History and Present - Resistance as Duty"? What the Hitler-Attempt teaches
It is 12.35 p.m., when Officer Claus Schenk Graf von Stauffenberg places a bomb under a conference table in the "Führerhauptquartier" in East Prussia. Adolf Hitler is in close proximity. Stauffenberg leaves under a pretext. The bomb explodes at 12.42 p.m. Stauffenberg initiates the coup to overthrow the National Socialists. However, Hitler survives. A few hours later, on the evening of July 20, 1944, everything comes to an end. Stauffenberg is executed, and approximately 200 of his accomplices are killed or driven to suicide.
The story of the failed Hitler Attempt has been retold for 80 years. The Nazis denounced the participants as "greedy officers." Even after the fall of the so-called Third Reich, many still considered them traitors. But then they became heroes. "The shame that Hitler forced upon us Germans was wiped away from the soiled German name by their blood," said the then Federal President Theodor Heuss in 1954. And today? "Duty to resist," is once again a topic, under completely different political circumstances. The 20th of July - an order?
For Federal Defense Minister Boris Pistorius, the matter is clear. "The resistance fighters of the 20th of July are a role model for all," says the SPD politician to the German Press Agency. "Whenever our fundamental values of coexistence are in danger, it is our duty to stand up and speak out against injustice. Whenever our democracy is suffering, it takes courage not to look away." The military should be, in particular because of the 20th of July 1944, committed to "conscience-guided obedience." This memory keeps the Bundeswehr alive, also with public oaths, says Pistorius.
A "desperately small minority"
For the political scientist Johannes Tuchel, the 20th of July is more than just an action by some military personnel. Among the 200 to 300 initiated, at least half were civilians, says the head of the German Resistance Memorial Center. Their common goal was, in his words, a civilian government and the return to the rule of law. "One should not reduce it to the military aspect, then one does an injustice to the participants," says Tuchel.
The commemoration date of July 20th stands symbolically for other oppositional figures in the Nazi state, such as Georg Elser, the Scholl siblings, and the Red Chapel. They were more people than was long recognized - and in comparison to the many millions of Germans, very few. "Resistance against the National Socialism does not make one feel good about oneself," says Tuchel. "It was a very, very small minority, a desperately small minority, that made it happen."
So explains the expert, why the participants in the post-war years received more scorn than recognition. "Resistance was indeed a challenge for most Germans. It showed: Even against the dictatorship, action was possible. But only a few used these spaces."
"Defy the pressure of the masses"
A consequence is Article 20 in the Basic Law, which reminds all German citizens: "Everyone has the right to resist anyone who attempts to abolish this constitutional order, if no other remedy is available." The then Chancellor Angela Merkel said five years ago on the 20th of July: "There are moments when disobedience can be a duty – moments when one only maintains decency and humanity by resisting a command, defying the pressure from superiors or even the pressure of the masses and holding out. There are moments when the individual has the moral duty to speak out and resist."
The "Never Again" sentiment runs deep in Germany - at the beginning of the year, hundreds of thousands of people peacefully took to the streets. For Defense Minister Pistorius, these demonstrations against right-wing extremism were an encouraging sign: "Our Democracy is strong and resilient," the Minister says. But it will also be subjected to stronger attacks, from autocratic and totalitarian forces, from disinformation, from the disruption of social cohesion. "Therefore, we must be aware every day: Freedom is not self-evident. It must be defended."
The Difference between a Rule of Law State and a Dictatorship
On the other hand, there is also an "inflation of resistance." "When injustice becomes justice, then resistance becomes a duty," argued activists from the Climate Group Last Generation during their street blockades and paint attacks. On the other hand, right-wing radicals and Querdenker use "resistance" against the state and politicians as a battle cry.
Tuchel considers this absurd. "There is a big difference between opposition in a Rule of Law State and resistance against a dictatorship," says the political scientist. "When the two are mixed, it should be viewed with great concern." The 20th of July is also an occasion to fundamentally discuss this. "We should reflect: What was resistance really and what do you mean by it today? Let us clarify that."
"No Flawless Heroes"
In a manifesto for the 80th anniversary of the Hitler Attempt, the former Federal Presidents Joachim Gauck, Christian Wulff, and Horst Köhler, and hundreds of other personalities participated. Opposition against an elected government and against majority decisions should not be confused with resistance against a totalitarian dictatorship, according to the paper of the 20. July Foundation.
"Therefore, we reject the attempt of right-wing, left-wing, and also religiously motivated populists and extremists to instrumentalize the concept of resistance against our liberal democracy." The resisters against the Nazi state were not flawless heroes, but they had "courage to change" and came together. Today, the retreat in anger and indignation is weakening democracy. Instead, responsibility for state and society is required, the manifesto states.
- Boris Pistorius, the SPD politician, highlighted the 20th of July as a crucial event, stating that the resistance fighters are a role model for standing up against injustice and defending democracy.
- The 20th of July is not just an action by military personnel, according to political scientist Johannes Tuchel; it was also a movement of civilians seeking a civilian government and the rule of law.
- In the post-war years, the participants in the 20th of July resistance received more scorn than recognition, as resistance against the National Socialism was a challenge for most Germans.
- The failed Hitler Attempt of 1944, led by Count Claus Schenk of Stauffenberg, has been retold for 80 years, with the story being a topic of discussion today due to the deteriorating political circumstances.
- Federal Defense Minister Boris Pistorius believes that the memory of the 20th of July should keep the Bundeswehr alive, serving as a reminder of the importance of conscience-guided obedience.
- Theo Heuss, the former Federal President, considered the participants in the 20th of July resistance as heroes who helped wash away the shame forced upon the German people by Adolf Hitler.
- The commemoration of the 20th of July stands symbolically for other oppositional figures in the Nazi state, including Georg Elser, the Scholl siblings, and the Red Chapel.
- The then-Chancellor Angela Merkel stated five years ago that there are moments when disobedience can be a duty, citing the 20th of July as an example of resisting unjust commands.
- In Germany, the "Never Again" sentiment runs deep, with hundreds of thousands of people peacefully taking to the streets against right-wing extremism, emphasizing the importance of defending democracy every day.
