All the Frequent Troubles of Our Days Summary

In the frequent troubles of our days, there were those who lifted their heads high against dictatorship, risking everything for freedom.

1. A Love Story Seeds Resistance

Mildred and Arvid Harnack's union was more than a marriage; it set the foundation for their shared commitment to fighting oppression.

Mildred Fish, a dedicated American academic teaching at Wisconsin University, crossed paths with Arvid Harnack, a German scholar from a prestigious family, under serendipitous circumstances. Their mutual intellectual curiosity and their passion for societal change brought them together. Mildred’s lessons on humanitarian literature intrigued Arvid, leading to discussions about inequality and workers' rights.

After they married, the couple moved to Berlin, where the stark economic disparity and suffering in Germany inspired them further. Arvid's involvement with ARPLAN connected him with progressive ideas focusing on economic reform, while Mildred complemented his mission with her teaching and research. They firmly believed in the importance of understanding both the plight of the working class and the potential solutions lying in alternative economic systems.

Their collaboration, rooted in mutual belief and affection, foreshadowed their role in a wider resistance movement. From debating literature to navigating danger-filled streets with secret leaflets, their shared values transformed their domestic life into a resistance battlefront.

Examples

• Mildred’s teaching of American literature often connected societal struggles in fictional stories to real-life German challenges.
• Arvid’s periodic work trips to Moscow exposed him to strategies that would later influence their resistance efforts.
• Their first encounters with Berlin’s poverty inspired their lifelong mission against injustice.

2. Optimism Meets Darkness

The Weimar Republic era held promise with its progressive freedoms, but German society’s fragility became its undoing.

When Mildred and Arvid first experienced life in Berlin, the rights afforded by the Weimar Constitution, such as women's suffrage and freedom from censorship, inspired hope. The city’s vibrant artistic and intellectual culture demonstrated the positive impacts of these freedoms, fostering an environment rich in innovation.

However, economic inequalities and the public’s disenchantment with democracy became the cracks through which extremist ideologies infiltrated. The rise of the Nazi Party revealed how fear and despair could make empty promises like "Work, Freedom, Bread" resonate with the masses. Although dismissed by many as extremists, the Nazis capitalized on the public’s desperation, swiftly turning democratic Germany into a dictatorship.

Amid the collapse of democratic hope, individuals like the Harnacks refused to retreat. Instead, they observed, questioned, and resolved to challenge the new regime.

Examples

• The Harnacks noticed Nazi slogans plastered across Berlin, reflecting the population’s increasing resonance with authoritarian promises.
• Mildred’s lectures critiqued fascist policies, leading to her dismissal in 1932 for public anti-Nazi sentiments.
• Many dismissed Hitler’s ascension as a temporary imbalance, underestimating the true threat he posed.

3. Fire and Fascism

The Reichstag fire marked the beginning of a new world order in Germany as the Nazis enforced tyranny under the guise of law.

In February 1933, the Reichstag, Germany’s parliament building, burned to the ground. Whether set intentionally or not, the Nazis used this crisis to their advantage. They enacted the “Law to Remove the Distress of People and Reich,” which granted sweeping powers and effectively nullified the democratic Weimar Constitution.

What followed was a wave of institutionalized repression. Joseph Goebbels's propaganda machine spread misogynistic ideas, blaming societal instability on modern freedoms for women. The Gestapo began targeting dissenters, from political opponents to anyone suspected of anti-Nazi sentiment. Under such conditions, civil liberties became obsolete.

The Harnacks were horrified. They recognized these events as the beginning of systematic fascism, and it marked the point where their resolve to resist solidified into action.

Examples

• More rights, including for women, were stripped, as Nazis redirected blame toward marginalized groups.
• Nazi-operated camps for “protective custody,” like Dachau, foreshadowed larger-scale horrors.
• Joseph Goebbels’s speeches targeted women’s workplace roles, accusing gender equality of destabilizing the nation.

4. Sparking a Secret Resistance

From humble beginnings in English classes, Mildred Harnack formed a discreet network united by a common goal: defying the Nazi state.

After leaving the University of Berlin, Mildred began working at the BAG adult school, a hub for working-class Germans disillusioned by Nazi policies. Here, she mingled with those who questioned the state’s legitimacy and turned her extracurricular English club into an informal resistance meeting space.

The club transitioned into a group called "the Circle," where members began spreading anti-Nazi ideas. They risked their safety to produce underground literature, distributing leaflets urging resistance and exposing government lies.

Though small in scope at first, their movement gradually grew, demonstrating everyday acts of defiance in a climate of fear.

Examples

• Mildred’s English lessons often shifted into discussions about resisting state-imposed ideologies.
• The Circle placed hidden flyers in factories, conveying anti-Nazi sentiment to industrial workers.
• Secret meetings moved from Mildred’s home to less risky locations as suspicions arose.

5. Living with Fear

Resistance required not only moral fortitude but also continuous deception. The Harnacks learned survival through silence and calculated moves.

The Harnacks lived under constant surveillance. Their home was bugged, their neighbors were informants, and Gestapo threats loomed. To maintain their resistance work, they became adept at hiding their true allegiances. Arvid joined the Nazi Party to maintain access to important information, while Mildred tested potential allies by feigning loyalty to Hitler before discerning their real feelings.

This duality wore heavy on their mental health. When Mildred returned to the US to visit briefly, her fear of being followed persisted, casting a shadow even in her own homeland.

Despite pervasive paranoia, the Harnacks’ commitment to undermining the Nazi regime held strong.

Examples

• Arvid joined social clubs for high-ranking Nazis to glean useful intelligence.
• Mildred once praised Hitler’s policies in front of a stranger, gauging their reaction to recruit them into resistance efforts.
• Gestapo raids on homes in their area heightened the couple’s anxiety about discovery.

6. Warnings Ignored

While the Harnacks risked everything to warn others, their urgent messages remained unheard.

The Harnacks shared vital information about Hitler’s military plans, giving intelligence to Moscow about impending attacks. Unfortunately, Stalin ignored numerous warnings, mistakenly trusting Hitler due to their nonaggression pact. Compounding this failure, Stalin’s own Great Purge had eliminated experienced Soviet intelligence officers, weakening Moscow’s ability to interpret resistance messages.

Meanwhile, poor decisions at the Soviet Center made the Berlin resistance vulnerable. One critical mistake involved transmitting the names and addresses of key resistance members via insecure communication channels, ultimately leading to their exposure.

The Harnacks’ efforts, though heroic, struggled against forces either unwilling or unprepared to act.

Examples

• Soviet dismissals of warnings about Germany’s invasion of Russia allowed plans to proceed unchallenged.
• Transmission errors revealed the identities of leaders linking the Circle to outside resistance.
• Arvid worked closely with other groups, such as Tat Kreis, whose shared distress messages suffered similar ignorance.

7. Capture and Betrayal

Despite their careful planning, the Harnacks could not avoid the watchful Gestapo indefinitely.

In July 1942, Nazi code-breakers deciphered resistance messages sent to and from Moscow. This revelation led directly to the arrests of 76 suspected resistance members, including Mildred and Arvid. Their painstaking plans to escape Germany collapsed when the Gestapo stormed the house they were hiding in.

Once detained, the resistance faced coercion and torture. Some members, like Libertas Schulze-Boysen, revealed critical details, weakening their entire network.

Nonetheless, even in prison, Mildred refused to betray those she had recruited or implicate others.

Examples

• Capture in Lithuania cut short the pair’s journey to safety in Sweden.
• The Gestapo’s brutal methods exploited Libertas Schulze-Boysen’s privileged background, leading to widespread arrests.
• Mildred stayed resolute, refusing to give names, despite physical and psychological intimidation.

8. The Final Trial

The Gestapo’s crackdown culminated in unfair trials and executions for most involved in the resistance.

Mildred and Arvid Harnack were among those sent to trial, accused of crimes against the state. Hitler insisted on his personal authority over sentencing, overruling initial decisions that might have spared some lives.

Arvid was hanged in 1942, and though Mildred’s original sentence was six months imprisonment, Hitler demanded her retrial. Although she maintained her innocence, Mildred was eventually sentenced to beheading.

Her final days were spent with books and poetry—activities she loved most—solidifying her legacy as someone who embodied quiet defiance.

Examples

• Arvid wrote one final love letter to Mildred before his death.
• Hitler’s personal preference dictated execution methods for resistance members.
• Mildred held Goethe’s words close in her cell, finding solace in literature as her end approached.

9. Remembering the Resistance

After the war, survivors carried the stories of those like the Harnacks, ensuring their sacrifices would never be forgotten.

Mildred’s final resting words to her cellmate ensured her husband’s last letter endured, while Arvid’s mother received their story years later. Though the Berlin resistance was never as organized or supported as Allied efforts, its members demonstrated the bravery needed to fight tyranny at its source.

These acts, seemingly small against the monumental forces of WWII, revealed the immense courage behind challenging oppression, and the sacrifice of people like Mildred Harnack remains an indispensable part of history.

Examples

• Gertrud Klapputh safeguarded Arvid’s heartfelt letter, presenting it to his family post-war.
• Mildred and Arvid’s story emerged against the backdrop of survivors returning to ruined Berlin.
• Their actions have since inspired ongoing discussions about moral courage during authoritarian rule.

Takeaways

1. Be vigilant against propaganda by questioning the narratives spread by those in positions of power.
2. Remember that resistance can start with small, intentional acts; often, the first step is sharing knowledge.
3. Honor those who came before by documenting their courage in the face of oppression and ensuring their stories endure.