The White Rose

Hans Scholl was the son of a person strongly opposed to the Nazi movement in Germany. Despite that influence Hans at one point was a member of the Hitler Youth. In later year Hans began to realize what Nazism stood for, and started to openly rebel against the Nazis. Together with some close friends Hans published pamphlets known as the "Weisse Rose" (White Rose). These pamphlets strongly condemned the Nazis and what they were doing to Germany. In a time when few dared speak out, Hans and his group did despite the risk of severe punishment.

Hans was born in 1918 and grew up in southern Germany. His father (Robert Scholl) had been a conscientious objector during WWI. During the rise of the Nazis during the 20's and 30's his father was a strong objector to the Nazis and their policies. Despite their father's beliefs, Hans and his siblings became active in the Nazi movement.

After a period in the Hitler Youth Movement Hans became disillusioned, which brought about a Gestapo raid of the family home in the late 1930's. As with all dissenters, Hans was now marked as an official enemy of the state.

Despite warnings, Hans along with his sister Sophie formed a group, consisting of like minded students, which had the explicit goal of getting the German population to resist Hitler. Initially activities where very secret. At night members would go out and paint anti-Nazi and anti-Hitler slogans on walls and buildings in Munich. Later the group began to produce leaflets that they then distributed throughout Munich and other cities. These leaflets talked about the harm and atrocities committed by the Nazis. They even provided information about the extermination of Jews and urged Germans to take action to stop horrors such as this committed by the Nazis.

In early 1943 Hans and his sister dropped off leaflets at a local university, were seen by a custodian, and later apprehended by the feared Gestapo. They were subjected to intensive interrogations by the Gestapo while awaiting the arrival from Berlin of a particularly brutal judge named Roland Freisler. The trail took place four days later, and immediately after the trail Hans and a friend were beheaded. While Sophie hoped for a response from the students at the university, nobody dared say anything in favor of Hans.

After the war, Inge (another sister) set up a center in the city of Ulm to educate people about the horrors of totalitarianism.

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