"Against Hitler: German Resistance to National Socialism, 1933-1945," an exhibition in the Madison Building, is on view through Sept. 2.
This exhibition, produced under the auspices of the German government, is supplemented with materials from the collections of the Library of Congress and the National Archives. Following its display at LC, it will travel to Columbia University.
The exhibition, prepared by Peter Steinbach, professor of history at the University of Berlin, chronicles the fall of the Weimar Republic and the rise of Hitler and the Nazi regime.
Once in power, the Nazis arrested, tortured, imprisoned and frequently executed their opponents. Dr. Steinbach notes that Nazi control of the judicial system led to judges and prosecutors determining sentences before trials.
These ruthless tactics made mass resistance difficult, and resistance activities were usually confined to small groups and individuals.
"German Resistance to National Socialism" features more than 40 panels with photos and text and explores resistance efforts among religious groups, military officers, diplomats, Jews, communists and socialists.
Materials provided by the National Archives include documents of German army officers' concerns about Schutz Staffel, the military arm of the National Socialist Party; executions of Soviet prisoners of war; the translation of an interrogation of a guard on duty outside of Hitler's bunker the day of an attempt on Hitler's life by Col. Claus von Stauffenberg; and a video of the conspirators' trial.
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