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Opposing Hitler
Adam von Trott zu Solz, 1909–1944
‘To Strive and Not to Yield’

Kenneth A. E. Sears
Kenneth A. E. Sears is a retired Education Officer. He read Modern History, followed by post-graduate studies in Government, at Lincoln College, Oxford and is also a member of Mansfield College. His schoolboy diary records the events of 20 July 1944 and the subsequent weeks as the news was received. His interests include Parliamentary procedure, psephology, classical music, poetry and art. He leads an annual pilgrimage to Ypres in Flanders and also visits Waterloo, the Somme and Agincourt.

“It is a remarkable book, which grips the attention like a novel but which, in truth, chronicles the real-life exploits of a man of huge courage, great nobility of spirit and a passionate desire to rid his beloved country of the scourge of Nazism. Much of the story is told via the medium of Adam’s own words, either in letters he wrote or relayed by his family and friends. The inclusion of this material gives the book an immediacy and a poignancy that a mere retelling of the facts could not convey.” From the Foreword by Diana Walford, Principal of Mansfield College

“Von Trott and his colleagues wanted to show that Hitler’s Germany was not the only one: that there was another Germany that rejected the barbaric savagery of the Nazis to which too many Germans had closed their eyes, and that remained true to the fundamental values of human dignity, justice, responsibility and self respect. They also wanted to show that denizens of that other Germany were prepared, if necessary, to die for their beliefs. They should not be judged by a utilitarian calculus. They did what they did … because, like Martin Luther, they could do no other. That is why their memory speaks to us through the fog of the most terrible war, and the most evil regime, in human history.” From the Foreword by David Marquand, Former Principal of Mansfield College

“As a school boy, Sears entered into his diary the attempted assassination of Adolph Hitler in July 1944. Retired now from a career in history and government at Oxford University, he offers a biography of one of the leaders of the plot, and of the resistance to Hitler generally within Germany. Among the stages of Trott’s life are university life in Munich and Göttingen, Rhodes scholar, the Far East, the plea for recognition, fanning the flames of resistance, the year 1944, the day itself, the aftermath, and the military situation.” Reference & Research Book News

This book examines the role of one of the most charismatic leaders of the opposition to the Nazis within Germany. Adam von Trott zu Solz was a boy when Germany was defeated militarily in 1918 and in his youth witnessed its economic collapse. He was studying at Oxford University when Hitler came to power in 1933 and was convinced that opposition to the Nazis must come from within Germany and not outside it.
… Hitler enjoyed enormous support as the economy improved and, after 1939, as the German armies ravaged at will through Western Europe. Yet von Trott, by now a senior official in the Foreign Office, travelled frequently to Sweden, Switzerland and Turkey to talk with British and American contacts, pleading unsuccessfully for recognition of the resisters. In July 1944 he was one of the leaders of the group which attempted to assassinate Hitler. Refusing all offers to smuggle him out of Germany – ‘I shall take the blame for everything’ – he was executed on 26 August, aged only 35. Based on extensive research and talks with some of those who knew him, this book details the life of a man of brilliant intellect who refused to compromise his conscience and sacrificed himself in a noble cause.

Preface and Acknowledgements Foreword by Diana Walford, Principal of Mansfield College Foreword by David Marquand, Former Principal of Mansfield College List of Illustrations 1 Early Years 2 University Life – Munich and Göttingen 3 Mansfield College 4 University Life – Göttingen and Berlin 5 Rhodes Scholar 6 The Years 1933–1936 7 The Far East 8 Return to Germany and to Resistance 9 The 3rd of September 1939 10 The Plea for Recognition 11 The Kreisau Circle 12 Fanning the Flames of Resistance 13 The Year 1944 14 Final Preparations 15 The 20th of July 1944 16 Aftermath 17 The Allied Reaction 18 The Military Situation 19 Epilogue Short Biographies Notes Bibliography Index

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