Blog
White Rose Resistance
December 10, 2024
“Since the conquest of Poland, 300,000 Jews have been murdered in this country in the most bestial way ... The German people slumber on in dull, stupid sleep and encourage the fascist criminals. Each wants to be exonerated of guilt, each one continues on his way with the most placid, calm conscience. But he cannot be exonerated; he is guilty, guilty, guilty!” - White Rose Pamphlet 2
White Rose was a Nazi resistance group based in Munich, Germany from 1942-1943. They practiced nonviolent protest through graffiti and leaflets. Based out of the University of Munich, White Rose included five students, Willi Graf, Christoph Probst, Alexander Schmorell, Hans Scholl, and Sophie Scholl, and one professor, Kurt Huber. White Rose published resistance pamphlets during their brief existence. Originally, their pamphlets were distributed to people they knew, but by the end, their pamphlets were being distributed to thousands of people across Germany and Austria. These pamphlets not only called out the evils of the Nazi regime, such as their persecution of Jewish citizens, but also served as calls to action, suggesting ways that people could commit acts of sabotage. White Rose was growing and preparing to collaborate with other resistance groups when Sophie Scholl was seen distributing pamphlets by a member of the Nazi Party. Sophie, Hans and Christoph Probst were put on mock trial and claimed all of the blame, but the other three members of the group were eventually found out. All were sentenced to death for treason and executed.
This poster, designed by artist Keinom, is one in a series of posters that seek to tell unknown stories of those who changed history, even if they didn’t make it into the history books. The Celebrate People’s History posters are rooted in the do-it-yourself tradition of mass-produced political propaganda. These posters embody democracy, inclusion, and group participation in the writing and interpretation of the past. Unlike most political posters, the posters part of the Celebrate People’s History series tell the stories of the underdogs, those individuals and groups helping to move forward the collective struggle of humanity to create a more just world. For 20 years, over 130 different posters have been displayed on the streets of over a dozen cities representing over 150 artists and writers. The Celebrate People’s History Poster Series has been organized and curated by Josh MacPhee since 1998.
Explore more about this White Rose poster in the collection.
Explore
the entire Celebrate People’s History series of posters in the collection.
Learn
how to create your own Celebrate People's History poster.
Hans Scholl, Sophie Scholl and Christoph Probst (pictured, left to
right, in 1942), photograph courtesy of DenkStätte Weiße
Rose
Keinom, Celebrate People’s History: White Rose,
two-color offset poster, 2006, 2020.23.16.