(Schoolastic's "The New York Times Upfront")
(Courtesy of The White Rose: Munich, 1942-1943 / Edition 2)
“In a world filled with totalitarian tendencies,[the White Rose] story is emblematic for people who fight back in the extreme moments of total state control.”
~ Annette Dumbach, 2013
Thesis
In 1942, five German university students, strongly opposing Hitler, formed a resistance group: The White Rose. In an attempt to spark debate amongst Germans, the group produced leaflets advocating for passive resistance against the Nazis. As world leaders failed to step in, and other Germans refused to combat Hitler, the absence of a diplomatic solution resulted in the death and beheading of all White Rose Members.
"There was no set criterion for entry into the group that crystallized around Hans and Sophie Scholl... It was not an organization with rules and a membership list. Yet the group had a distinct identity, a definite personality, and it adhered to standards no less rigid for being undefined and unspoken. These standards involved intelligence, character, and especially political attitude."
~ Richard F. Hanser, 1979, Author of 'A Noble Treason: The Story of Sophie Scholl'