Hans Scholl in the context of "German resistance to Nazism"

Sophia Magdalena Scholl (9 May 1921 – 22 February 1943) was a German student and anti-Nazi political activist, active in the White Rose non-violent resistance group in Nazi Germany.

Raised in a politically engaged family, Scholl initially joined the Bund Deutscher Mädel, the female branch of the Hitler Youth, but later became critical of the Nazi regime. Influenced by philosophy, theology, and the writings of Theodor Haecker, she became involved in passive resistance efforts alongside her brother, Hans, and fellow students. The White Rose distributed leaflets calling for opposition to the Nazi state, citing ethical and philosophical arguments against its policies. In February 1943, after being caught distributing leaflets at the University of Munich, she and her brother Hans were arrested by the Gestapo, interrogated, and convicted of high treason in a show trial presided over by Roland Freisler. They were sentenced to death and executed by guillotine.

The White Rose (German: Weiße Rose, pronounced [ˈvaɪsə ˈʁoːzə] ) was a non-violent, intellectual resistance group in Nazi Germany which was led by five students and one professor at the University of Munich: Willi Graf, Kurt Huber, Christoph Probst, Alexander Schmorell, Hans Scholl and Sophie Scholl. The group conducted an anonymous leaflet and graffiti campaign that called for active opposition to the Nazi regime. Their activities started in Munich on 27 June 1942; they ended with the arrest of the core group by the Gestapo on 18 February 1943. They, as well as other members and supporters of the group who carried on distributing the pamphlets, faced show trials by the Nazi People's Court (Volksgerichtshof); many of them were imprisoned and executed.

Hans Fritz Scholl and Sophie Magdalena Scholl, as well as Christoph Probst were executed by guillotine four days after their arrest, on 22 February 1943. During the trial, Sophie interrupted the judge multiple times. No defendants were given any opportunity to speak.

Christoph Ananda Probst(6 November 1919 – 22 February 1943) was a German medical student and member of the anti-Nazi resistance group White Rose (Weiße Rose). Although less publicly known than Hans Scholl and Sophie Scholl, Probst played a key intellectual role in the group’s efforts to oppose the Nazi regime through nonviolent means.

His final contribution—a draft for a new leaflet calling for an end to the war—was discovered upon Hans Scholl’s arrest and led directly to Probst’s own execution. He is remembered for his quiet conviction, moral clarity, and for placing conscience above personal safety, even as a young husband and father of three.