White Rose Leaflets: An Opposition to Nazi Cruelties

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In 1942 in the summer, Hans Scholl and Alex Schmorell wrote the first four leaflets of six opposition leaflets, called the “Leaves of the White Rose.” These leaflets criticized the Nazi regime and mentioned all of their crimes, from the mass extermination of Jews, to the dictatorship and the elimination of the personal freedoms of Germany’s citizens from the mass extermination of Jews. They called the Nazi regime evil, and called for Germans to stand up and resist the oppression of their government. These leaflets also were made up of quotes from great philosophers and greatly admired writers, establishing how they were clearly aimed at the intellectual public, and particularly students and professors. Across the bottom of the leaflets was this phrase, “Please make as many copies of this leaflet as you can and distribute them.” …show more content…

Since using trains with such dangerous documents was tremendously risky so females began to take on the duty of distributing leaflets to other cities since they were less likely to be searched by the Gestapo. Out of one hundred leaflets that the students mailed out, thirty-five got back to the Gestapo. Though, many of the pamphlets did successfully arrived at their destinations, and some even surfaced in parts of Austria.
In a short period of time all four leaflets were written, between June 27 and July 12. Hans Scholl wrote the first and fourth leaflets, and Alex Schmorell wrote the second and third ones. George Wittenstein revised the third and fourth leaflets. The “Leaves of the White Rose” caused a extraordinary reaction among the students, for this resistance literature challenged the regime’s authority and inspired ideas of opposition among many

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