John AutryFeb 22

February 22, 1943

Sophie Scholl, a 22-year-old White Rose (Weisse Rose) activist at Munich University, was executed after being convicted of urging students to rise up and overthrow the Nazi government.

There are many memorials in Bavaria and Germany to Sophie and her group, the White Rose, but little is known outside of Germany. They were medical students who organized nonviolent resistance to Hitler, and were arrested for printing and distributing anti-Nazi flyers.

Sophie, her brother Hans, a former member of Hitler Youth who started White Rose, and Christof Probst, the three young people in the photo, were executed. Few White Rose members survived the war which is why the story is not well known.

#SophieScholl

Show threadDr. Kiara Kiora
@JohnAutry The story of the White Rose is a powerful testament to moral clarity in the darkest of times. While the executions of Sophie Scholl, Hans Scholl, and Christoph Probst on February 22, 1943, are the most well-known, the movement’s reach and subsequent legacy were broader than often realized.
Feb 23 at 7:08pmWeb