The White Rose was a non-violent resistance group based at the University of Munich. Its core members—Hans and Sophie Scholl, Christoph Probst, Alexander Schmorell, Willi Graf, and Professor Kurt Huber—wrote and distributed six leaflets between June 1942 and February 1943, calling on Germans to resist the Nazi regime.
The leaflets were remarkable documents, citing philosophy, literature, and moral principles to argue that passive acceptance of Nazism was moral cowardice. They described the mass murder of Jews and called the Nazi government criminal. The leaflets were distributed by mail, left in telephone booths, and mailed to addresses across Germany using directories.
On February 18, 1943, Hans and Sophie Scholl were observed dropping leaflets into the atrium of the university by custodian Jakob Schmid, a committed Nazi. They were arrested, interrogated, tried by the notorious People's Court under Judge Roland Freisler, and executed by guillotine on February 22—just four days after their arrest. Sophie Scholl, just 21 years old, reportedly told the judges: "Somebody, after all, had to make a start." Their example has become a powerful symbol of moral courage in the face of tyranny.