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142-572: Sophia Magdalena Scholl (9 May 1921 – 22 February 1943) was a German student and anti-Nazi political activist, active in the White Rose non-violent resistance group in Nazi Germany . She was convicted of high treason after having been found distributing anti-war leaflets at the University of Munich with her brother, Hans . For her actions, she was executed by guillotine . Since
284-503: A German women's magazine, voted Scholl "the greatest woman of the twentieth century". On 9 May 2014, Google depicted Scholl for its Google Doodle on the occasion of what would have been her 93rd birthday. In April 2021, the German Ministry of Finance issued a commemorative sterling silver €20 coin celebrating the 100th anniversary of Scholl's birth. In the 1970s and 1980s, there were three film accounts of Sophie Scholl and
426-917: A core member of the White Rose. They were supported by other people, including: Otl Aicher , Willi Habermann [ de ] ("Grogo"), Theodor Haecker , Anneliese Graf , Traute Lafrenz , Katharina Schüddekopf , Lieselotte "Lilo" Ramdohr , Jürgen Wittenstein [ de ] , Falk Harnack , Marie-Luise Jahn , Wilhelm Geyer [ de ] , Manfred Eickemeyer, Josef Söhngen [ de ] , Heinrich Guter [ de ] , Heinrich Bollinger [ de ] , Wilhelm Bollinger [ de ] , Helmut Bauer, Harald Dohrn [ de ] , Hans Conrad Leipelt , Gisela Schertling , Rudi Alt, Michael Brink, Lilo Dreyfeldt, Josef Furtmeier, Günter Ammon, Fred Thieler and Wolfgang Jaeger. Most were in their early twenties. Wilhelm Geyer taught Alexander Schmorell how to make
568-409: A death sentence—on 22 February 1943. They were found guilty of treason . Roland Freisler , head judge of the court, sentenced them to death. The three were executed the same day by guillotine at Stadelheim Prison . Sophie went under the guillotine first, followed by Hans and then Christoph. While Sophie and Christoph were silent as they died, Hans yelled "es lebe die Freiheit!" (long live freedom) as
710-584: A decisive turn, inspiring resistance movements throughout the European countries then occupied by Germany. It also had a devastating effect on German morale. On 13 January 1943, a student riot broke out at Munich University after a speech by Paul Giesler , the Nazi Gauleiter of Munich and Upper Bavaria , in which he had denounced male students not serving in the army as skulkers and had also made obscene remarks to female students. These events encouraged
852-548: A duplicating machine (which could not be obtained in Nazi Germany except by permit), which suggests that she may have known about the activities earlier. Whenever she joined, she proved to be valuable to the group because, as a woman, she was less likely to be randomly stopped by the SS . On 18 February 1943, Sophie and Hans Scholl went to Ludwig Maximilian University to leave flyers out for the students to read. The Scholls brought
994-527: A group of students including Reinhold Meyer [ de ] , Albert Suhr [ de ] , Heinz Kucharski [ de ] , Margaretha Rothe [ de ] , Bruno Himpkamp [ de ] , Rudolf Degkwitz (junior) [ de ] , Ursula de Boor [ de ] , Hannelore Willbrandt [ de ] , Karl Ludwig Schneider [ de ] , Ilse Ledien, Eva von Dumreicher, Dorothea Zill, Apelles Sobeczko, and Maria Liepelt [ de ] formed
1136-662: A kindergarten teacher at the Fröbel Institute in Ulm . She also chose that job in the hope that it would be recognized as an alternative service in the Reichsarbeitsdienst (National Labor Service), a prerequisite for admission to university. This was not the case, and in spring of 1941 she began a six-month stint in the auxiliary war service as a nursery school teacher in Blumberg . The quasi military regimen of
1278-621: A long tradition of hosting summer programs for international students. The LMU Munich organised its Summer University for the first time in 1927. Labelled as Sommerkurse für Ausländer ( Summer Courses for Foreigners ) the Summer University ran annually until 1934 and primarily consisted of German Language courses for international students. After a longer intermittence period, LMU's Summer University resumed as Internationaler Münchner Sommer ( International Summer in Munich ). Since then
1420-508: A mechanised state system presided over by criminals and drunks? Is your spirit already so crushed by abuse that you forget it is your right—or rather, your moral duty —to eliminate this system? Es lebe die Freiheit! (Let Freedom live!) On 18 February 1943, the Scholls brought a suitcase full of leaflets to the university main building. They hurriedly dropped stacks of copies in the empty corridors for students to find when they left
1562-404: A nationwide competition to choose the top ten most important Germans of all time. Voters under the age of 40 helped Scholl and her brother Hans to place fourth, above Bach , Goethe , Gutenberg , Bismarck , Willy Brandt , and Albert Einstein . If the votes of young viewers alone had been counted, Sophie and Hans Scholl would have been ranked first. Several years earlier, readers of Brigitte ,
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#17327877693751704-473: A new orientation in life, inspiring him to turn from studying medicine to the pursuit of religion, philosophy and the arts. Together with like-minded friends, Alexander Schmorell , Willi Graf and Jurgen Wittenstein, he eventually adopted a strategy of passive resistance toward the Nazis by writing and publishing leaflets that called for the overthrow of National Socialism . The anonymous authors called themselves
1846-597: A number of reforms that sought to modernize the rather conservative and Jesuit-influenced university. In 1826, it was moved to Munich , the capital of the Kingdom of Bavaria . The university was situated in the Old Academy until a new building in the Ludwigstraße was completed. The locals were somewhat critical of the number of Protestant professors Maximilian and later Ludwig I invited to Munich. They were dubbed
1988-520: A regime fell ... The White Rose really has a more symbolic value, but that's a very important value." On 22 February 2003, a bust of Scholl was placed by the government of Bavaria in the Walhalla temple . She was the fifth woman to receive that honor. The Geschwister Scholl Institute of Political Science at the University of Munich is named in honour of Sophie and Hans Scholl. The Institute
2130-765: A result of cooperation between the university and renowned external partners from academia and industry; the Rachel Carson Center for Environment and Society , for example, was established through a joint initiative between LMU Munich and the Deutsches Museum , while the Parmenides Center for the Study of Thinking resulted from the collaboration between the Parmenides Foundation and LMU Munich's Human Science Center. Some of
2272-620: A return to nature, confraternity and shared adventures. The Deutsche Jungenschaft vom 1 November 1929 (abbreviated as "d.j.1.11.") was part of this youth movement, founded by Eberhard Koebel in 1929. Christoph Probst was a member of the German Youth Movement, and Willi Graf was a member of Neudeutschland ("New Germany"), and the Grauer Orden ("Grey Convent"), which were illegal Catholic youth organizations. The Nazi Party's youth organizations took over some of
2414-473: A revolt. As for her last words, they were most likely either "God, my refuge unto eternity" or "The sun still shines." Fritz Hartnagel was evacuated from Stalingrad in January 1943, but did not return to Germany before Sophie was executed. In October 1945, he married Sophie's sister Elisabeth . After Scholl's death, a copy of the sixth leaflet was smuggled out of Germany through Scandinavia to England by
2556-612: A seventh pamphlet, written by Christoph Probst, was found in the possession of Hans Scholl at the time of his arrest by the Gestapo . While Sophie Scholl got rid of incriminating evidence before being taken into custody, Hans did try to destroy the draft of the last leaflet by tearing it apart and trying to swallow it. However, the Gestapo recovered enough of it and were able to match the handwriting with other writings from Probst, which they found when they searched Hans's apartment. Christoph
2698-412: A shared love of art, music, literature, philosophy, and theology. Hiking in the mountains, skiing, and swimming were also important to them. They often attended concerts, plays and lectures together. In Munich, Scholl met a number of artists, writers and philosophers, particularly Carl Muth and Theodor Haecker . The question they pondered most was how the individual must act under a dictatorship. During
2840-407: A single trial, he therefore wanted to postpone his judgment against those four until the next day. However, the evidence against them was lost, and the trial finally took place on 13 July 1943. In that trial, Gisela Schertling—who had betrayed most of the friends, even fringe members like Gerhard Feuerle—changed her mind and recanted her testimony against all of them. Since Freisler did not preside over
2982-510: A sociologist specializing in the German Youth Movement, as well as on the Gestapo interrogation transcripts from the 1937–38 arrest, and with reference to historian George Mosse 's discussion of the homoerotic aspects of the German " Bündische Jugend " Youth Movement. As Mosse indicated, idealized romantic attachments among male youths were not uncommon in Germany, especially among members of
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#17327877693753124-615: A song called "(Say Goodbye to) Sophie Scholl" on its 2017 debut album Need to Feel Your Love . Reg Meuross , a British folk singer, released "For Sophie" on his album Faraway People in 2017. Under the title @ichbinsophiescholl the German broadcasters Südwestrundfunk and Bayerische Rundfunk began in May 2021 an Instagram project to commemorate Scholl's 100th birthday. The last months of Scholl's life are featured on Instagram posts and stories styled as if Scholl herself were posting them. The actress Luna Wedler plays Sophie Scholl and illustrates
3266-437: A start. What we wrote and said is also believed by many others. They just don't dare express themselves as we did. This was their only defense; they were not allowed to call witnesses. On 22 February 1943, Scholl, her brother Hans, and their friend Christoph Probst were found guilty of treason and sentenced to death. They were all beheaded by guillotine by the executioner Johann Reichhart in Munich's Stadelheim Prison . Sophie
3408-614: A strong impression on her. An avid reader, she developed a growing interest in philosophy and theology. She had a talent for drawing and painting, and came into contact with a few so-called " degenerate " artists. All of the Scholl children had a deep interest in art, and befriended many artists of the time, particularly controversial ones who stood against National Socialism and explored such themes in their work. One such artist, Otl Aicher , helped Sophie learn to sketch and helped her revise her drawings. He later married her sister Inge. Sophie
3550-403: A suitcase full of leaflets to the university main building, and hurriedly dropped stacks of copies in the empty corridors for students to find when they left the lecture rooms. Leaving before the lectures had ended, the Scholls had some copies left in the suitcase and decided to distribute them. Sophie flung the last remaining leaflets from the top floor down into the atrium. This spontaneous action
3692-516: A university vice president on suspicion of embezzlement. The vice president should have claimed "excessive travel expenses". The following year, veterinary students reported that the LMU violated animal welfare standards. According to them, the LMU keeps pigs in tight grid boxes, so that some animals showed scratches, bumps and respiratory diseases from lying down. Students who reported these circumstances said that they were threatened with deregistration from
3834-581: A very early age, and continued by means of the Hitler Youth with the ultimate goal of complete mind control. Children were exhorted in school to denounce even their own parents for derogatory remarks about Hitler or Nazi ideology. The activities of the White Rose started in the autumn of 1942. This was a time that was particularly critical for the Nazi regime; after initial victories in World War II ,
3976-665: A week. Hans spent a full three weeks in prison where he underwent interrogation. He was released only after the intervention of his cavalry officer. This experience further solidified Sophie's anti-Nazi convictions. In spring of 1940 she graduated from secondary school, where the subject of her essay was " The Hand that Moved the Cradle, Moved the World , a poem by William Ross Wallace ". Scholl almost did not graduate, having lost all interest in participating in classes that had largely become Nazi indoctrination. Being fond of children, she became
4118-532: Is home to the university's political science and communication departments, and is housed in the former Radio Free Europe building close to the Englischer Garten . Many schools as well as countless streets and squares in Germany and Austria have been named after Scholl and her brother. In 2003, Germans were invited by television broadcaster ZDF to participate in Unsere Besten (Our Best),
4260-531: Is not surprising that all of us, Hans and Sophie and the others, joined the Hitler Youth? We entered into it with body and soul, and we could not understand why our father did not approve, why he was not happy and proud. On the contrary, he was quite displeased with us. Youth organizations other than those led by the Nazi party were dissolved and officially forbidden in 1936. Both Hans Scholl and Willi Graf were arrested in 1937–38 because of their membership in forbidden Youth Movement organizations. Hans Scholl had joined
4402-656: The "Bündische Jugend" associations. It was argued that the experience of being persecuted may have led both Hans and Sophie to identify with the victims of the Nazi state, providing another explanation for why Hans and Sophie Scholl made their way from ardent "Hitler Youth" leaders to passionate opponents of the Nazi regime. The White Rose group was motivated by ethical, moral, and religious considerations. They supported and took in individuals of all backgrounds, and it did not depend on race, sex, religion, or age. They came from various religious backgrounds. Willi Graf and Katharina Schüddekopf were devout Catholics. Alexander Schmorell
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4544-667: The Contemporary American Theater Festival in Shepherdstown, West Virginia in July, 2017. In later life Whitney Seymour, his wife Catryna, and their daughters Tryntje and Gabriel, co-wrote and produced Stars in the Dark Sky, a one-act play about Hans and Sophie Scholl and their role in the White Rose resistance group in Nazi Germany in the 1940s. The play, which took around five years to write,
4686-531: The Deutsche Jungenschaft 1. 11. in 1934, when he and other Hitler Youth members in Ulm considered membership in this group and the Hitler Youth to be compatible. Hans Scholl was also accused of transgressing the German anti-homosexuality law, because of a same-sex teen relationship dating back to 1934–1935, when Hans was only 16 years old. The argument was built partially on the work of Eckard Holler ,
4828-491: The German Research Foundation (DFG) of 2021, which breaks down the grants from 2017 to 2019, LMU Munich ranked 1st among German universities. By area, it ranked 1st in the life sciences , 2nd in the humanities and social sciences , and 6th in the natural sciences . In November 2018 Expertscape recognized it as one of the top ten institutions in the world in pancreatic cancer . The LMU and
4970-491: The German Youth Movement , founded in 1896, had a major impact on the German youth at the beginning of the twentieth century. The movement aimed at providing free space to develop a healthy life. A common trait of the various organizations was a romantic longing for a pristine state of things, and a return to older cultural traditions, with a strong emphasis on independent, non-conformist thinking. They propagated
5112-691: The Kreisau Circle or the Schulze-Boysen/Harnack group of the Red Orchestra . Today, the White Rose is well known both within Germany and worldwide. Students from the University of Munich comprised the core of the White Rose: Hans Scholl , Alexander Schmorell , Willi Graf , Christoph Probst , and Kurt Huber , a professor of philosophy and musicology . Hans's younger sister, Sophie later came to be
5254-565: The Lutheran church. She started school at the age of seven, learned easily, and had a carefree childhood. In 1930, the family moved to Ludwigsburg and then two years later to Ulm where her father had a business consulting office. In 1932, Scholl began attending a secondary school for girls. At the age of 12, she joined the female branch of the Hitler Youth, Bund Deutscher Mädel (League of German Girls), as did most of her classmates. Her initial enthusiasm gradually gave way to criticism. She
5396-532: The National Committee for a Free Germany , in honour of the White Rose's fight for freedom. The text of the sixth leaflet of the White Rose was smuggled out of Germany through Scandinavia to the United Kingdom by the German lawyer and member of the Kreisau Circle , Helmuth James Graf von Moltke . In July 1943, copies were dropped over Germany by Allied planes, retitled "The Manifesto of
5538-779: The Soviet Union and the German Democratic Republic in the early 1990s, the Gestapo interrogation protocols and other documents from Nazi authorities became publicly available. The interrogation protocols were part of the Volksgerichtshof documents, and were confiscated by the Soviet Red Army, and brought to Moscow. Here, they were kept secret in a special archive. After the foundation of the German Democratic Republic,
5680-497: The Technical University of Munich have come together to work on "One Munich Strategy Forum", with a €2.5 million fund from the state of Bavaria . The Munich International Summer University (MISU at LMU) is the Summer University by LMU, which takes place annually in Munich and depending on the course also involves stays at different European cities. MISU invites international students to attend short-term programs at
5822-747: The Third Reich , academic freedom was severely curtailed. In 1943, the White Rose group, consisting of anti-Nazi students, carried out a campaign opposing the National Socialists at this institution. The university subsequently removed Kurt Huber, a Nazi opposition fighter, from his position and revoked his doctorate upon his arrest. Between 1933 and 1936, Karl Escherich served as rector at Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich, followed by Leopold Kölbl from 1936 to 1938, Philipp Broemser from 1938 to 1941, and finally, Walther Wüst from 1941 to 1945. The university has continued to be one of
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5964-462: The University of Ingolstadt in 1472 by Duke Ludwig IX of Bavaria-Landshut , it is Germany's sixth-oldest university in continuous operation. In 1800, the university was moved from Ingolstadt to Landshut by King Maximilian I Joseph of Bavaria when the city was threatened by the French, before being transferred to its present-day location in Munich in 1826 by King Ludwig I of Bavaria . In 1802,
6106-662: The White Rose Hamburg resistance group against the National Socialist regime and distributed the group's leaflets. White Rose survivor Jürgen Wittenstein described what it was like for ordinary Germans to live in Nazi Germany : The government—or rather, the party—controlled everything: the news media, arms, police, the armed forces, the judiciary system, communications, travel, all levels of education from kindergarten to universities, all cultural and religious institutions. Political indoctrination started at
6248-704: The euthanasia policies expressed in Action T4 (and extended that same year to the Nazi concentration camps by Action 14f13 ) which the Nazis maintained would protect the German gene pool. Horrified by the Nazi policies, Sophie obtained permission to reprint the sermon and distribute it at the University of Munich. In 1940, Otl Aicher had met Carl Muth , the founder of the Catholic magazine Hochland . Otl in turn introduced Hans Scholl to Muth in 1941. In his letters to Muth, Hans wrote about his growing attraction to
6390-410: The "Nordlichter" (northern lights), and especially physician Johann Nepomuk von Ringseis was quite angry about them. In the second half of the 19th century, the university rose to great prominence in the European scientific community, attracting many of the world's leading scientists. It was also a period of great expansion. From 1903, women were allowed to study at Bavarian universities, and by 1918,
6532-536: The "White Rose". The activities of the White Rose began in June 1942. By mid-July 1942, Hans Scholl and Alexander Schmorell had written the first four leaflets. Quoting extensively from the Bible , Aristotle , and Novalis , as well as Goethe and Schiller , the iconic poets of the German bourgeoisie, they appealed to what they considered the German intelligentsia , believing that such people would be easily convinced by
6674-463: The 1960s, Scholl has been extensively commemorated for her anti-Nazi resistance work. Scholl was the daughter of Magdalena (née Müller) and Robert Scholl , a liberal politician and ardent Nazi critic, who was the mayor of her home town of Forchtenberg am Kocher in the Free People's State of Württemberg at the time of her birth. She was the fourth of six children: Scholl was brought up in
6816-624: The 45,000 students who attend the university come from abroad. In 2005, Germany's state and federal governments launched the German Universities Excellence Initiative , a contest among its universities. With a total of 1.9 billion euros, 75 percent of which comes from the federal state, its architects aim to strategically promote top-level research and scholarship. The money is given to more than 30 research universities in Germany. The initiative will fund three project-oriented areas: graduate schools to promote
6958-539: The Catholic Christian faith. Both Hans and Sophie Scholl were influenced by Carl Muth whom they describe as deeply religious, and opposed to Nazism. He drew the Scholl siblings' attention to the persecution of the Jews, which he considered sinful and anti-Christian. Both Sophie Scholl and Willi Graf attended some of Kurt Huber's lectures at the University of Munich. Kurt Huber was known amongst his students for
7100-477: The Elite Network of Bavaria, an educational policy concept of Bavaria for the promotion of gifted pupils and students in the higher education sector. It attracts an additional 120 million euros per year in outside funding and is intensively involved in national and international funding initiatives. LMU Munich has a wide range of degree programs, with 150 subjects available in numerous combinations. 15% of
7242-648: The German jurist Helmuth James Graf von Moltke , where it was used by the Allied Forces . In mid-1943, the Royal Air Force dropped millions of copies of the tract, retitled The Manifesto of the Students of Munich , over Germany as propaganda . The playwright Lillian Garrett-Groag said in Newsday on 22 February 1993, "It is possibly the most spectacular moment of resistance that I can think of in
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#17327877693757384-603: The German population became increasingly aware of the losses and damages of the war. In summer 1942, the German Army was preparing a new military campaign in the southern part of the Eastern front to regain the initiative after their earlier defeat close to Moscow. This German offensive was initially very successful, but it slowed in the autumn as Army Group South approached Stalingrad and the Caucasus region. During this time,
7526-622: The Initiative: one graduate school, three "excellence clusters" and general funding for the university's "future concept". In January 2012, scientists at the Ludwig Maximilian University published details of the most sensitive listening device known so far. This has led to the college being inducted into the Guinness Book of World Records. In September 2018, the Munich public prosecutor's office investigated
7668-516: The LMU Munich in order to progress academically even in winter or summer breaks at their home university. MISU hereby offers two course formats: On the one hand German Language classes are held at different times over the year. On the other hand, MISU offers 16 subject-specific Summer Schools and Winter Schools covering a wide range of academic fields. Around 1000 students from nearly 90 countries joined MISU short-term programs in 2019. Germany has
7810-637: The Labor Service caused her to rethink her understanding of the political situation and to begin practising passive resistance . After her six months in the National Labor Service, she enrolled in May 1942 in the University of Munich as a student of biology and philosophy. Her brother Hans, who was studying medicine at the same institution, introduced her to his friends. Although this group of friends eventually became known for their political views, they were initially drawn together by
7952-666: The Ludwigsvorstadt (Klinikum Innenstadt) and in the Lehel ( Institut am Englischen Garten ), across from the main buildings, through the Englischer Garten . The university's main building is situated in Geschwister-Scholl-Platz and the university's main campus is served by the Munich subway 's Universität station. The große Aula is located in the university main building at Ludwigstraße in Munich. The Aula
8094-577: The Nazi regime. Their activities started in Munich on 27 June 1942; they ended with the arrest of the core group by the Gestapo on 18 February 1943. They, as well as other members and supporters of the group who carried on distributing the pamphlets, faced show trials by the Nazi People's Court ( Volksgerichtshof ); many of them were imprisoned and executed. Hans and Sophie Scholl, as well as Christoph Probst were executed by guillotine four days after their arrest, on 22 February 1943. During
8236-863: The Reich, Reich Attorney Weyersberg, [We]find: That the accused have in time of war by means of leaflets called for the sabotage of the war effort and armaments and for the overthrow of the National Socialist way of life of our people, have propagated defeatist ideas, and have most vulgarly defamed the Führer, thereby giving aid to the enemy of the Reich and weakening the armed security of the nation. On this account they are to be punished by death. Their honor and rights as citizens are forfeited for all time. Willi Graf had already been arrested on 18 February 1943; in his interrogations, which continued until his execution in October 1943, he successfully covered other members of
8378-419: The Soviet Union, Hans Scholl and Alexander Schmorell felt compelled to take action. From late June until mid-July 1942, they wrote the first four leaflets. Quoting extensively from the Bible, Aristotle and Novalis , as well as Goethe and Schiller , the iconic poets of German bourgeoisie, they appealed to what they considered the German intelligentsia , believing that these people would be easily convinced by
8520-444: The State Military Archive of Russia, but have been fully transcribed and published in a German/Russian edition. With the fall of Nazi Germany, the White Rose came to represent opposition to tyranny in the German psyche and was lauded for acting without interest in personal power or self-aggrandizement. Their story became so well known that the composer Carl Orff claimed (falsely by some accounts) to his Allied interrogators that he
8662-401: The Students of Munich". Thus, the activities of the White Rose became widely known in World War II Germany, but, like other attempts at resistance, did not succeed in provoking widespread active opposition against the totalitarian regime within the German population. However, it continued to be an important inspiration for acts of individual or small-scale resistance throughout the final years of
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#17327877693758804-459: The Students of Munich. In total, the White Rose authored six leaflets, which were multiplied and spread, in a total of about 15,000 copies. They denounced the Nazi regime's crimes and oppression, and called for resistance. In their second leaflet, they openly denounced the persecution and mass murder of the Jews . By the time of their arrest, the members of the White Rose were just about to establish contacts with other German resistance groups like
8946-452: The Summer University allows the LMU Munich to intensify cooperation with international partner universities. MISU's short-term programs therefore strengthen the LMU's international visibility as one of the highest ranked universities in Europe. The alumni of Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich played a major role in the development of quantum mechanics . Max Planck , the founder of quantum theory and Nobel laureate in Physics in 1918,
9088-562: The Wehrmacht medical corps on the Eastern Front . Their experience during this time had a major impact on their thinking, and it also motivated their resistance, because it led to their disillusionment with the Nazi regime. Alexander Schmorell , who was born in Orenburg and raised by Russian nurses, spoke perfect Russian, which allowed him to have direct contact and communication with the local Russian population and their plight. This Russian insight proved invaluable during their time there, and he could convey to his fellow White Rose members what
9230-448: The White Rose group members, among many others, is considered judicial murder today. The members of the core group all shared an academic background as students at Munich University. The Scholl siblings, Christoph Probst, Willi Graf and Alexander Schmorell were all raised by independently thinking and wealthy parents. Alexander Schmorell was born in Russia, and his first language was Russian. After he and Hans Scholl had become friends at
9372-431: The White Rose resistance. The first TV film Der Pedell [ de ] (1971) focused on the university maintenance man Jakob Schmid , who denounced Scholl and the other White Rose members. The TV film was produced for the West German ZDF. Percy Adlon 's Fünf letzte Tage ( Five Last Days , 1982) presented Lena Stolze as Scholl in her last days from the point of view of her cellmate Else Gebel. Stolze repeated
9514-471: The White Rose were fully aware of the risks they incurred by their acts of resistance: I knew what I took upon myself and I was prepared to lose my life by so doing. Under Gestapo interrogation, Hans Scholl gave several explanations for the origin of the name "The White Rose", and suggested he may have chosen it while he was under the emotional influence of a 19th-century poem with the same name by German poet Clemens Brentano . It has also been speculated that
9656-451: The White Rose's pamphlets together with his girlfriend Marie-Luise Jahn. The pamphlets were now entitled "And their spirit lives on." The third White Rose trial was scheduled for 20 April 1943, Hitler's birthday, which was a public holiday in Nazi Germany. Judge Freisler had intended to issue death sentences against Wilhelm Geyer, Harald Dohrn, Josef Söhngen and Manfred Eickemeyer. Because he did not want to issue too many death sentences in
9798-450: The advantage for international students to receive a very intensive and concise insight into the research areas and campus at the LMU Munich. MISU hereby has the objective to combine excellent academic education with extra-curricular activities. Participants are thus not only supervised intensively by established researchers on selected topics but are also introduced to the history, culture and politics of Munich, Bavaria and Germany. Moreover,
9940-413: The anti-Nazi bookseller who had supplied this banned book. Söhngen had provided the White Rose members with a safe meeting place for exchange of information, and receipt of occasional financial contributions. Söhngen kept a stash of banned books hidden in his store, and also hidden such books when being printed. After their experiences at the Eastern Front , having learned about mass murder in Poland and
10082-447: The authors of the pamphlets could neither be discovered, nor could the campaign be stopped by the Nazi authorities. When Hans and Sophie Scholl were discovered and arrested whilst distributing leaflets at Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich, the regime reacted brutally. The "Volksgerichtshof" was not bound by law, but its decisions were guided by Nazi ideology. Thus, its actions were declared unlawful in post-war Germany. The execution of
10224-439: The blade fell. IN THE NAME OF THE GERMAN PEOPLE in the action against 1. Hans Fritz Scholl, Munich, born at Ingersheim, 22 September 1918, 2. Sophia Magdalena Scholl, Munich, born at Forchtenberg, 9 May 1921, 3. Christoph Hermann Probst, of Aldrans bei Innsbruck, born at Murnau, 6 November 1919, now in investigative custody regarding treasonous assistance to the enemy, preparing to commit high treason, and weakening of
10366-504: The cause, and acted as go-between for Grimminger and the group in Munich. She frequently carried supplies such as envelopes, paper, and an additional duplicating machine from Stuttgart to Munich. In addition, a group of students in the city of Ulm distributed a number of the group's leaflets and were arrested and tried with the group from Munich. Among this group were Sophie Scholl's childhood friend Susanne Hirzel and her teenage brother Hans Hirzel and Franz Josef Müller . In Hamburg ,
10508-557: The conquest of Poland, 300,000 Jews have been murdered in this country in the most bestial way ... The German people slumber on in dull, stupid sleep and encourage the fascist criminals. Each wants to be exonerated of guilt, each one continues on his way with the most placid, calm conscience. But he cannot be exonerated; he is guilty, guilty, guilty! Why do you allow these men who are in power to rob you step by step, openly and in secret, of one domain of your rights after another, until one day nothing, nothing at all will be left but
10650-516: The contrary, Nazi propaganda used the defeat to call on the German people to embrace " Total War ". Coincidentally, on 18 February 1943, the same day that saw the arrests of Sophie and Hans Scholl and Willi Graf, Nazi propaganda minister Joseph Goebbels delivered his Sportpalast speech , and he was enthusiastically applauded by his audience. Shortly after the arrest of the Scholl siblings and Christoph Probst, newspapers published all-points bulletins in search of Alexander Schmorell. On 22 February 1943,
10792-448: The draft of the last leaflet by tearing it apart and swallowing it. The Gestapo recovered enough of it to read what it said and, when pressed, Hans gave the name of the author, Christoph Probst. In the record of his second interrogation, he stated, "The piece of paper that I tore up following my arrest this morning originated with Christoph Probst... All other persons with the exception of Probst are in my opinion not guilty." Christoph Probst
10934-698: The elements of the Youth Movement, and engaged their members in activities similar to the adventures of the Boy Scouts , but also subjected them to ideological indoctrination. Some, but not all, of the White Rose members had enthusiastically joined the youth organizations of the Nazi party: Hans Scholl had joined the Hitler Youth , and Sophie Scholl was a member of the Bund Deutscher Mädel . Membership in both party youth organizations
11076-549: The faculties and the missing numbers 06 and 14 are the result of breakups and mergers of faculties in the past. The Faculty of Forestry Operations with number 06 has been integrated into the Technical University of Munich in 1999 and faculty number 14 has been merged with faculty number 13. In addition to its 18 faculties, the University of Munich also maintains numerous research centres involved in numerous cross-faculty and transdisciplinary projects to complement its various academic programmes. Some of these research centres were
11218-539: The female proportion of students at LMU had reached 18%. In 1918, Adele Hartmann became the first woman in Germany to earn the Habilitation (higher doctorate), at LMU. During the Weimar Republic , the university continued to be one of the world's leading universities, with professors such as Wilhelm Röntgen , Wilhelm Wien , Richard Willstätter , Arnold Sommerfeld and Ferdinand Sauerbruch . During
11360-587: The group. Alexander Schmorell was recognized, denounced and arrested on 24 February 1943, after his return to Munich following an unsuccessful effort to travel to Switzerland. Kurt Huber was taken into custody on 26 February, and only then did the Gestapo learn about his role within the White Rose group. The second White Rose trial took place on 19 April 1943. Among those on trial were Hans Hirzel, Susanne Hirzel, Franz Josef Müller, Heinrich Guter, Eugen Grimminger, Otto Aicher, Theodor Haecker, Willi Graf, Anneliese Graf, Heinrich Bollinger, Helmut Bauer and Falk Harnack. At
11502-562: The information about the resistance, the trials, and the execution, they were the first acknowledgement of the White Rose in the United States. On 27 June 1943, the German author and Nobel prize winner Thomas Mann , in his monthly anti-Nazi broadcasts by the BBC called "Deutsche Hörer!" ("German Listeners!") highly praised the White Rose members' courage. Soviet Army propaganda issued a leaflet, wrongly attributed by later researchers to
11644-442: The last minute, the prosecutor added Traute Lafrenz, Gisela Schertling and Katharina Schüddekopf. Willi Graf , Kurt Huber , and Alexander Schmorell were sentenced to death. Eleven others were sentenced to prison, and Falk Harnack was acquitted of the accusations, which was unexpected, given that his brother and sister had been killed by the Nazis for subversive activities. Schmorell and Huber were executed on 13 July 1943. Willi Graf
11786-439: The last words Sophie said to her as: How can we expect righteousness to prevail when there is hardly anyone willing to give himself up individually to a righteous cause... It is such a splendid sunny day, and I have to go. But how many have to die on the battlefield in these days, how many young, promising lives. What does my death matter if by our acts thousands are warned and alerted. Among the student body there will certainly be
11928-545: The last year of her life in the style of a modern digital influencer. White Rose The White Rose (German: YOLO , pronounced [ˈvaɪsə ˈʁoːzə] ) was a non-violent , intellectual resistance group in Nazi Germany which was led by five students and one professor at the University of Munich : Willi Graf , Kurt Huber , Christoph Probst , Alexander Schmorell , Hans Scholl and Sophie Scholl . The group conducted an anonymous leaflet and graffiti campaign that called for active opposition to
12070-579: The leading universities of West Germany during the Cold War and in the post-reunification era. In the late 1960s, the university was the scene of protests by radical students. Today, the University of Munich is part of 24 Collaborative Research Centers funded by the German Research Foundation (DFG) and is host university of 13 of them. It also hosts 12 DFG Research Training Groups and three international doctorate programs as part of
12212-482: The leaflets spread "considerable unrest " amongst the German population. The report expressed particular concern about the fact that leaflets were not handed in to the Nazi authorities by their finders as promptly as they used to be in the past. On 18 April 1943, The New York Times mentioned the student opposition in Munich. The paper also published articles on the first White Rose trials on 29 March 1943 and 25 April 1943. Though they did not correctly record all of
12354-508: The lecture rooms. Leaving before the lectures had ended, the Scholls noticed that there were some left-over copies in the suitcase and decided to distribute them. Sophie flung the last remaining leaflets from the top floor down into the atrium. This spontaneous action was observed by the university maintenance man, Jakob Schmid , who called the Gestapo. The university doors were locked, and the fate of brother and sister were sealed. Hans and Sophie Scholl were taken into Gestapo custody. A draft of
12496-922: The major part of the Nazi documents were handed over to the East German government, except the documents concerning Alexander Schmorell, who was born in Russia. The documents were distributed between the Central Archive of the communist Socialist Unity Party of Germany and the archive of the Ministry for State Security . With the German reunification , the documents were transferred to the Federal Archive of Germany in Berlin, and finally published. The documents concerning Alexander Schmorell still remain in
12638-459: The members and supporters of the group to many cities, and then mailed from there. Copies appeared in Saarbrücken , Stuttgart , Cologne , Vienna, Freiburg , Chemnitz , Hamburg, Innsbruck and Berlin . Sophie Scholl stated during her Gestapo interrogation that from summer 1942 on, the aim of the White Rose was to address a broader range of the population. Consequently, in the fifth leaflet,
12780-637: The members of the White Rose. When the defeat at Stalingrad was officially announced, they sent out their sixth—and last—leaflet. The tone of this writing, authored by Kurt Huber and revised by Hans Scholl and Alexander Schmorell, was more patriotic. Headed "Fellow students!" (the now-iconic Kommilitoninnen! Kommilitonen! ), it announced that the "day of reckoning" had come for "the most contemptible tyrant our people has ever endured." "The dead of Stalingrad adjure us!" On 3, 8, and 15 February 1943, Alexander Schmorell, Hans Scholl, and Willi Graf used tin stencils to write slogans like "Down with Hitler" and "Freedom" on
12922-559: The name might have been taken from either the Cuban poet, Jose Marti's verse "Cultivo una rosa blanca" or the novel Die Weiße Rose ( The White Rose ) by B. Traven , which Hans Scholl and Alex Schmorell had both read. They also wrote that the symbol of the white rose was intended to represent purity and innocence in the face of evil. If the White Rose was indeed named after Traven's novel, Hans Scholl's interrogation testimony may have been intentionally vague in order to protect Josef Söhngen,
13064-482: The name of the group was changed from White Rose to "German Resistance Movement", and also the style of writing became more polemic and less intellectual. The students had become convinced during their military service that the war was lost: " Hitler kann den Krieg nicht gewinnen, nur noch verlängern. – Hitler cannot win the war, he can only prolong it." They appealed to renounce "national socialist subhumanism", imperialism and Prussian militarism "for all time". The reader
13206-675: The nation's armed security. The People's Court first Senate, pursuant to the trial held on 22 February 1943, in which the officers were: President of the People's Court Dr. Freisler, Presiding, Director of the Regional Judiciary Stier, SS Group Leader Breithaupt, SA Group Leader Bunge, State Secretary and SA Group Leader Koglmaier, and representing the Attorney General to the Supreme Court of
13348-571: The network of friends and supporters proved to be too large, so that the rumors about the White Rose could not be suppressed any more by Nazi German officials. Further prosecutions took place until the end of World War II, and German newspapers continued to report, mostly in brief notes, that more people had been arrested and punished. On 15 March 1943, a report by the Sicherheitsdienst of the Schutzstaffel stated that rumors about
13490-407: The next generation of scholars, clusters of excellence to promote cutting-edge research, and "future concepts" for the project-based expansion of academic excellence at universities as a whole. In order to qualify for this third area, a university had to have at least one internationally recognized academic center of excellence and a new graduate school. After the first round of selections, LMU Munich
13632-459: The number of courses has increased and the range of subject-specific Summer Schools was extended to further academic disciplines. From 2008 onwards LMU's Summer University operates under the name Munich International Summer University (MISU). A central aim of MISU is to boost the internationality of the LMU Munich in terms of research and teaching. Compared to semester-based student exchange programs , short-term programs such as Summer Schools have
13774-528: The period of German humanism , the university's academics included names such as Conrad Celtes and Petrus Apianus . The theologian Johann Eck also taught at the university. From 1549 to 1773, the university was influenced by the Jesuits and became one of the centres of the Counter-Reformation . The Jesuit Petrus Canisius served as rector of the university. At the end of the 18th century,
13916-554: The political innuendos which he used to include in his university lectures, by which he criticized Nazi ideology by talking about classical philosophers like Leibniz . He met Hans Scholl for the first time in June 1942, was admitted to the activities of the White Rose on 17 December 1942, and became their mentor and the main author of the sixth pamphlet. Hans Scholl , Alexander Schmorell , Christoph Probst , and Willi Graf were medical students. Their studies were regularly interrupted by terms of compulsory service as student soldiers in
14058-479: The research centres which have been established include: Universities in Bavaria do not charge tuition fees. Instead, a mandatory semester fee has to be paid that is fully transferred to the student union for providing, amongst other services, housing and lunch options for students. The 2025 QS World University Rankings rank LMU Munich 59th overall in the world and 2nd in Germany. In the 2024 QS Subject Rankings,
14200-513: The role in Michael Verhoeven 's Die Weiße Rose ( The White Rose , 1982). In an interview, Stolze said that playing the role was "an honour". In February 2005, a film about Scholl's last days, Sophie Scholl – Die letzten Tage (Sophie Scholl – The Final Days) , featuring Julia Jentsch in the title role, was released. Drawing on interviews with survivors and transcripts that had remained hidden in East German archives until 1990, it
14342-405: The same arguments that motivated the authors themselves. The leaflets were left in the telephone books in public telephone booths, mailed to professors and students, and taken by courier to other universities for further distribution. Sophie is believed to have first learned about the White Rose in July 1942, but Fritz Hartnagel remembers her asking him in May 1942 if he could get her a pass to buy
14484-479: The same arguments that also motivated the authors themselves. These leaflets were left in telephone books in public phone booths, mailed to professors and students, and taken by courier to other universities for distribution. From 23 July to 30 October 1942, Graf, Scholl and Schmorell served again at the Soviet front, and activities ceased until their return. In autumn 1942, Sophie Scholl discovered that her brother Hans
14626-664: The state of Bavaria , where the current Bavarian constitution was enacted. Today, the Aula hosts mainly concerts, talks and lectures. Despite the Bologna Process which saw the demise of most traditional academic-degree courses such as the Diplom and Magister Artium in favour of the more internationally known Bachelors and Masters system, the University of Munich continues to offer more than 100 areas of study with numerous combinations of majors and minors. In line with
14768-846: The student population. As for the operating budget, the university records in 2022 a total of 797.4 million euros in funding without the university hospital; with the university hospital, the university has a total funding amounting to approximately 2.18 billion euros. As of 2023, the University of Munich is associated with 44 Nobel laureates . Among these were Wilhelm Röntgen , Max Planck , Werner Heisenberg , Otto Hahn and Thomas Mann . Notable alumni, faculty and researchers include Pope Benedict XVI , Rudolf Peierls , Josef Mengele , Richard Strauss , Walter Benjamin , Joseph Campbell , Muhammad Iqbal , Marie Stopes , Wolfgang Pauli , Bertolt Brecht , Max Horkheimer , Karl Loewenstein , Carl Schmitt , Gustav Radbruch , Ernst Cassirer , Ernst Bloch and Konrad Adenauer . LMU has recently been conferred
14910-453: The students of Munich were assembled, and officially protested against the " traitors " who came from within their ranks. Gestapo and Nazi jurisdiction documented in their files their view of the White Rose members as "traitors and defeatists ". On 23 February, the official newspaper of the Nazi party, Völkischer Beobachter and local newspapers in Munich briefly reported about the capture and execution of some " degenerate rogues". However,
15052-463: The summer of 1942, Scholl had to do war service in a metalworking plant in Ulm. At the same time, her father was serving time in prison for having made a critical remark to an employee about Adolf Hitler . Between 1940 and 1941, Sophie Scholl's brother Hans, a former member of the Hitler Youth, began questioning the principles and policies of the Nazi regime. As a student at the University of Munich, Hans met two Roman Catholic men of letters who gave him
15194-451: The third trial, the judge acquitted for lack of evidence all but Söhngen, who was sentenced to a six months' term in prison. After her acquittal on 19 April, Traute Lafrenz was placed under arrest again. She spent the last year of the war in prison. Trials kept being postponed and moved to different locations because of Allied air raids. Her trial was finally set for April 1945, after which she probably would have been executed. Three days before
15336-618: The tin templates used in the graffiti campaign. Eugen Grimminger of Stuttgart funded their operations. Grimminger was arrested on 2 March 1943, sentenced to ten years in a penal institution for high treason by the "People's Court" on 19 April 1943, and imprisoned in Ludwigsburg penal institution until April 1945. His wife Jenny was murdered in the Auschwitz-Birkenau extermination camp , presumably on 2 December 1943. Grimminger's secretary Tilly Hahn contributed her own funds to
15478-545: The title of "University of Excellence" under the German Universities Excellence Initiative , and is a member of U15 as well as the LERU . The university was founded with papal approval in 1472 as the University of Ingolstadt (foundation right of Louis IX the Rich ), with faculties of philosophy, medicine, jurisprudence and theology. Its first rector was Christopher Mendel of Steinfels , who later became bishop of Chiemsee . In
15620-419: The trial, Sophie interrupted the judge multiple times. No defendants were given any opportunity to speak. The group wrote, printed and initially distributed their pamphlets in the greater Munich region. Later on, secret carriers brought copies to other cities, mostly in the southern parts of Germany. In July 1943, Allied planes dropped their sixth and final leaflet over Germany with the headline The Manifesto of
15762-536: The trial, however, the Allies liberated the town where she was held prisoner, thereby saving her life. The student members of the White Rose make up a few of the nearly 70 juveniles that were indicted for high treason by the People's Court from 1933 to 1945. The hopes of the White Rose members that the defeat at Stalingrad would incite German opposition against the Nazi regime and the war effort did not come true. On
15904-527: The twentieth century ... The fact that five little kids, in the mouth of the wolf, where it really counted, had the tremendous courage to do what they did, is spectacular to me. I know that the world is better for them having been there, but I do not know why." In the same issue of Newsday , the Holocaust historian Jud Newborn observed, "You cannot really measure the effect of this kind of resistance in whether or not X number of bridges were blown up or
16046-423: The university is highly ranked in the arts and humanities, natural sciences, and life sciences and medicine. The Times Higher Education Ranking 2024 ranks LMU Munich 2nd in Germany, and 38th in the world. In the 2023 THE subject rankings, LMU is ranked first in Germany in the arts and humanities, law, and psychology. The Academic Ranking of World Universities ranks LMU Munich joint 2nd nationally and 59th in
16188-774: The university was influenced by the Enlightenment , which led to a stronger emphasis on natural science . In 1800, the Prince-Elector Maximilian IV Joseph (the later Maximilian I, King of Bavaria ) moved the university to Landshut , due to French aggression that threatened Ingolstadt during the Napoleonic Wars . In 1802, the university was renamed the Ludwig Maximilian University in honour of its two founders, Louis IX, Duke of Bavaria and Maximilian I, Elector of Bavaria . The Minister of Education, Maximilian von Montgelas , initiated
16330-419: The university was officially named Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität by King Maximilian I of Bavaria in honor of himself and Ludwig IX. LMU is currently the second-largest university in Germany in terms of student population; in the 2023/24 winter semester, the university had a total of 52,972 matriculated students. Of these, 10,138 were freshmen, while international students totaled 2,859 or approximately 28% of
16472-623: The university's internationalisation as a popular destination for tertiary studies, an increasing number of courses mainly at the graduate and post-graduate levels are also available in English to cater to international students who may have little or no background in the German language. Some notable subject areas which currently offer programmes in English include various fields of psychology , physics as well as business and management. The university consists of 18 faculties which oversee various departments and institutes. The official numbering of
16614-534: The university, Alexander invited Hans to his parents' home, where Hans also met Christoph Probst at the beginning of 1941. Alexander Schmorell and Christoph Probst had already been friends since their school days. As Christoph's father had been divorced and had married again to a Jewish wife, the effects of the Nazi Nuremberg Laws , and Nazi racial ideology had impacts on both Christoph's and Alexander's lives from early on. The ideas and thoughts of
16756-846: The university. In the beginning of 2020, the LMU locked around 80 students in a room who wanted to discuss the topic "Climate Burns, University Burns," about why universities are doing research for companies that are harmful to the climate . LMU's institutes and research centers are spread throughout Munich, with several buildings located in the suburbs of Oberschleissheim and Garching as well as Maisach and Bad Tölz . The university's main buildings are grouped around Geschwister-Scholl-Platz and Professor-Huber-Platz on Ludwigstrasse , extending into side streets such as Akademiestraße, Schellingstraße, and Veterinärstraße. Other large campuses and institutes are located in Großhadern ( Klinikum Großhadern ), Martinsried (chemistry and biotechnology campus),
16898-402: The walls of the university and other buildings in Munich. Isn't it true that every honest German is ashamed of his government these days? Who among us has any conception of the dimensions of shame that will befall us and our children when one day the veil has fallen from our eyes and the most horrible of crimes—crimes that infinitely outdistance every human measure—reach the light of day? Since
17040-454: The war on the battlefield and against civilian populations in the East. In a letter to his sister Anneliese, Willi Graf wrote: "I wish I had been spared the view of all this which I had to witness." Gradually, detachment gave way to the conviction that something had to be done. It was not enough to keep to oneself one's beliefs, and ethical standards, but the time had come to act. The members of
17182-408: The war. For many years the primary sources for research were limited to those provided by White Rose members and their supporters. These included Inge Scholl 's 1952 commemorative book "The White Rose", surviving copies of the pamphlets, the letters and diaries of Sophie and Hans Scholl and Willi Graf, and other people with direct knowledge of the group's activities. With the end of communism in
17324-549: The world as of 2023. In the subjects of physics, education, communication, public administration, and hospitality, it is ranked first in Germany. In 2018 and 2019, the LMU took 1st place based on the number of DAX board of management members. The top 3 universities in 2019 were the LMU Munich, the RWTH Aachen and the Technische Universität Darmstadt . According to the funding report of
17466-407: Was executed at 5:00 p.m., Hans at 5:02 p.m. and Christoph at 5:05 p.m. The execution was supervised by Walter Roemer [ de ] , the head of enforcement of the Munich district court. Prison officials were impressed by the condemned prisoners' bravery, and let them smoke cigarettes together before they were executed. Sophie's last known words are disputed, although Else Gebel remembers
17608-452: Was a founding member of the White Rose and was released. He was personally acquainted with Huber, but there is no evidence that Orff was ever involved in the movement. University of Munich The Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich (simply University of Munich , LMU or LMU Munich ; German: Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München ) is a public research university in Munich , Bavaria , Germany . Originally established as
17750-763: Was an Orthodox Christian . Traute Lafrenz adhered to the concepts of anthroposophy , while Eugen Grimminger considered himself a Buddhist . Christoph Probst was baptized a Catholic only shortly before his execution. His father Hermann was nominally a Catholic, but also a private scholar of Eastern thought and wisdom. In their diaries and letters to friends, both Scholl siblings wrote about their reading of Christian scholars including Augustine of Hippo 's Confessions and Etienne Gilson , whose work on Medieval philosophy they discussed amongst other philosophical works within their network of friends. The Scholls read sermons by John Henry Newman , and Sophie gave two volumes of Newman's sermons to her boyfriend, Fritz Hartnagel, when he
17892-630: Was an alumnus of the university. Founders of quantum mechanics such as Werner Heisenberg , Wolfgang Pauli , and others were associated with the university. Most recently, to honor the Nobel laureate in Chemistry Gerhard Ertl , who worked as a professor at the University of Munich from 1973 to 1986, the building of the Physical Chemistry was named after him. Pakistani philosopher and poet Sir Muhammad Iqbal , regarded as
18034-501: Was assigned to the Eastern Front; he wrote to her: "[W]e know by whom we are created, and that we stand in a relationship of moral obligation to our creator. Conscience gives us the capacity to distinguish between good and evil." This is a paraphrase of Newman's sermon, "The Testimony of Conscience". In 1941, Hans Scholl read a copy of a sermon by an outspoken critic of the Nazi regime, Catholic Bishop August von Galen , decrying
18176-475: Was aware of the dissenting political views of her father, friends, and some teachers. Her brother Hans, who had at first participated enthusiastically in the Hitler Youth program, became entirely disillusioned with the Nazi Party . Political positions had become an essential criterion in her choice of friends. The arrest of her brothers and friends in 1937 for participating in the German Youth Movement left
18318-505: Was captured on 20 February. The main Gestapo interrogator was Robert Mohr , who initially thought Sophie was innocent. However, after Hans had confessed, Sophie assumed full responsibility in an attempt to protect other members of the White Rose. The Scholls and Probst were scheduled to stand trial before the Volksgerichtshof —the Nazi "People's Court" infamous for its unfair political trials, which more often than not ended with
18460-400: Was captured on February 20, 1943. The main Gestapo interrogator was Robert Mohr , who initially thought Sophie was innocent. However, after Hans had confessed, Sophie assumed full responsibility in an attempt to protect other members of the White Rose. In court before Judge Roland Freisler on 22 February 1943, Scholl was recorded as saying these words: Somebody, after all, had to make
18602-527: Was compulsory for young Germans, although a few—such as Willi Graf, Otl Aicher , and Heinz Brenner—refused to join. Sophie and Hans' sister Inge Scholl reported about the initial enthusiasm of the young people for the Nazi youth organization, to their parents' dismay: But there was something else that drew us with mysterious power and swept us along: the closed ranks of marching youth with banners waving, eyes fixed straight ahead, keeping time to drumbeat and song. Was not this sense of fellowship overpowering? It
18744-410: Was constructed as part of the main building by Friedrich von Gärtner and completed in 1840. The hall is situated in the first floor and extends to the second floor. The Aula was not destroyed during World War II and, thus, is one of few usable pre war venues in Munich . The Aula was used for the first performances of concerts after the war. Furthermore, it was venue for the constituent assembly of
18886-411: Was first arrested by the Gestapo at the age of 16, after her brother Hans was discovered to be active in an anti-Hitler Youth group called Deutsche Jungenschaft vom 1.11.1929 . The Gestapo arrested Hans at his military post and other security agents arrested his siblings Inge, Werner and Sophie at their home shortly thereafter. Sophie was released later the same day, while Inge and Werner were jailed for
19028-663: Was invited to submit applications for all three funding lines. It entered the competition with proposals for two graduate schools and four clusters of excellence. On Friday 13 October 2006, a blue-ribbon panel announced the results of the Germany-wide Excellence Initiative for promoting top university research and education. The panel, composed of the German Research Foundation and the German Science Council, has decided that LMU Munich will receive funding for all three areas covered by
19170-507: Was kept in solitary confinement for about seven months. During that time, he was tortured in an attempt to make him give up other names of members of The White Rose. He never gave up any names, even when the Gestapo threatened to capture his family if he continued to withhold information. He was executed on 12 October 1943. On 29 January 1945, Hans Konrad Leipelt was executed. He had been sent down from Hamburg University in 1940 because of his Jewish ancestry, and had copied and further distributed
19312-680: Was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film in January 2006. For her portrayal of Scholl, Jentsch won the best actress at the European Film Awards , best actress at the German Film Awards (Lolas), along with the Silver Bear for best actress at the Berlin Film Festival . The German TV docudrama Frauen die Geschichte machten – Sophie Scholl was broadcast in 2013. Sophie Scholl
19454-559: Was not understood or even heard by other Germans coming from the Eastern front. In summer 1942, Hans, Alexander, and Willi had to serve for three months on the Russian front alongside many other male medical students from the University of Munich. There, they observed the horrors of war, saw beatings and other mistreatment of Jews by the Germans, and heard about the persecution of the Jews from reliable sources. Some witnessed atrocities of
19596-456: Was observed by the university maintenance man, Jakob Schmid , a self-avowed Nazi, who had joined the Nazi Party in 1937. Hans and Sophie Scholl were taken into custody by the Gestapo . A draft of a seventh pamphlet, written by Christoph Probst , was found in the possession of Hans Scholl at the time of his arrest. While Sophie Scholl was able to hide incriminating evidence in an empty classroom just before being captured, Hans tried to destroy
19738-415: Was one of the authors of the pamphlets, and joined the group. Shortly after, Willi Graf, and by the end of December 1942, Kurt Huber became members of the White Rose. In January 1943, the fifth leaflet, "Aufruf an alle Deutsche!" ("Appeal to all Germans!") was produced in 6,000–9,000 copies, using a hand-operated duplicating machine . It was carried to other German Cities between 27 and 29 January 1943 by
19880-513: Was played by Liv Lisa Fries . She was portrayed by Victoria Chilap in the documentary movie Death of a Nation in 2018. In February 2010, Carl Hanser Verlag released Sophie Scholl: A Biography (in German), by Barbara Beuys. American playwright Lillian Garrett-Groag's play The White Rose features Scholl as a major character. We Will Not Be Silent , a dramatization by David Meyers of Scholl's imprisonment and interrogation, premiered at
20022-500: Was released in 2008 (when Seymour was 85) and had five performances off-Broadway. George Donaldson , a Scottish folk singer wrote a song called "The White Rose" on an album titled the same, about Sophie and the White Rose movement. The English punk band Zatopeks released an eponymous love song for Sophie Scholl on their debut album (2005). Mickey 3D , a French rock band, wrote a song called "La Rose Blanche" on an album titled Sebolavy (2016). American rock band Sheer Mag recorded
20164-566: Was urged to "Support the resistance movement!" in the struggle for "freedom of speech, freedom of religion and protection of the individual citizen from the arbitrary action of criminal dictator-states". These were the principles that would form "the foundations of a new Europe". By the end of January 1943, the Battle of Stalingrad ended with the capitulation and near-total loss of the Wehrmacht's Sixth Army. In Stalingrad , World War II had taken
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