 1921-1943)
Born on May 9, 1921 in Forchtenberg (Baden-Wuerttemberg), Sophie Scholl was the third child after her siblings Hans and Inge. She was followed by Elizabeth (“Liesel”) and Werner. Sophie’s father, Robert, had just been elected as a “democratic” Mayor of this small town. Many townspeople violently opposed his election as hanger-ons of the German monarchy. Robert refused to fight…
Read MoreWhat we said and thought, so did you, only we were capable of saying it
What we said and thought, so did you, only we were capable of saying it -Sophie Scholl (1921-1943) speaking to the crowd of onlookers during her show trial where she was convicted of treason. Seventy-four years ago on February 22, Sophie Scholl was sentenced to death by the notoriously delusional President of the Peoples’ Court,…
Read MoreHans Scholl (1918-1943)
EXCERPTED FROM “WITH YOU THERE IS LIGHT”: Hans and Sophie’s mother knew what to do. She hurried down the hallway into her son’s room. The voices in the living room grew louder and louder. She grabbed a basket and started tossing books into it. Thomas Mann. Heinrich Heine. George Bernard Shaw. Jack London. Ernest Hemingway.…
Read MoreSophie Scholl and Fritz Hartnagel Correspond, September 1939
Fritz Hartnagel was a part of Hitler’s Army. He was going to have to fight in this so-called Blitzkrieg. What could she do? Sophie Scholl took out her pen from her knapsack and began to write. She could always count on writing when the truth required clarification. Dear Fritz, Sophie pressed down hard on…
Read MorePassive Resistance: Refusing to Yield to Censorship
Heinrich Heine (1797-1856) German poet and writer most recognized for satire and wit. His “Lieder (art songs)” were set to music composed by R. Schumann and F. Schubert. Historical Context: Sophie Scholl passively resisted Hitler. She was political active as a school girl in Ulm from 1938-1940.…
Read MoreFriedrich Gustav Emil Martin Niemoeller Criticized the “Aryan Paragraph”
Historical Context: Like most Protestant pastors, Friedrich Gustav Emil Martin Niemoeller was a national conservative, and openly supported the conservative opponents of the Weimar Republic. He welcomed Hitler’s accession to power in 1933, believing that it would bring a national revival. However, he opposed the Nazis’ “Aryan Paragraph“. In 1936, he signed the petition of…
Read MoreSophie Scholl, Inspired and Motivated by Christian Faith
Historical Context: Throughout her young adulthood, political activist Sophie Scholl delved deeply into Christian faith. As the Nazi Party dismantled Christianity and arrested and interned religious leaders, Sophie grew up in a Nazi run school and in the girls’ Hitler Youth. Her formal education revolved around indoctrination and propaganda. With the help of her family, Scholl began to…
Read MoreFritz Hartnagel Writes to Sophie Scholl, October 1938
Historical Context: October, 1938. German troops invade the Sudetenland (north, southwest and western Czechoslovakia). Jews must identify themselves in their passports with a “J.” Approximately 30,000 German “political suspects/undesirables” flee the Sudetenland; 17,000 German-Polish Jews are deported to the border. Augsburg, October 21, 1938 Dear Sophie! […] Although it was very difficult in the first days…
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