DOCSLIB.ORG

Martyrs at the Hearth the Social-Religious Roles of Resistance Women During Nazi Germany

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Martyrs at the Hearth the Social-Religious Roles of Resistance Women During Nazi Germany Martyrs at the Hearth The Social-Religious Roles of Resistance Women During Nazi Germany Barbara Okker Hassell Dissertation submitted to the faculty of the Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in ASPECT (Alliance of Social, Political, Ethical, and Cultural Thought) Brian M. Britt (Chair) Stefanie Hofer Timothy W. Luke Michael B. Saffle May 5, 2014 Blacksburg, Virginia Else Niemöller’s Prayer for the Children of the World: “Lover of humanity, who cares for even one sparrow’s fall, we thank You that Your infinite eye is upon all the children of the world. Whatever the circumstances, we pray that we may help to release them from the forces that scar: hunger, homelessness, hatred, and lies. Give to each of us some sense of responsibility that all children everywhere may come into their full human heritage.” (Else Niemöller, 2008) Keywords: Confessing Church, resistance women, Nazi Germany, neue Frau, Weimar Republic © Barbara Okker Hassell MARTYRS AT THE HEARTH Martyrs at the Hearth. The Social-Religious Roles of Resistance Women During Nazi Germany. Barbara Okker Hassell ABSTRACT: German resistance to Nazi oppression existed within the ranks of academe, the military, the working classes, and the established churches. The Catholic Church, under the leadership of Pope Pius XI, entered into a non-interference agreement with Hitler, but the Evangelical Church experienced a severe split. From this division grew the Confessing Church. A number of leaders within the Confessing Church were arrested or killed during Nazi Germany, and it was the women of the church who continued the work overtly and covertly. The work of these women has mostly been marginalized by history – in part because historic writings belonged to the male hegemony, and in part because the women did not seek recognition. As most of the women about whom I am writing came of age during Weimar Republic (1919-1933), I argue that the women of the resistance received their empowerment to rise up against Nazi oppression from the women's movement of the interwar years. To understand the normative influences, one must consider the societal and political forces that helped shape that time. What led Germany on this path of destruction and caused it to vote for a leviathan in 1933? How did the work of the resistance women serve to fight against the forces of evil that threatened to drown out all reason? What motivated these women to disregard their own safety in their struggle against evil? MARTYRS AT THE HEARTH DEDICATION THIS PROJECT IS DEDICATED TO MY MOTHER (1925 - 2013) WHO TAUGHT THE VALUE OF HARD WORK AND TO MY DEAR FRIEND EMILY DONNELLY WHO ENCOURAGED ME TO BECOME A TEACHER iii MARTYRS AT THE HEARTH ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I am deeply indebted to the members of my committee for their guidance in this process. First and foremost I want to thank Dr. Brian Britt, my committee chairman, for his support and input as I have moved from the initial idea of researching the women of the resistance to completing the research project. His encouragement and enthusiasm were a constant source of renewal for me. I also want to thank the other committee members, Dr. Stephanie Hofer, Dr. Timothy Luke, Dr. Michael Saffle, and my late friend Dr. Klaus Phillips for their support throughout this time. I am even more indebted to a number of individuals in Germany who have provided me with major resources in the completion of my research. Those individuals are: Frau Natalia Alekseeva at the Zentralarchiv der Evangelischen Kirche Hessen Nassau in Darmstadt. Frau Alekseeva provided me with unlimited access to the archives; Frau Angelika Lanig at the Niemöllerhaus Peace Center in Berlin-Dahlem who made it possible for me to stay at the Niemöller Haus in Berlin during my research and put me in contact with Dr. Hermann Niemöller; Frau Knop at the archives in Sachsenhausen Gedenkstätte who gave me unrestricted access to the archives; Herr Pfarrer Eckart Wragge of Berlin, who sent me numerous documents in connection with my research of Marga Meusel; Frau Gisela Oppel who took her own time to show me Marga Meusel’s grave and taught me about the Stolpersteine in Berlin. Frau Dr. Traudel Himmighöfer at the library and media center of the Evangelische Kirche Pfalz who provided me with some of Marga Meusel's publications. I also want to express my gratitude to Mr. Jeffrey Martin at the Roanoke College library. Jeff found books in American libraries that had long been out of print in Germany. All I needed to do was give him the title of a book and somehow he was able to find it. I want to thank my friend, Ms. Gerri Johnson, who accompanied me on a number of trips to the concentration camps and various historic sites in Berlin and helped in the gathering of information. I also want to express my deep appreciation to my son, Mr. Philip Hassell, for his insightful editorial comments on my paper. iv MARTYRS AT THE HEARTH Finally I want to thank two very special individuals, my dear friend and former teacher, Dr. Theresia Reimers, Professor emerita and my husband, Mr. Bob Hassell. Theresia spent endless hours discussing my project with me and reading my paper. I always came away from our conversations with a renewed sense of the importance of my project. Of all the people who have enriched my life, my husband, Bob, has had the greatest impact. His never-failing support, his encouragement, his believing in me even when I could no longer believe in myself has been the driving force behind my completing this project. He was always “the wind beneath my wings.” I want to thank him for giving me the space to pursue my passions, and never placing any demands on me or my time. I am truly blessed to have such a wonderful friend, husband, and soul-mate. May the God of heaven reward him richly for all that he has done for me. v MARTYRS AT THE HEARTH Table of Contents 1. Foreword ............................................................................................................................... 1 2. Introduction .......................................................................................................................... 4 3. Methodology ....................................................................................................................... 17 3.1 Interdisciplinarity ....................................................................................................... 17 3.2 Historical .................................................................................................................... 21 3.3 Cultural ..................................................................................................................... 23 4. Theoretical Framework ..................................................................................................... 25 4.1 Immanuel Kant (1724 – 1804) .................................................................................. 26 4.2 Max Weber (1864 – 1920) ........................................................................................ 27 4.3 Walter Benjamin (1892-1940) .................................................................................. 29 4.5 Michel de Certeau (1925 – 1986) ............................................................................. 33 4.7 Max Horkheimer (1895-1973) and Theodore Adorno (1903-1969) ......................... 36 4.8 Feminist Theory ........................................................................................................ 38 4.9 Summary of the Theoretical Framework ................................................................. 40 5. Literature Review Dealing with Weimar Germany ....................................................... 41 5.1 Cultural ..................................................................................................................... 41 5.2 Fictional Portrayal of Weimar Women ..................................................................... 44 5.3 Social Developments and Phenomena of Weimar Germany .................................... 49 6. Literature Dealing with Nazi Germany ............................................................................. 52 6.1 Political ..................................................................................................................... 52 vi MARTYRS AT THE HEARTH 6.2 Cultural .................................................................................................................... 57 6.3 The Confessing Church............................................................................................. 65 6.3.1 Development of the Confessing Church. ...................................................... 67 6.3.2 Theological Foundation ................................................................................ 70 6.3.2.1 Karl Barth........................................................................................... 70 6.3.2.2 Martin Niemöller .............................................................................. 71 6.3.2.3 Dietrich Bonhoeffer ........................................................................... 74 7. Women of the Resistance................................................................................................... 77 7.1 Else Niemöller - Wife of Prisoner 26679 ................................................................. 80 7.2 Marga Meusel - The Righteous Among the Nations ................................................ 90 7.3
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Kreisau), Poland
    April 10th - April 21th 2011 Krzyzowa (Kreisau), Poland CROSS-BORDER NETWORK InterdiscipLinarY and InternationaL MobiLE UniVersitY OF HistorY and arts www.cross-border-network.eu IN COOPERATION WITH “Krzyzowa” Foundation for Mutual Understanding in Europe UNDER THE PATRONAGE OF Wladyslaw Bartoszewski, Poland Foreign Minister, retired & Gesine Schwan, Germany Head of Humboldt-Viadrina School of Governance in Berlin MEDIATIC PATRONAGE TV Polska Wrocław Gazeta Wyborcza Nowa Trybuna Opolska Radio Opole GUESTS OF HONOUR Princess Heide von Hohenzollern Host of the project «Namedy 2009» & Prof. Jan Pamula, Prof. Jerzy Nowakowski, Hosts of the project «Krakau 2008» & Prof. Dr. Roland Reichwein PARTICIPATING UNIVERSITIES University of Applied Sciences, Trier, Germany University Trier, Germany Saarland University, Saarbrücken, Germany University College Dublin, Ireland École Supérieure d’Art de Lorraine, Metz, France Academy of Fine Arts (ASP), Kraków, Poland Academy of Fine Arts (ASP), Gdansk, Poland Opole University, Department of History, Poland Opole University, Department of Arts, Poland Académie Royale des Beaux-Arts de Liège, Belgium University of Luxembourg, Luxembourg VISITING UNIVERSITIES École Professionnelle Supérieure d’Arts graphiques et d’Architecture de la Ville de Paris, France Université du Québec à Montréal, Canada The University of Kansas, United States Academy of Fine Arts and Design, Bratislava, Slovakia ERASMUS Intensive Program Continuation of the international, interdisciplinary project «Spaces of Remembrance» 2007, 2008, 2009 www.cross-border-network.eu CONTENT ETHOS PROJECT WORK WORKNG FIELDS (WORKSHOPS) OBJECTIVES LOCATION - WHY KRZYZOWA? PEDAOGIC TEAM CONTACT ANNEXE PATRONS ETHOS The idea for the series of projects under the title „Mobile European Schools of Arts and Design“ dates back to common activities of some of the participating universities, which were held in the „QuattroPole area of Saarbrucken, Metz, Lux- embourg and Trier dealing with important regional topics.
    [Show full text]
  • Honor to Whom Honor Is Due Ecclesiastes 8:1-8 Helmuth Von
    Honor to Whom Honor is Due Ecclesiastes 8:1-8 Helmuth von Moltke was a lawyer in Germany in the 1930’s and early 1940’s. He was an expert in international law and lectured widely throughout Europe before the start of World War II. When World War II broke out, he was conscripted by the Nazi Party to work in the field of counterintelligence. This created a great conflict in von Moltke’s mind and heart. As a follower of Christ, he was a staunch opponent of Adolf Hitler and his flagrant abuse of power. What would von Moltke do? He believed it was wrong to use violent force against the Nazis. Instead, he used his influence to form a resistance group called the Kreisau Circle. The mission of the Kreisau Circle was to inform western allies about the political and military weaknesses of the Third Reich – hoping it would lead to the demise of Hitler’s reign in Germany. Months before the end of World War II, the Gestapo learned of the subversive work of von Moltke and his associates. He was arrested, put on trial, found guilty of treason and was sentenced to be executed. In his final letter to his beloved wife Freya, von Moltke described the dramatic moment at his trial when the judge launched into a tirade against his faith in Christ. The judge shouted, “Only in one respect does National Socialism resemble Christianity. We also demand total allegiance.” The judge then asked von Moltke: “From whom do you take your orders? From Adolf Hitler or from another world?” Von Moltke testified he was unwavering in his loyalty to Jesus Christ.
    [Show full text]
  • Freya Von Moltke Passes Away in Norwich, Vermont, at Age 98
    the bulletin of the carolyn and leonard miller center for holocaust studies SPRING 2010 The Bulletin of the Carolyn and leonard Miller Center for holoCaust studies voluMe 14 the university of verMont spring 2010 Coming in Fall 2010 Lecture by Henry Rousso, Centre national de la recherche scientifique, France Lecture by Simone Schweber, University of Wisconsin-Madison The Raul Hilberg Memorial Lecture, to be delivered by Jeffrey Herf, University of Maryland at College Park Lecture by Aram Yengoyan, University of California, Davis Please check our website for Freya von Moltke Passes Away schedules and other details as in Norwich, Vermont, at Age 98 they become available: http://www.uvm.edu/~uvmchs One of the Last Survivors of the German Resistance to Hitler by Peter Hoffmann InsIde freye von moltke reya von Moltke was born the 1930s, the Moltkes lived in Berlin, on 29 March 1911 as the when Helmuth was in law practice faculty news F daughter of Carl Theodor there. The Moltkes never lived in student news Deichmann, a Cologne banker whose a grand way. Moltke father and son “child euthanasia” bank failed in the Great Depression regarded themselves as democrats, catholic church in Poland in 1931. She met Helmuth James Freya´s husband with his socialistic steven aschheim Count von Moltke, a law student, tendencies was the most radical one. 2009 hilberg lecture in 1929, and soon began the study In 1932, when the old President Paul criminals with doctorates of law at the universities in Cologne von Hindenburg – reluctantly – stood holocaust Geographies and Bonn; she received a doctorate for re-election, both Helmuth and Writing as freedom in law at Berlin University in 1935.
    [Show full text]
  • Mommsen, Hans, Germans Against Hitler
    GERMANS AGAINST HITLER HANS MOMMSEN GERMANSGERMANSGERMANS AGAINSTAGAINST HITLERHITLER THE STAUFFENBERG PLOT AND RESISTANCE UNDER THE THIRD REICH Translated and annotated by Angus McGeoch Introduction by Jeremy Noakes New paperback edition published in 2009 by I.B.Tauris & Co Ltd 6 Salem Road, London W2 4BU 175 Fifth Avenue, New York NY 10010 www.ibtauris.com First published in hardback in 2003 by I.B.Tauris & Co Ltd as Alternatives to Hitler. Originally published in 2000 as Alternative zu Hitler – Studien zur Geschichte des deutschen Widerstandes. Copyright © Verlag C.H. Beck oHG, Munchen, 2000 Translation copyright © I.B.Tauris & Co Ltd, 2003, 2009 The translation of this work has been supported by Inter Nationes, Bonn. The right of Hans Mommsen to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted by him in accordance with the Copyrights, Designs and Patents Act 1988. All rights reserved. Except for brief quotations in a review, this book, or any part thereof, may not be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the publisher. ISBN 978 1 84511 852 5 A full CIP record for this book is available from the British Library Project management by Steve Tribe, Andover Printed and bound in India by Thomson Press India Ltd ContentsContentsContents Preface by Hans Mommsen vii Introduction by Jeremy Noakes 1 1. Carl von Ossietzky and the concept of a right to resist in Germany 9 2. German society and resistance to Hitler 23 3.
    [Show full text]
  • Hortensienstrasse 50. the Kreisau Circle and the 20Th of July Thomas Childers University of Tennessee - Knoxville
    University of Tennessee, Knoxville Trace: Tennessee Research and Creative Exchange Masters Theses Graduate School 8-1971 Hortensienstrasse 50. The Kreisau Circle and the 20th of July Thomas Childers University of Tennessee - Knoxville Recommended Citation Childers, Thomas, "Hortensienstrasse 50. The Kreisau Circle and the 20th of July. " Master's Thesis, University of Tennessee, 1971. https://trace.tennessee.edu/utk_gradthes/3110 This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate School at Trace: Tennessee Research and Creative Exchange. It has been accepted for inclusion in Masters Theses by an authorized administrator of Trace: Tennessee Research and Creative Exchange. For more information, please contact [email protected]. To the Graduate Council: I am submitting herewith a thesis written by Thomas Childers entitled "Hortensienstrasse 50. The Kreisau Circle and the 20th of July." I have examined the final electronic copy of this thesis for form and content and recommend that it be accepted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts, with a major in History. Arthur G. Haas, Major Professor We have read this thesis and recommend its acceptance: Edward Chmielewski, Edwin H. Trainer, Galen Broeker Accepted for the Council: Dixie L. Thompson Vice Provost and Dean of the Graduate School (Original signatures are on file with official student records.) July 19, 1971 To the Graduate Council: I am submitting herewith a thesis written by Thomas Childers entitled "Hortensienstrasse 50. The Kreisau Circle and the 20th of July." I recommend that it be accepted for twelve quarter hours of credit in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of ·Science( with a major in History.
    [Show full text]
  • Freya Von Moltke in the Memory of the German Resistance to National Socialism Sarah E
    Celebration Celebration 2014 May 3rd, 9:00 AM - 10:15 AM Spark Across the Ages': Freya von Moltke in the Memory of the German Resistance to National Socialism Sarah E. Hayes Gettysburg College Follow this and additional works at: https://cupola.gettysburg.edu/celebration Part of the Peace and Conflict Studies Commons, and the Social History Commons Share feedback about the accessibility of this item. Hayes, Sarah E., "Spark Across the Ages': Freya von Moltke in the Memory of the German Resistance to National Socialism" (2014). Celebration. 24. https://cupola.gettysburg.edu/celebration/2014/Panels/24 This open access student research paper is brought to you by The uC pola: Scholarship at Gettysburg College. It has been accepted for inclusion by an authorized administrator of The uC pola. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Description Freya von Moltke was a member of the Kreisau Circle, a German resistance group to Nazism that was active from 1940-1944. Although the group's existence was uncovered in the wake of the July Plot in 1944, von Moltke became highly influential in preserving the history of the Circle until her death in 2010. This paper will examine the role of von Moltke in the German collective memory today due to her exemplification of the values of the Berlin Republic. Location Breidenbaugh Hall 307 Disciplines History | Peace and Conflict Studies | Social History This student research paper is available at The uC pola: Scholarship at Gettysburg College: https://cupola.gettysburg.edu/celebration/ 2014/Panels/24 „Funken über die Zeit“: Freya von Moltke in der Erinnerung des deutschen Widerstands gegen National Sozialismus Sarah Hayes Professor Laurel Cohen-Pfister German 400 Senior Seminar May 5th, 2014 I affirm that I have upheld the highest principles of honesty and integrity in my academic work and have not witnessed a violation of the Honor Code.
    [Show full text]
  • Women's Resistance Efforts in Nazi Germany 1939–45: Herstory1
    Women’s Resistance Efforts in Nazi Germany 1939–45: HerStory1 Jillian Wales Abstract German resistance to the Third Reich garners much attention in the scholarship of Nazi Germany. Yet the resistance efforts of German women in this period have consistently been devalued, if not disregarded by historians. Examining case studies of women’s dissident behaviour in Germany between 1939 and 1945, this essay reassesses women’s resistance and argues that their efforts were significant. Despite differing motivations and backgrounds, the Rosenstrasse wives, the women of the Kreisau Circle, Maria Terwiel, Sophie Scholl, Gertrud Staewen, Erna Dubnack and others, undermined Nazi authority and overcame gendered expectations to resist in both the public and private spheres. Through protests, underground movements, aiding the enemy and non- conformity, they gave or risked their lives, resisting the Nazi regime amid an atmosphere of terror and repression. Although accounts of the crimes of Nazism, its victims, perpetrators, collaborators and passive supporters should not be downplayed, stories of women’s resistance efforts in Germany during World War II are worthy of historical recognition. Women’s resistance efforts in Nazi Germany between 1939 and 1945 receive little scholarly attention. Indeed the majority of female resisters remain nameless, invisible in history.2 Accounts of the Kreisau Circle and Red Orchestra dissident groups pay fleeting attention to Countess Freya von Moltke, Countess Marion Yorck von Wartenburg and Maria ‘Mimi’ Terwiel.3 Herbert Baum is considered more memorable than his wife, Marianne, and Hans Scholl more impressive than his sister, Sophie.4 Yet these women and numerous others pitted themselves 1 The term HerStory seeks to emphasise that women’s lives, deeds and participation in human affairs have been neglected or unvalued in standard histories.
    [Show full text]
  • The Letters of Holocaust Victims Leave a Lasting Legacy
    Why Do We Study History, If Not to Make a Better Future? Rebecca Lim Georgetown University, Class of 2011 NEW YORK – Why do we study history, if not to make a better future? That was the thought that filled my mind as the documentary ―A Film Unfinished‖ came to an end and the shades over the windows in the auditorium rolled up to reveal a magnificent sunset. The documentary, about the Nazi effort to make a propaganda film about the Warsaw Ghetto, was probably one of the most intense I’d ever seen, along with The Conscience of Nhem En (about a photographer who documented the Khmer Rouge genocide in Cambodia). It was the end of the first day on the FASPE journalism program and we had spent the day in discussions and seminars on the role of the press during the Holocaust and covering conflict. We had also been taken on a tour of the Jewish Heritage Museum in New York by a Holocaust survivor from Poland. We were warned that the film was hard to watch, but even then, there was a cloud of silence hanging over the room for a few minutes when it ended. I’m hardly ever at a loss for words, but in that moment, I was only able to come to terms with the horrific images I had just seen, by capturing images myself. I grabbed my camera and shot the sunset through the window. Being behind the lens made me feel safe again, even as the questions and thoughts were racing through my head about the people who shot that film in the ghetto, of the dead and dying, and the one man who recounted the process in an interview years later.
    [Show full text]
  • In Her Own Right: a Study of Freya Von Moltke in the German Resistance 1940-1945 Sarah E
    Student Publications Student Scholarship Spring 2014 In Her Own Right: A Study of Freya von Moltke in the German Resistance 1940-1945 Sarah E. Hayes Gettysburg College Follow this and additional works at: https://cupola.gettysburg.edu/student_scholarship Part of the European History Commons, Military History Commons, Social History Commons, and the Women's History Commons Share feedback about the accessibility of this item. Hayes, Sarah E., "In Her Own Right: A Study of Freya von Moltke in the German Resistance 1940-1945" (2014). Student Publications. 216. https://cupola.gettysburg.edu/student_scholarship/216 This is the author's version of the work. This publication appears in Gettysburg College's institutional repository by permission of the copyright owner for personal use, not for redistribution. Cupola permanent link: https://cupola.gettysburg.edu/student_scholarship/ 216 This open access student research paper is brought to you by The uC pola: Scholarship at Gettysburg College. It has been accepted for inclusion by an authorized administrator of The uC pola. For more information, please contact [email protected]. In Her Own Right: A Study of Freya von Moltke in the German Resistance 1940-1945 Abstract Freya von Moltke was a member of the Kreisau Circle resistance group in Nazi Germany from 1940 to 1944. This intellectual group planned for the future of Germany after the anticipated downfall of the Nazis and was led by Helmuth von Moltke, the husband of Freya, and Peter Yorck. Despite the significance of her resistance in comparison to the majority of the German population, the resistance story of Freya von Moltke is often overwhelmed by that of her husband.
    [Show full text]
  • University of Nevada, Reno Judicial Independence and the Tragic
    University of Nevada, Reno Judicial Independence and the Tragic Consequences that Arose in Nazi Germany from a Lack Thereof A dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Judicial Studies by Stephen Michael Yeager James T. Richardson, J.D., Ph.D., Dissertation Advisor May, 2014 © by Stephen Michael Yeager 2014 All Rights Reserved UNIVERSITY OF NEVADA THE GRADUATE SCHOOL RENO We recommend that the dissertation prepared under our supervision by STEPHEN MICHAEL YEAGER entitled Judicial Independence and the Tragic Consequences that Arose in Nazi Germany from a Lack Thereof be accepted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY James T. Richardson, J.D., Ph.D., Advisor Thomas F. Burke, Ph.D., Committee Member Greta E. de Jong, Ph.D., Committee Member Richard T. Martin, Ph.D., Committee Member Greta E. de Jong, Ph.D., Graduate School Representative Marsha H. Read, Ph.D., Dean, Graduate School May, 2014 i ABSTRACT This dissertation discusses the topics of judicial independence and judicial accountability using the federal and state court systems of the United States as major examples since much of the work on judicial independence derives from the American experience. I define judicial independence by addressing the inquiries of independence for whom, independence from whom, independence from what, and independence for what purpose. Conditions that foster or supplant judicial independence are then summarized to facilitate their application to
    [Show full text]
  • Reunified Germany's Selective Commemoration of Resisters To
    Colby College Digital Commons @ Colby Honors Theses Student Research 2007 Obstacles and Stepping Stones to the Hero’s Pedestal: Reunified Germany’s Selective Commemoration of Resisters to National Socialism Suzanne J. Swartz Colby College Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.colby.edu/honorstheses Part of the History Commons Colby College theses are protected by copyright. They may be viewed or downloaded from this site for the purposes of research and scholarship. Reproduction or distribution for commercial purposes is prohibited without written permission of the author. Recommended Citation Swartz, Suzanne J., "Obstacles and Stepping Stones to the Hero’s Pedestal: Reunified Germany’s Selective Commemoration of Resisters to National Socialism" (2007). Honors Theses. Paper 277. https://digitalcommons.colby.edu/honorstheses/277 This Honors Thesis (Open Access) is brought to you for free and open access by the Student Research at Digital Commons @ Colby. It has been accepted for inclusion in Honors Theses by an authorized administrator of Digital Commons @ Colby. Obstacles and Stepping Stones to the Hero’s Pedestal: Reunified Germany’s Selective Commemoration of Resisters to National Socialism Suzanne Swartz Senior Honors Thesis in History Thesis Advisor: Professor Raffael Scheck Colby College 2006-07 Swartz 1 “You could not endure the shame; you resisted; you gave the great, eternally vital sign of 1 change, sacrificing your glowing lives for freedom, justice, and honor.” 1 Translation of the plaque in the center of the courtyard at the Memorial to German Resistance in Berlin;, where a firing squad murdered four army officers for their role in the most famous plot to kill Hitler on July 20, 1944.
    [Show full text]
  • Freya Von Moltke Which We Recorded with the Then 90-Year-Old in Her House in Vermont (USA), Her Second Home
    LOVE IN THE TIME OF RESISTANCE – FREYA GESCHICHTE EINER LIEBE – FREYA a film by Antje Starost & Hans Helmut Grotjahn 1929 and 18-year-old Freya Deichmann from Cologne meets Helmuth James von Moltke. He is the love of her life. After a first visit to Helmuth at the Moltke estate in Kreisau, Freya's mother asks about the Silesian countryside. Freya's reply: "On the journey there I'm so happy I don't see a thing. And on the journey back I'm so sad I don't see anything either." Two years later, marriage and a move to Kreisau. Helmuth James von Moltke is not your stereotypical country squire. He has nurtured a social conscience and sense of community from an early age. Hence his nickname: the Red Count. The estate is in dire straits and only his skill and hard work avoid bankruptcy. Freya lives with Helmuth in Kreisau and Berlin where she graduates in law. He becomes a lawyer and specialist in international law. This enables him to make contacts abroad when, at the beginning of the war, he is drafted into the High Command of the Armed Forces. This way Helmuth can also forge links for the German resistance with other European countries. Kreisau must be kept going and this task falls mainly to Freya. In contrast to Helmuth, who cannot see any future for children in these dark times, Freya has other ideas. Two sons are born. "I wrested them out of him", says Freya. Political circumstances force a physical separation, with Helmuth in Berlin and Freya in Kreisau, but they pursue a daily correspondence which eventually results in over 1,600 letters.
    [Show full text]