Description
Pechel's lectures centered on the philosophical problems of freedom in the face of tryanny, referencing the German resistance movement and his own experience as a member of that resistance. Pechel claimed that there is a moral obligation to fight for freedom, and he believed it was important to share his experiences with non-German audience because many do not know the true value of freedom unless he/she lost it at one point. Until then it is expected, much like the air we breathe and the water that rushes out when a tap is turned, there is no struggle. In his first lecture, he explained the motives and moral obligation to resist the Nazis, and how he came to justify such resistance. In the German resistance against Hitler and National Socialism, Pechel outlined varied forms, from least noticeable (hiding jeopardized persons such as Jews) to the most noticeable (acts of forceful resistance). He added that those who wanted to rise against the government in lawful resistance must have a clear and definitie judgement, be convinced that active work is necessary and be able to judge to which degree resistance is necessary. In his second lecture, "The German Opposition to Hitler," Pechel gave an account of the German resistance and his own role in it as a publisher, including the various parts of Germany from which resistance grew, and how these groups fought separately, but were united in prisons, concentration camps, and on scaffolds. He also gave account of a secret code used to communicate amongst the resistance. Pechel emphasized that resistance grew from all classes and peoples in Germany. In his third lecture, "From Resistance to the Struggle for Freedom of Today," Pechel urged all free peoples to consider it their duty to work together in order to make the whole world safe for freedom. Focusing on the recent resistance in Eastern Europe to Communist rule, he admired the ability of youth raised under communism, like those raised under fascism, to understand and see the importance of resistance, and work toward their own freedom. He urged Western individuals and governments to sympathize with the struggle in Eastern Europe, instead of writing it off as 'reds fighting each other' because those leading the revolts were themselves Communists.
