Resistance to the Nazis: The White Rose Essay -- WWII, German history

The Nazi Party, controlled by Adolf Hitler, ruled Germany from 1933 to 1945. In 1933, Hitler became the Chancellor of Germany and the Nazi government began to take over. Hitler became a very influential speaker and attracted new members to his party by blaming Jews for Germany’s problems and developed a concept of a â€Å"master race.† The Nazis believed that Germans were â€Å"racially superior† and that the Jewish people were a threat to the German racial community and also targeted other groups because of their â€Å"perceived racial inferiority† such as Gypsies, disabled persons, Polish people and Russians as well as many others. In 1938, Jewish people were banned from public places in Germany and many were sent to concentration camps where they were either murdered or forced to work. 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-viol ent 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 heard 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 White Rose group strived to raise awareness of Hitler’s actions and to help end Anti-semitism in Germany and ensure... ...ited States Holocaust Memorial Museum. United States Holocaust Memorial Council. Web. 12 May 2014. Sheehan, Sean. Why Did the Holocaust Happen? New York, NY: Gareth Stevens Pub., 2011. Print. Shuter, Jane. Resistance to the Nazis. Chicago: Heinemann Library, 2003. Print. "The Kreisau Circle." Kreisau Circle. Web. 14 May 2014. "The Germans Who Tried to Topple Hitler." BBC News. Web. 21 May 2014. "The Leaflets." White-rose-studies. Web. 20 May 2014. "The Red Orchestra (Die Rote Kapelle)." Berliner Themenjahr 2013. Web. 22 May 2014. ""The Red Orchestra": Actions of Little-known Nazi-resistance Group Are Brought to Light." Movies. Web. 22 May 2014. "White Rose (German Anti-Nazi Group)." Encyclopedia Britannica Online. Encyclopedia Britannica. Web. 12 May 2014. "World War II: The White Rose Resistance Group." About.com Military History. Web. 12 May 2014.