Resist, Revolt, and Risk - The Purpose

Resistance can come in many forms. It may simply be a reaction against the status quo, a small change such as clothing or hairstyle, or dancing to a different tune. However, it could also be violent confrontations, prominent people leading the way, or extreme defiance. Either way, on a small or large scale, these are all examples of resistance. Thus, when discussing the topic of resistance, it is essential that we look at all spectrums and forms. This is why the Edelweiss Pirates, the Swing Youth, and the White Rose are all perfect examples to demonstrate the resistance movement by the German youth against the Nazi regime. We focus on these three groups for the fact that they all opted to defy against the Nazi party in both similar and dissimilar ways. The Edelweiss Pirates used more direct and aggressive methods of resistance, the Swing Youth used cultural transformations, and the White Rose used peaceful and informative demonstrations. Extending from both large and small scale protesting, all of these groups succeeded in resisting from the norm, which is why their place in anti-Nazi resistance history is at the forefront. It can be argued that these three youth groups were necessary for effectively attacking the Nazis grasp on mainstream Germany, since they exposed the limitations of a Nazi-confined society through various types of resistance, such as direct and aggressive, cultural and political.

Therefore, this blog is dedicated to these people and organizations who risked their lives to fight against evil. Our attempt is to show all facets of these organizations and how they resisted, whether it was a song they sang or physical aggression they practiced. In addition, we want to show how effective, on both a small and large scale, their methods of resistance were. Hopefully, by the end of your exploration of our blog we will have accomplished at least one thing -- to educate others about finding a voice and resisting evil. 

Heroic Picture of the Day - White Rose Members Congregating

1942: Hubert Furtwangler, Hans Scholl, Willi Graf, unknown, Sophie Scholl and Alexander Schmorell before leaving for service on the Russian front

The Methods and Effectiveness of the White Rose’s Resistance

The White Rose resistance efforts demonstrate that, despite the odds, it is possible for a small group of individuals to make a difference. The White Rose was not a disciplined organization; most of their actions reflect spontaneity not meticulous planning. That being said, the White Rose did not wish to develop a vigorously disciplined organization, and "they recognized their inability to physically challenge the regime"(Henderson 45).  

The White Rose wanted to spread the voice of Nazi dissent and if they only changed the opinion of one German youth then their efforts were not done in vain. They knew that they alone could not stop the Nazi regime, so the White Rose focused their attention on different aspects of resistance but ones that were still effective. The Nazi regime was “intent on controlling and manipulating public opinion,” (Henderson 45); therefore, through their leaflet campaign, the White Rose intended to halt the penetration of Nazi propaganda into the minds of the German youth.             

The White Rose designed a system to ensure that careful measures were being taken to avoid being caught by authorities. However because their efforts targeted German youth, a group the Nazis focused a great deal of time and energy recruiting, they risked being turned over to authorities by their own peers. Regardless of the threats to their lives, the members of the White Rose were determined to counteract the perversions of Nazi propaganda into everyday life. 

The leaflets secretly distributed by the White Rose did not simply criticize the actions of the Nazi regime they criticize the apathy of the German people. Moreover, the White Rose chastised the German people for “surrendering man’s most highest principle, that which raises him above all other God’s creatures, his free will,” (First Leaflet). The leaflets called on every individual to rise above apathy and resist the banes of fascism; the German people must resist the totalitarian grasps of Nazism whether actively or passively, they must stand and resist before it is too late.

In the last days of her life, Sophie Scholl reflected on the actions of the White Rose and stated proudly, “thousands will be stirred and awakened by what we have done” (Henderson 44).  The White Rose resistance campaign did not culminate in the end of Nazism, but then again this was not their intention. They wanted to force their fellow peers to challenge the blind devotion of Germany to Nazi rule, the impact of which is hard to measure because it is on an individual rather than general basis. Yet one thing is certain, the White Rose provided hope and acted, as a model for those that believed a small number of people could not make a large impact. Their legacy is remembered by their most fundamental principle that people deserve a regime that they are willing to enjoy (First Leaflet).  

Further, the leading members of the White Rose were tried and convicted of high treason and attempting to overthrow the regime. The Chief Justice of the Greater German Reich, Roland Freisler, presided over their trial and throughout the court hearings he acted more like the prosecuting attorney than an impartial judge. At the outset of the trial, Freisler called the defendants before him “irredeemable heretics” (Hornberger 1) demonstrating that he had decided their outcome before the hearings even transpired.  There were no witnesses called in defense of the accused on account of the fact that the members of the White Rose admitted everything already. 

In addition, the White Rose was always aware that if they were caught conspiring against the regime they would be killed; however, this fact was never a deterrent.  Therefore, when the members were arrested, the members did not attempt to defend their efforts because to do so would infer they were wrong. Rather then justify their actions the defendants reiterated them and utilized the courtroom as a final forum to voice their dissent. The members of the White Rose were so firm in their convictions that their determination and bravery impressed the prison guards who decided to break the rules and allow the group one last meeting. 

The Scholls’ father, while being escorted out of the courtroom was heard shouting, “One day there will be another kind of justice! One day they will go down in history,” (Hornberger 1).  Their father’s words rang true and to this day a square stands in the center of the University of Munich honoring the White Rose, its members, and their courageous efforts to resist the tyrannical grasps of the Nazi regime.   

Edelweiss Pirates and the Effectiveness of their Resistance

Unlike the other anti-Nazi resistance youth organizations, the Edelweiss Pirates imposed a physical threat against the Nazis. While the Swing Youth focused on combating traditionalist culture and the White Rose voiced their opposition through peaceful and vocal demonstrations, the Edelweiss Pirates made defeating Nazism through any means – including violence – a prerogative. The Edelweiss Pirates were a successful resistance group, since they were effective in preventing – sometimes forcefully – the Nazis from a full reign over the German youth.

The Edelweiss Pirates were determined to defeat Nazism not only through small-scale aggression, but also with direct and organized violence. Despite the fact that the Pirates lacked their own political ideology, they were categorically unified against defeating Nazism. As a result, their hatred for the Nazis escalated to brutal violence. In “The Enemy of Our Enemy,” author Perry Biddiscombe states that, “They also claimed that there was an increasing scale of violence undertaken by the Edelweiss: in some western German cities, teenage Piraten had graduated from beating up HJ leaders to full-scale assassination attempts against Party and SS-police functionaries,” (Biddiscombe, 40). It was the Pirates’ usage of violence that not only distanced them from other organizations like the Swing Youth and the White Rose but moreover poised them as a real threat towards the Nazis.

While the Pirates were more direct, especially aggressively, towards the Nazis, they also stressed defeating Nazism by alternative means. They were successful in not only using aggression, but also distributing Allied force’s anti-Nazi propaganda and spread the word about the necessity and power of resistance. Biddiscombe discusses the Edelweiss Pirate’s views, stating that, “A German resistance movement might be able to aid the advancing Allied forces. Perhaps it could provide intelligence and possibly conduct direct action against the Wehrmacht and Nazi security forces,” (Biddiscombe, 42). The Edelweiss Pirates effectively disseminated non-Nazi education to an impressionable young German populace.

Since the Edelweiss Pirates were such a menace for the Nazis, the punishments inflicted upon them were more severe. Similar to the leaders of the White Rose, the leaders of the Edelweiss Pirates were hung in Cologne in November 1944. Despite the hangings, the Edelweiss Pirates were a unique anti-Nazi organization because of their untenable desire to defeat Nazism, and to promote a free-political Germany society. The Edelweiss Pirates effectively made the Nazis aware of their presence by educating Germans through Allied force’s leaflets as well as inflicting danger upon SS officers, thus standing in the way of a complete consent of the young Germany population.

The Edelweiss Pirate’s Direct and Aggressive Methods of Resistance

Similar to the Swing Youths, the Edelweiss Pirates rebelled against the conformity expected of them by the Nazis. These youth groups sought out a more unconventional lifestyle to escape the control being put upon them by the Nazi Party. In the article, “Youth Activism,” author Lonnie Sherrod explains, “The Edelweiss Pirates were not content to simply slip away from the control of adults and other authorities; instead, many chose to confront National Socialism,” (Sherrod 74). Sherrod goes on to explain that although the Pirates lacked a structural political ideology, they demonstrated a political stance.

Out of the three youth resistance groups examined, the Edelweiss Pirates were by far the most aggressive, direct and out-spoken. Similar to Swing Youths, the Pirates rebelled against the Nazi Party through music; however, instead of listening to American music deemed inappropriate, the Pirates rebelled through their own made up lyrics.

Some lyrics in their songs included, “We’re going to get rid of Hitler, and he can’t do a thing,” and “Hitler’s power may lay us low, and keep us locked in chains, but we will smash the chains one day,” (Burleigh and Wippermann 237). These lyrics directly express resistance to the Nazi party by attacking the control Hitler and the Nazi party tried to place upon youths.

In addition, the Edelweiss Pirates were well known for their constant attacks and juxtaposition to the Hitler Youth. The Hitler Youths served as their counterparts, as they conformed to the Nazi party by following their traditional culture and lifestyle. A Hitler Youth describes how the Pirates, “publicly provoke the Hitler Youth, and undermine the work of its until leaders. ‘Leaders of the Hitler Youth have been ambushed, pestered, and even shot at,’” (Burleigh and Wipperman 224). These confrontations were often violent and in some cases members of both parties were wounded and sometimes killed.  

As the war progressed, the Pirates means of resistance became bolder and further went against the Nazi party. The Pirates directly aided foreigners, as well as victims of the Nazi Party. In the article “Inside Hitler’s Germany,” authors Matthew Hughes and Chris Mann explain how, in 1942 in Dusseldorf, “some pirates offered shelter to German deserters, POWs, forced laborers and concentration camp escapees,” (Hughes and Mann 64).

In addition, similar to the White Rose’s method of circulating anti-Nazi literature, some members of the Pirates posted Allied propaganda leaflets through letterboxes or even joined organized resistance groups. This resistance turned more violent, as they later attacked the Cologne Gestapo in 1944 (Hughes and Mann 64). Thus, the Edelweiss Pirates engaged in more direct and aggressive resistance than the Swing Youth and the White Rose. 

Heroic Picture of the Day - Barton Schink

Barton Schink - Edelweiss Pirate. Executed aged 16 by the Nazis

We Shall Not Be Silent

"For the sake of future generations, an example must be set after the war, so that no one will ever have the slightest desire to try anything like this ever again. Do not forget the minor scoundrels of this system; note their names, so that no one may escape...We shall not be silent - we are your bad conscience. The White Rose will not leave you in peace..."- The Fourth Leaflet

The phrase "we shall not be silent" was the foundation and driving force behind the White Rose and their resistance struggle.  Through the courage of their convictions, the White Rose exemplifies the importance of voicing dissent and that one must never miss an opportunity to speak of what is just and moral. 

The White Rose epitomizes the impact of remaining true to one's voice even in the face of death.  For example, following brutal interrogations by the Gestapo Sophie Scholl appears before the court that shall determine her fate.  Despite her broken leg and uncertain future Sophie Scholl in a great act of courage stands up and states to the President of the Court (known for his perversion of justice) that, "you know as well as we do that the war is lost.  Why are you so cowardly that you won't admit it?" 

Rather than use this opportunity to plead for her life, Sophie remained true to her voice of resistance and the promise of the White Rose to never remain silent.  Whether it manifests itself in leaflets or testimonies in court the White Rose resistance group demonstrates that the one ability that remains with all individuals until death, is the power of one's voice.