Dietrich Bonhoeffer

Adolf Hitler in the beginning of his reignpaypervids.comSix years of terror. Bomb after bomb. Due to Adolf Hitler, a dictator of Germany who brainwashed Germans to believe that the Jewish population was weighing down the social classes. This era impacted several families including one family from Berlin, the Bonhoeffer's. Dietrich Bonhoeffer was born on February 4, 1906, he grew up in Poland, which was deeply affected by the war. He was one of the first Germans to fight against Hitler and was a part of the resistance. He founded a secret seminary to train pastors in an illegal anti-Nazi church. He became an important figure during the 1940’s which attributed to his famous, life threatening plan to kill Hitler. He was willing to die in order contribute to save the thousands of Jewish families that were helpless. Dietrich Bonhoeffer, was a Lutheran pastor during World War II, who lived with a purpose to fight with the resistance and he wasn't afraid of failing.

His life purpose, to help the Jewish population, led him to create a plan to inform the Allies about the death camps which eventually saved thousands of lives. As Bonhoeffer grew older he learned leadership by becoming a youth pastor in his local church. This helped him become more welcomed in German communities which helped him to have connections throughout the war. He was able to join a group that actively tried to put an end to Hitler: “As a Lutheran clergyman, he represented a theological tradition steeped in a culture of respect for secular authorities. As a pacifist, he ruled himself out of direct action in political life. And yet he managed to break all these conventions and join a conspiracy to assassinate Adolf Hitler in July 1944”(“Dietrich Bonhoeffer”,  Encyclopedia of the Age of War). He went against the norm of his community by being one of the first Germans to be a part of the resistance. This is different from the average human because he managed to create a plan to kill one of the largest dictators, Hitler: “Bonhoeffer was one of the first German Protestants to see what he considered the demonic implications of Nazism”("Dietrich Bonhoeffer", Encyclopedia of World ). He was able to look past the propaganda throughout the war and view the true pain Hitler gave to families, while several Germans were brainwashed into accepting Hitler's future plans. Many people wouldn’t and didn’t do anything to make a change. But he made the conscious choice to help the helpless. Bonhoeffer was an extraordinary German, unlike many during this time, he was willing to stand up against evil, and help free many Jews that were under persecution.  

"There is meaning in every journey that is unknown to the traveler"- Dietrich Bonhoefferwikipedia.comDietrich wasn't afraid of failing and facing the consequences. Although, he wasn't able to succeed on his ultimate plan to kill Hitler, he still went beyond the scope of the mainstream human by taking part in this risky plan; Operation seven: “Bonhoeffer also became peripherally involved in ‘Operation Seven,’ a plan to get Jews out of Germany by giving them papers as foreign agents. After the Gestapo uncovered the “Operation Seven” funds that had been sent abroad for the emigrants, Bonhoeffer and his brother-in-law Hans von Dohnanyi were arrested in April 1943” (“Dietrich Bonhoeffer”,  United States Holocaust Memorial). This depicts how he wasn't afraid of the authorities who took control and overpowered these devastating times. He was able to fight past everyone who were reluctant to help him achieve his goal, to help free the Jewish population. Even when Bonhoeffer was in prison he didn't just sit around and do nothing, he took action: “He received the famous Letters and Papers from Prison -- Bonhoeffer's writings that were smuggled out of his prison cell in Berlin and mailed to Bethge, who was serving in Italy with the German army. One of the essays in the volume recounts how the papers were transmitted and preserved. An army office corporal, Bethge used his spare hours typing and retyping the manuscripts. When he had a birthday leave to Berlin, he buried the papers in the family garden. Later, when he opened the dispatch that ordered the commanding officer to arrest him” ("Friendship and resistance”). He wasn't afraid of any type of dominance people obtained over him. Many people feared the consequences if they spoke against the society. Dietrich is a deserved hero because he was able to help others even when his anti-Nazi tactics didn't go as planned.

Bonhoeffer with the Black Baptist churchsymposiumethics.orgUltimately, Bonhoeffer was a man of integrity, he lived with a purpose and wasn't afraid of failing. This made him a hero because he was able to excel past the average humans fears and was able to interfere with this prominent problem; The Nazis. Bonhoeffer said that “Future generations require more patience and more honesty” (“Interpreting Bonhoeffer”) for more peace throughout the world today. We need to live without fear in our modern lives and take action when it is needed. Due to his bravery and heroic acts we are able to look back and remember the war, despite this tragic era, people like Bonhoeffer were able to make a lasting impact and lay the groundwork for future generations.

Works Cited Page

"Dietrich Bonhoeffer." Europe Since 1914: Encyclopedia of the Age of War and Reconstruction, edited by John Merriman and Jay Winter, Charles Scribner's Sons, 2007. Biography In Context, https://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/K3447000139/BIC?u=powa9245&sid=BIC&xid=b1a89221. Accessed 9 May 2018.

"Dietrich Bonhoeffer." Encyclopedia of World Biography, Gale, 1998. Biography In Context, https://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/K1631000781/BIC?u=powa9245&sid=BIC&xid=30351b92. Accessed 10 May 2018

"Friendship and resistance: essays on Dietrich Bonhoeffer." Presbyterian Record, Mar. 2000, pp. 45-6. Academic OneFile,