Standing Up During The Holocaust

Standing Up During the Holocaust The term “Holocaust” was used in the past as a word to describe mass destruction caused by fire or nuclear war. Since World War II ended in 1945, this term has taken on a new and terrifying meaning: the stretch of time over several years in which the deaths of some six million Jews took place under the jurisdiction of the Nazi regime leader, Adolf Hitler. Although he was a very unsparing and austere leader, there were many who were courageous enough to take a stand against his vengeful schemes. Forms of resistance against the Nazi regime took shape in various ways and were led by many groups of people, not only within groups of the persecuted Jews. Some of the most successful acts of rebellion that took place
However, this only lasted up until Hitler came to power in 1933, and Sophie recognized that he had begun taking over all aspects of life of the citizens in the German society. Initially unaffected by Hitler’s reign, Sophie Scholl and her brothers soon came to disagree with the Nazi regime, and the political criticism that swirled around through the streets and classrooms and left an impression on them. Sophie began to feel uneasy with the activities that were taking place in her German Girls group, and she became aware of the Nazi ideology that was slowly creeping into her young mind. She grew angry at the men that were keeping her Jewish friends from joining her in the everyday activities that took place in the group of German Girls. In 1941, Sophie was drafted to work in the war service in Blumberg as a nursery teacher, and for the first time, she began to get involved with passive resistance to the military war effort. Additionally, a group of her brothers and close friends started an informal organization called the White Rose Society, which sought to be a nonviolent form of resistance against the efforts of the Nazis. Sophie was eager to join. She became a critical member of the group, distributing leaflets and messages that opposed the war and told of the
In the summer of 1944, some of the upper rank officers in the German military started to believe that Hitler was leading Germany to defeat and that it was only a matter of time until the lost the war. A small group of the officials began to come up with a plan that was later named the July Bomb Plot. However, Hitler had always made precautions about such plots, and made sure that no one ever knew his next step. Simply gaining knowledge of Hitler’s location or getting near him proved to be an extremely difficult task, but luckily, the officers had an inside link within their circle: Count Claus von Stauffenberg. Being Chief-of-Staff Army Reserve, he was arranged to meet with Hitler on a regular basis. Stauffenberg had also been badly wounded and disabled from the gunfire of a fighter plane, and this worked out great because, “He made the perfect person to carry in a bomb-no one would suspect the severely disabled war hero.” (The July Bomb Plot). On July 20th of 1944, Stauffenberg was ordered to attend a meeting led by Hitler at 12:30 P.M., and he arrived in the map room carrying a briefcase containing the bomb. He placed the explosive next to the section of the table where Hitler would be seated, and angled it so that it would be sure to hit him directly. Stauffenberg then left the room, claiming