Christoph Probst

German activist

Written by

The Information Architects of Encyclopaedia Britannica

Last updated

July 20, 2026

Quick Summary

Christoph Probst was a German activist and a founding member of the White Rose, an anti-Nazi group in Munich. Unlike other resistance groups, the White Rose advocated for nonviolent opposition to the Nazi regime. Probst, a medical student, was moved to act after witnessing the murder of Jewish civilians on the Eastern Front.1

He joined with other students, including Hans and Sophie Scholl, to publish leaflets that quoted German literature and Christian teachings, advocating for passive resistance against the Nazi war effort. The group's actions escalated to include anti-Nazi graffiti. Probst, along with Hans and Sophie Scholl, was arrested for distributing leaflets and was subsequently beheaded on February 22, 1943.1

Summary created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.

2 Britannica Sources

Ask Britannica AI about this topic

Britannica doesn't have a full article on this topic, so we've curated a list of our relevant coverage.

White Rose
…investigation uncovered the participation of Christoph Probst, a fellow University of Munich medical student, in the White Rose. The Scholls and Probst were quickly tried, and the three were beheaded on February 22, 1943. In the months that followed, dozens were imprisoned for their (real or imagined) connections to the…
Read More
…investigation uncovered the participation of Christoph Probst, a fellow University of Munich medical student, in the White Rose. The Scholls and Probst were quickly tried, and the three were beheaded on February 22, 1943. In the months that followed, dozens were imprisoned for their (real or imagined) connections to the…
Read More