The White Rose: Munich 1942-1943

Inge Scholl (1917–1998) was a German writer, educator, and prominent voice in preserving the memory of the White Rose resistance movement. She was the elder sister of Hans and Sophie Scholl, two of the most well-known members of the student group that opposed the Nazi regime through nonviolent resistance and the distribution of anti-Nazi leaflets during World War II. Although Inge was not directly involved in the White Rose’s clandestine activities, the arrest and execution of her siblings profoundly shaped her life’s work.

After the war, Inge Scholl dedicated herself to documenting the moral courage of the White Rose and educating younger generations about ethical responsibility under dictatorship. Her influential book The White Rose helped bring international recognition to the group’s story and framed their actions within broader questions of conscience, democracy, and civic courage. Through her writing, lectures, and educational efforts, Scholl became an important figure in postwar Germany’s reckoning with its past, emphasizing the enduring importance of individual resistance to injustice.