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Germans fighting against
Hitler
We have to tell the world that not all of us where like him (Hitler)
-General Henning Treskow
Do Now
 1. Is there ANY cause in the world today that would
make you actively take a stand?
 What is it?
 Why?

2. If your cause was not publicly accepted or even illegal
would you still take that stand?
 3. Is there ANY cause in the world today that you would
die for?
 What is it?
 Why?
Hans, Sophie, and Christoph
White Rose Movement
 Active operations between June 1942 and Feb. 1943
 6 leaflets created and distributed
 Leaflets raised awareness about the Holocaust
 Graffiti smeared on walls “ Down with Hitler”
What the White Rose Wrote
 A Call to All Germans!
 It has become a mathematical certainty that Hitler is leading
the German people into the abyss. Hitler cannot win the war;
he can only prolong it. The guilt of Hitler and his minions goes
beyond all measure.
 Germans! Do you and your children want to suffer the same
fate that befell the Jews?
 Dissociate yourselves from National Socialist gangsterism.
 Freedom of speech, freedom of religion, the protection of
individual citizens from the arbitrary will of
criminal regimes of violence..this will be the basis of the New
Europe.
Support the resistance. Distribute the leaflets!
Wrap Up Question and Assignment
 Do you believe that you are brave enough to go through
what Hans, Sophie and Christoph endured?
 Select and issue you have with our society today?
(Government, Economy, Human Rights, Student Issues,
etc.)
 Write your own leaflet (paragraph) of protest using what
Hans and Sophie wrote as your guide.

This will be collected at the end of class and count as a 25 point
classwork grade. You will be graded on:
 Creativity
 Persuasion
Assassinations
• You can imagine that
many people wanted to
kill Hitler, and many
tried. In this lesson we
will learn about the brave
men who tried to rid the
world of evil.
The Bavaud Attempt
 Maurice Bavaud
 Munich, November 1938
 Hitler in the parade for 15th
anniversary of the Beer Hall Putsch
 Below write down the plan and what
happens
What could Bavaud have done differently?
The Elser Attempt
 George Elser
 Munich, November 1939
 Below write down the plan
and what happens
What do you believe would have
happened in regards to the
Holocaust if Hitler had been
killed?
Keep in mind men such as
Himmler, Heydrich, Goebbels and
Goering would still be leading
figures in the government.
The New Threat: Hitler's own soldiers
 The German Army and the SS
 Views and differences
 Henning Von Treskow
 “The Brandy Bottle Attempt”
 Below write down the plan and
what happens
After so many failures do you think
those that conspired to kill Hitler
would give up, continue as usual,
or become more aggressive? Why?
Weapons Exposition Attempt
 Rudolf Gersdorff
 Below write down the plan and
what happens
 What revolutionary idea does
Gersdorff think of?
The July
th
20
Plot
 The war Situation after 1943
 Claus Von Staffenberg
 Severely injured in Africa 1943
 Anti-Nazi
 Took over from Treskow
 Appointed head of German Reserve
Army
 Saw Hitler on a regular basis
 Operation Valkryie
What is Operation Valkyrie??
The Reserve Army is
used in cases of
emergency
Germany has a
Reserve Army
Bombings
Preserve Law and Order
How the plotters will use Valkyrie
The Bomb
kills Hitler
Plotters announce the
SS is trying to take over
the government (a
Coup)
Reserve Army arrests all
SS and pro-Hitler officials
Plotters initiate Valkyrie
Reserve Army secures Berlin and
takes over the rest of Germany
The Wolfs Lair
 Hitler’s military Headquarters
 Heavily defended
 Walls of Hitler’s bunker 16 feet
thick
 Security lax inside
 Write down what Stauffenbergs
Plan was to kill Hitler.
July
th
20
1944
 Write down three factors which
made Stauffenberg’s bomb not fail
 1.
 2.
 3.
Operation falls apart
 What factors made the whole
plan fail?
Aftermath
 1000’s arrested: Anyone remotely related to the plot.
 200 Shot
 Several sent to the “Peoples Court”
 Roland Freisler
 Hitler sees his survival as “Divine Providence”
What are the consequences of his
“Divine Providence” belief when it
comes to all of Germany?
The “What ifs” of July 20th
 Both Charges used
 Bunker instead of Conference Hut
 Bag not kicked over
The Last Attempt
 Albert Speer
 What was the plan?
Questions to Consider
 Do you believe the plotters could have ended the war if
the assassination had succeeded?
 Do you think there would have been civil war between
those loyal to Hitler and anti-Nazi factions?
 Do you think a new “stab in the back” legend would
have evolved?
 Can you imagine any circumstances in which
Americans might have to act “treasonously” in
order to save the country, or in order to save
our values?
 Would it be possible for a military coup to
succeed in the U.S.? What might motivate such
an action