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Amidst the omnipresence of violence during World War II, nonviolent protest is often overlooked or unheard of.  However, there were several resistance campaigns that took place in Germany, led by its own citizens.  One such campaign in the period of 1942-1943 was the resistance initiated by the White Rose society.  Although they were ultimately unsuccessful, the members of the White Rose became an influential example of student resistance against repressive regimes.

“The pulling down of the Berlin Wall began in Sopron,” stated Lothar de Maiziere, East Germany’s last prime minister. 

On the outskirts of Sopron, a small town on the border between Communist Hungary and democratic Austria, they had a picnic – a most unusual picnic.  The organizers wanted to “act out the future in the present.”