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…
Copies of the “Leaves of the White Rose” were mailed to students and professors throughout Germany, left in telephone booths, and brought by train to spread the White Rose’s beliefs to all regions of the country.
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
people. Sophie Scholl registered for the University of Munich not long after the making of the first leaflets, and learned about the White Rose society. Although Hans initially opposed her partaking in the group in an effort to defend her, he in the end surrendered and allowed her to join. Sophie almost immediately became one of the main leaders of the group. A common friend of Sophie and Hans, a man by the name of Christoph Probst, joined the White Rose about the same time, however he did not help write the leaflets since he had transferred to the University of Innsbruck. Later that summer, the University didn’t know what to do with the medical students they had drafted so they sent them to the Russian front for three months. The students experience medical care under fire, and got to work alongside a physician assistants in field hospitals. Throughout this period another medical student Willi Graf, shunned Hans and Alex when he became an active member of the group once Alex and Hans returned to the University in November
In Elie Wiesel’s Night, he recounts his horrifying experiences as a Jewish boy under Nazi control. His words are strong and his message clear. Wiesel uses themes such as hunger and death to vividly display his days during World War II. Wiesel’s main purpose is to describe to the reader the horrifying scenes and feelings he suffered through as a repressed Jew. His tone and diction are powerful for this subject and envelope the reader. Young readers today find the actions of Nazis almost unimaginable. This book more than sufficiently portrays the era in the words of a victim himself.
Although first impressions of the German soldiers were reassuring to Wiesel and many Jews at first, shortly after they had arrived the Jew’s freedoms were taken without any warning. German soldiers took the Jew’s rights one at a time. First, Jews were not allowed to leave there house for three days. Then, they were no longer allowed to keep their gold, jewels, or valuable items. Wiesel explains, “Everything had to be handed over to the authorities, under penalty of death. My father went down to the cellar and buried out savings” (8). Next, they were forced to wear the yellow star. Eventually, Jews were not allowed to go into restaurants or cafes, to travel the railway, attend synagogue, or go into the street after six o’clock. The last step was that two ghettos were formed in the town of Sighet. It was like they were dogs in a fenced crate, not allowed to go anywhere or do anything. When the Jews started to question Wiesel’s father during the development of these rules, he reassured every one, and acted like it was no big deal. Wiesel’s father settled and acknowledged the situation claiming, “The yellow star? Oh well, what of it? You don’t die of it…” (Wiesel 9). None of the Jews including Wiesel’s fami...
?The effect of such incessant propaganda was to promote hysterical hatred of all things German.?# Any individual who had the audacity to speak against the war was assaulted either verbal or physically, and on many occasions murdered.
In conclusion, even though the Nazi political party was known for their constant dependence on advertising, throughout the World War II and all history this king of propaganda has been no stranger to any type of government. Its power should never be underestimated since it has the ability to be used as a weapon of political warfare and determine the magnitude of the sovereignty of a particular government, in other words, it can make or break a social movement. Works Cited http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nazi_propaganda http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_propaganda_during_World_War_II http://wiki.answers.com/Q/How_effective_was_Government_propaganda_in_World_War_1 http://www.bl.uk/learning/histcitizen/voices/testimonies/life/backgd/before.html http://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/propaganda_in_nazi_germany.htm http://www.calvin.edu/academic/cas/gpa/goeb36.htm http://www.ess.uwe.ac.uk/genocide/statements.htm http://www.ess.uwe.ac.uk/genocide/statements.htm https://www.msu.edu/navarro6/srop.html The Hunger Games Left to Tell Enciclopedia Salvat
the book the author discusses her main views toward the actions of the Nazis and
Prior to the Nazi takeover of Germany, the nation had been suffering deeply. An economic depression, large-scale unemployment, and the shame of losing World War I had put Germany in a dark place. The Nazi’s were incredibly aware of this, and their propaganda at the time reflected a need to reunite the German people. Propaganda appealed to national pride, and putting ones country before themselves. Of course, a strong united people needed a leader that was just as strong, and the “myth of Hitler” would create that leader. Slogans like “One People, one Fuhrer, one Reich!” promoted national unity, and a Wochenspruch from February 1938 states, “The greatest of all sacrifices is to give one’s life to preserve the existence of the community.” Leni Riefenstahl’s Triumph of the Will comes from this time period and helps form the mythological image of Hitler. Propaganda also focused on the good the Nazi party was doing. It discussed how well the Nazi welfare system was working, newsreels showed happy German people enjoying the benefits of the Nazi regime.
Fritzsche, Peter. Life and Death in the Third Reich. 1st Ed. ed. Cambridge, MA: Belknap of Harvard UP,
Introductory Paragraph: Propaganda is a tool of influence that Adolph Hitler used to abuse the German population by brainwashing them and completely deteriorating an entire race. How does one person get the beliefs of an entire country? Hitler put Joseph Goebbels in charge of the propaganda movement. Goebbels controlled every element of propaganda, there were many varieties of Nazi Propaganda. Propaganda was also being used as a tool to gain the support of the German population for the war, and supporting their government. The Jew’s were the targeted race and were completely pulverized by the Nazi’s. Hitler not only tried to destroy an entire race, he gained complete control of an entire country.
“’Is my mother a communist?’ Staring. Straight ahead. ‘They were always asking her things, before I came here.’ … ‘Did the Fuhrer take her away?’ … ‘I knew it.’ The words were thrown at the steps and Liesel could feel the slush of anger stirring hotly in her stomach. ‘I hate the Fuhrer’ she said. ‘I hate him.’” (115)
The White Rose, one of the first groups to oppose the Nazis because they knew the truth. They were a band of mostly college students and some young adults that got out of the war. They were mostly led by their college professor to make a difference in Germany. They wanted to tell the people about the camps and what some of the young adults saw while they were in the war and what they did to the Jews. So when this group formed, they would tell people of their cause by passing out leaflets that told people the truth of the Nazis, but they did all of this in secret because if they were caught, they would be severely punished. So this Gang would have to do everything in secret but while getting the message out to everyone in Germany so that they might be able to take down the Nazis and Hitler.
Many individuals and groups attempted to resist Nazism in Germany, but were unsuccessful. The White Rose, The Red Orchestra and the Kreisau Circle all advocated non-violent resistance to oppose the Nazi regime and even with the high risk of getting caught and potentially killed, the courageous members of these groups went after what they believed was right despite the serious consequences. The White Rose was formed in Munich in 1942 by students at the University of Munich named Hans Scholl, Sophie Scholl, Willi Graf and Alexander Schmorell. These students constantly hear others discuss the atrocities of Hitler’s regime and the disturbing stories of over 200,000 Jewish people being murdered. Hans Scholl, the leader of the White Rose group, decided to take action as he could no longer stay silent while so many civilians were being murdered.
The tragedies of the holocaust forever altered history. One of the most detailed accounts of the horrific events from the Nazi regime comes from Elie Wiesel’s Night. He describes his traumatic experiences in German concentration camps, mainly Buchenwald, and engages his readers from a victim’s point of view. He bravely shares the grotesque visions that are permanently ingrained in his mind. His autobiography gives readers vivid, unforgettable, and shocking images of the past. It is beneficial that Wiesel published this, if he had not the world might not have known the extent of the Nazis reign. He exposes the cruelty of man, and the misuse of power. Through a lifetime of tragedy, Elie Wiesel struggled internally to resurrect his religious beliefs as well as his hatred for the human race. He shares these emotions to the world through Night.
Marquis, Alice Goldfarb, ‘Words as Weapons: Propaganda in Britain and Germany during the First World War’, Journal of Contemporary History, Vol. 13, No. 3. (1978), pp. 467-498.
"Propaganda tries to force a doctrine on the whole people... Propaganda works on the general public from the standpoint of an idea and makes them ripe for the victory of this idea." ( Adolf Hitler, Mein Kampf, 1926). During Adolf Hitler’s time, the Jews in Europe were not very well liked. They were doing very well economically because they were prominent bankers and were blamed for the economic problems in Germany because Germans were struggling. He blamed the Jews for the hardships the country was facing. Pamphlets,flyers and flags were put up all over the country that showed Germans that the Jews were being “taken care of”, and caused a bad perspective upon them. Hitlers method of propaganda ranged in variety such as; films, cartoon and even educational material. He used his way of thinking to manipulate change of all Europe to go against the Jewish with the help of Goebbles, the minister of Propaganda and Public Information.
At the same time, the National Socialist German Workers' Party used a variety of campaign posters as a form of propaganda. Posters became an effective propaganda tool based on its low cost and fast production. The NSDAP was able to create thousands of posters at a fast rate and plaster them within Germany. Other propaganda tools such as newspapers, pamphlets, and leaflets took a vast amount of time in order to create. Early NSDAP posters include vibrant illustrations of illusive members and political figures including Adolf Hitler. An election poster from 1929 Saxon campaign reads: “Two million dead. Did they die in vain? Never! Front soldiers! Adolf Hitler is showing you the way!” The claim is that Hitler will redeem Germany from the loss of World War I. This poster depicts a mournful solider who appears to have lost all sense of hope. It also illustrates colorless colors to provide a sorrowful feeling. A second poster consists of the November 1932 election. The text: “Papen is crippling the economy! Away with him and his program for the ruling class! Come to Hitler!” Examples of these posters were used to stir the anger and hatred of the German people against the Weimar Republic in regards to its response towards World War 1.