In answering that question, we should of course recognise the conspirators\u2019 bravery. Stauffenberg, a man disabled by war wounds (blind in one eye, missing his right hand and two fingers on his left), had the courage to plant two bombs in a briefcase, timed to go off as Hitler addressed\u00a0his entourage in his East Prussian headquarters, the Wolf \u2019s Lair. But Stauffenberg detonated only one bomb and, as he left, the briefcase\u00a0was pushed under a heavy wooden table.<\/p>\n
- Read more | Should we be glad the 1944 July Plot to kill Hitler failed?<\/a><\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>
While others lost their lives, Hitler escaped\u00a0with minor injuries and a ruined pair of\u00a0trousers. Unaware of this failure, Stauffenberg\u00a0flew back to Berlin. On arrival, he and close associates were arrested and put to death. Fellow conspirators were perfunctorily executed; others killed themselves. In the ensuing months, thousands more paid with their lives for any sign of dissent.<\/p>\n
Yet, looking back, questions linger about why those in elite positions were so slow to act. These were people who had previously sworn an oath of obedience, sustained the Nazi regime, and then claimed it was against their honour to oppose Hitler. A few discussed resistance plans in the late 1930s, but fell silent with early military successes. By the time they acted, tens of millions had died in a senseless war of aggression, and the majority of European Jews had been murdered.<\/p>\n
Read more Why we should remember\u2026?<\/a><\/strong><\/h4>\n
- Why we should remember the translation of Anne Frank\u2019s diary<\/a><\/strong><\/li>\n
- Why we should remember Target Zero Day<\/a><\/strong><\/li>\n
- Why we should remember the Amnesty Act of 1872<\/a><\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>
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<\/div><\/div> <\/div> <\/section>Might it be more fitting to remember the tens of thousands incarcerated for political resistance from 1933? Or individuals such as Georg Elser, a humble Swabian cabinet-maker, who in November 1939 planted a bomb in the Munich beer hall where Hitler annually commemorated the 1923 putsch attempt? Or the Munich students Hans and Sophie Scholl, members of the White Rose group executed in 1943 for their courageous attempts to whip up opposition?<\/p>\n
Ultimately, these are false choices. We should remember the July plot not only to pay respects to the courage of those who, belatedly, did stand up against Hitler, but also as a way to consider broader questions about the willingness to resist. About what it takes to have the courage of one\u2019s convictions, to speak truth to power, and to say that this is a path down which no civilised nation\u00a0should go \u2013 before it is too late.<\/p>\n
- Why we should remember Target Zero Day<\/a><\/strong><\/li>\n
- Why we should remember the translation of Anne Frank\u2019s diary<\/a><\/strong><\/li>\n