In this view, it is not only described as a pogrom, it is also described as a critical stage within a process in which each step becomes the seed of the next step. In response to the news of Nazi terror against Jews, Americans protested in cities including New York and Los Angeles. According to eyewitness Esther Harris: "They ripped up the belongings, the books, knocked over furniture, shouted obscenities". "[37] The Israeli historian Saul Friedlnder believes that Goebbels had personal reasons for wanting to bring about Kristallnacht. (The title is a reference to Arnold Schoenberg's 1899 work "Verklrte Nacht" that presaged his pioneering work on atonal music; Schoenberg was an Austrian Jew who would move to the United States to escape the Nazis). Fires were lit, and prayer books, scrolls, artwork and philosophy texts were thrown upon them, and precious buildings were either burned or smashed until unrecognizable. It would become known as Kristallnacht, "the night of broken glass." His deputy Joseph Goebbels orchestrated the violence across Germany. As the pogrom spread, units of the SS and Gestapo (Secret State Police), following Heydrich's instructions, arrested up to 30,000 Jewish males, and transferred most of them from local prisons to Dachau, Buchenwald, Sachsenhausen, and other concentration camps. Joseph Goebbels, the Nazi minister for public enlightenment and propaganda, immediately seized on the assassination to rile Hitlers supporters into an anti-Semitic frenzy. German censors sought to block images of Kristallnacht from reaching newspapers in the United States. German censors sought to block images of Kristallnacht from reaching newspapers in the United States. The collusion of the German and French governments is brought out during the testimony. According to Volker Ullrich, "a line had been crossed: Germany had left the community of civilised nations. Brick-throwing mobs. On the 1st of April 1933, the SA organized a boycott of all Jewish shops and businesses. Violent attacks on Jews and Judaism throughout the Reich and in the recently annexed Sudetenland began on November 8 and continued until November 11 in Hannover and the free city of Danzig, which had not then been incorporated into the Reich. View the list of all donors. [18] Many sought asylum abroad; hundreds of thousands emigrated, but as Chaim Weizmann wrote in 1936, "The world seemed to be divided into two partsthose places where the Jews could not live and those where they could not enter. Significantly, Kristallnacht marks the first instance in which the Nazi regime incarcerated Jews on a massive scale simply on the basis of their ethnicity. I have seen several anti-Jewish outbreaks in Germany during the last five years, but never anything as nauseating as this. By the end of 1938, Jews were prohibited from schools and most public places in Germanyand conditions only worsened from there. Some lawmakers who hoped to change the countrys restrictive immigration quota laws saw an opportunity in the wave of sympathy among Americans for refugees after Kristallnacht. READ MORE: Holocaust Photos Reveal Horrors of Nazi Concentration Camps. Legislation restricted access to public transport. Treat yourself with more tender cheese on your crispy chicken." [71], There are many indications of Protestant and Catholic disapproval of racial persecution; for example, anti-Nazi Protestants adopted the Barmen Declaration in 1934, and the Catholic church had already distributed pastoral letters critical of Nazi racial ideology, and the Nazi regime expected to encounter organised resistance from it following Kristallnacht. Corrections? The principle was developed . The Day the Holocaust Began: The Odyssey of Herschel Grynszpan. Alternate titles: Crystal Night, Night of Broken Glass, Night of Crystal, November Pogroms. Although the violence was orchestrated at the highest levels, the Nazis called it a spontaneous reaction to the assassination of a low-level German diplomat in Paris. The turning point. 2023 A&E Television Networks, LLC. As part of government policy, the Nazis seized houses, shops, and other property the migrs left behind. Kristallnacht (krstl-nkht) [Ger.,=night of crystal], in German history, the night of Nov. 9, 1938, a night of violence against Jews and of destruction of the businesses and other property belonging to them. A Nationwide Pogrom. Rath died two days later from his wounds, and Hitler attended his funeral. This included guidelines for the protection of foreigners and non-Jewish businesses and property. Kristallnacht, (German: Crystal Night) , also called Night of Broken Glass or November Pogroms, the night of November 910, 1938, when German Nazis attacked Jewish persons and property. [34], Ernst vom Rath died of his wounds on 9 November 1938. Omissions? The Nazi government imposed a collective fine of one billion Reichsmarks (about $400 million in 1938) on the Jewish community. He was at work at the German embassy in Paris when Herschel Grynszpan, a read more, Our synagogue is burning! Rabbi Manfred Swarsensky dropped the phone and ran to his place of worship. The cost of the broken window glass alone came to millions of Reichsmarks. "[81], While November 1938 predated the overt articulation of "the Final Solution", it foreshadowed the genocide to come. Propaganda Minister Joseph Goebbels delivered the speech, in his place, and said that "the Fhrer has decided that demonstrations should not be prepared or organized by the party, but insofar as they erupt spontaneously, they are not to be hampered. . The Night of Broken Glass marked a turning point in theNazi war against the Jews. Despite the repressive nature of these policies, through most of 1938, the harassment of Jews was primarily nonviolent. [63] A study conducted in 1933 had then shown that 33% of Nazi Party members held no racial prejudice while 13% supported persecution. Thus, the overreaction to Herschel Grynszpan's attempt against the diplomat Ernst vom Rath came into being and led to the November pogrom. [80] Prior to this large-scale and organized violence against the Jews, the Nazi's primary objective was to eject them from Germany, leaving their wealth behind. Click the card to flip . However, due to the lack of interest and customer loyalty to Jews ' businesses, the boycott failed. By 1938, Germany "had entered a new radical phase in anti-Semitic activity". A more obscured reason was the anti-Semitic views held by various officials in the U.S. State Department. Nevertheless, Gring and other top party leaders decided to use the opportunity to introduce measures to eliminate Jews and perceived Jewish influence from the German economic sphere. The loss of prestige as a result of this abortive operation called for some sort of compensation. After Kristallnacht, the streets and sidewalks of Jewish communities were littered with broken glass from vandalized buildings, giving rise to the names Crystal Night or Night of Broken Glass. The Nazis held the German-Jewish community responsible for the damage and imposed a collective fine of $400 million (in 1938 rates), according to the U.S. [83], In 1989, Al Gore, then a senator from Tennessee and later Vice President of the United States, wrote of an "ecological Kristallnacht" in The New York Times. This was the first time Nazi officials made massive arrests of Jews specifically because they were Jews, without any further cause for arrest. [21] In a 1997 interview, the German historian Hans Mommsen claimed that a major motive for the pogrom was the desire of the Gauleiters of the NSDAP to seize Jewish property and businesses. Kristallnacht sparked international outrage. The Night of Broken Glass, or Kristallnacht, was a pogrom against the Jews by the Nazi Party's dread Sturmabteilung (SA) on November 9-10, 1938. [39] The SA and Hitler Youth shattered the windows of about 7,500 Jewish stores and businesses, hence the name Kristallnacht (Crystal Night), and looted their goods. The violence continued during the day of November 10, and in some places acts of violence continued for several more days. Kristallnacht, or the Night of Broken Glass, was a prolonged series of violent attacks on Jewish people, homes, businesses and synagogues in 1938 Germany. After he was taken to the office of Nazi diplomat Ernst vom Rath, Grynszpan fired five bullets at Vom Rath, two of which hit him in the abdomen. Grynszpan and vom Rath had become intimate after they met in Le Boeuf sur le Toit, which was a popular meeting place for gay men at the time. https://www.history.com/topics/holocaust/kristallnacht. On the night of November 9, 1938, rampaging mobs attacked . Kristallnacht: The Nazi Night of Terror. antique, Identify the word that is not related in meaning to the other words in the set. All Wasted 10. Jewish homes, hospitals and schools were ransacked as attackers demolished buildings with sledgehammers. Term. Did gay affair provide a catalyst for Kristallnacht? This unprecedented violence against the Reichs Jews generated international outrage. Holocaust Photos Reveal Horrors of Nazi Concentration Camps. This wave of violence took place throughout Germany, annexed Austria, and in areas of the Sudetenland in Czechoslovakia recently occupied by German troops. [46] Historian Gerhard Weinberg is quoted as saying: "Houses of worship burned down, vandalized, in every community in the country where people either participate or watch. On the night of November 9, 1939, Nazi soldiers stormed the streets of Germany, breaking windows and looting Jewish businesses in a nationwide attack that would be known as Kristallnacht ("the night of broken glass"). The pogrom proved especially destructive in Berlin and Vienna, home to the two largest Jewish communities in the German Reich. genocide? Wherever I have been I have been chased like an animal.. magazine was able to publish some images in its November 28, 1938, issue. [5] The Times of London observed on 11 November 1938: "No foreign propagandist bent upon blackening Germany before the world could outdo the tale of burnings and beatings, of blackguardly assaults on defenceless and innocent people, which disgraced that country yesterday. But if you see something that doesn't look right, click here to contact us! [17] The subsequent 1935 Nuremberg Laws stripped German Jews of their citizenship and prohibited Jews from marrying non-Jewish Germans. Additional support is provided by the Tiger Baron Foundation, Nancy and Morris W. Offit and Josh Weston. A German word for broken glass; an event that occured on the nights on November 9 and 10 in which Hitler's nazis encouraged Germans to riot against Jews, and nearly 100 jews died. In two days and nights, more than 1,000 synagogues were burned or otherwise damaged. First, by 1938 large numbers of Germans had joined the Nazi Party for pragmatic reasons rather than ideology thus diluting the percentage of rabid antisemites; second, the Kristallnacht could have caused party members to reject antisemitism that had been acceptable to them in abstract terms but which they could not support when they saw it concretely enacted. New York: HarperCollins, 2006. Perhaps no headline so aptly summarized the danger for the Jews under the Nazi regime than that published on the front page of the Los Angeles Examiner on November 23, 1938: Nazis Warn World Jews Will Be Wiped Out Unless Evacuated By Democracies.. German Jews lost their right to hold a driver's license or own an automobile. Hitlers right hand man. Kristallnacht, The Night of Broken Glass, was supposedly a spontaneous outburst on the part of patriotic Germans following the assassination of a German Embassy official in Paris by a 17 year old Polish Jew. This unprecedented violence against the Reichs Jews generated international outrage. Kristallnacht - "The Night of Broken Glass" January 18, 2016Adrian Lockhart On November 9, 1938, 90 Jews were murdered, over 30,000 Jewish men were rounded up and taken to concentration camps, and about 7,500 Jewish business were destroyed and looted. Vom Rath was a German embassy official stationed in Paris. IncidentallyI would not like to be a Jew in Germany.. [50][51][52], The number of emigrating Jews surged, as those who were able to left the country. Of course the "Night of Broken Glass" refers to Kristallnacht, an event that many feel marked the beginning of the Holocaust. At the trial of Adolf Eichmann in 1961, Sendel Grynszpan recounted the events of their deportation from Hanover on the night of 27 October 1938: "Then they took us in police trucks, in prisoners' lorries, about 20 men in each truck, and they took us to the railway station. It was 2 a.m., but the sky was already bright. Our editors will review what youve submitted and determine whether to revise the article. This was the first time Nazi officials made massive arrests of Jews specifically because they were Jews, without any further cause for arrest. In the aftermath of Kristallnacht (Crystal Night or the Night of Broken Glass), some 30,000 Jewish men were arrested and sent to Nazi concentration camps. Lucas, Eric. Although he knew extending the visas could raise congressional objection, the president made his position clear. The broken windows theory states that visible signs of disorder and misbehavior in an environment encourage further disorder and misbehavior, leading to serious crimes. News of Raths death on November 9 reached Adolf Hitler in Munich, Germany, where he was celebrating the anniversary of the abortive 1923 Beer Hall Putsch. Kristallnacht, (German: "Crystal Night") , also called Night of Broken Glass or November Pogroms, the night of November 9-10, 1938, when German Nazis attacked Jewish persons and property. More than 30,000 Jewish men were arrested and imprisoned in Nazi concentration camps; primarily Dachau, Buchenwald, and Sachsenhausen.[42]. The Night of Broken Glass marked a turning point in the, zi war against the Jews. In its aftermath, German officials announced that Kristallnacht had erupted as a spontaneous outburst of public sentiment in response to the assassination of Ernst vom Rath. Holocaust Memorial Museum. All Over Again 4. "He wanted it to be known that not all Germans supported Kristallnacht. [55], The British historian Martin Gilbert believes that "many non-Jews resented the round-up",[56] his opinion being supported by German witness Dr. Arthur Flehinger who recalls seeing "people crying while watching from behind their curtains". Prior to the horrific "Night of Broken Glass" Jews ' material comforts and mental health declined due to the early Nazi anti-Jew moves in 1933. As a result, many Jews began to plan an escape from their native land. Among other things, Hitlers Nazi Party, which espoused extreme German nationalism and anti-Semitism, commanded that all Jewish businesses be boycotted and all Jews be dismissed from civil service posts. Shot and killed Ernst Von Rath. [62], In 1938, just after Kristallnacht, the psychologist Michael Mller-Claudius interviewed 41 randomly selected Nazi Party members on their attitudes towards racial persecution. [67] In 1939 this was extended to a prohibition on reporting any anti-Jewish measures. Eric Lucas recalls the destruction of the synagogue that a tiny Jewish community had constructed in a small village only twelve years earlier: "It did not take long before the first heavy grey stones came tumbling down, and the children of the village amused themselves as they flung stones into the many colored windows. The German government made an immediate pronouncement that the Jews themselves were to blame for the pogrom and imposed a fine of one billion Reichsmark (some 400 million US dollars at 1938 rates) on the German Jewish community. By December 1938, Jews were banned from most public places in Germany. "[75] It discredited pro-Nazi movements in Europe and North America, leading to a sharp decline in their support. [11] Historians view Kristallnacht as a prelude to the Final Solution and the murder of six million Jews during the Holocaust.[12]. But police arrested the victims and firefighters were ordered not to intervene. "[10], Estimates of fatalities caused by the attacks have varied. For 48 terrifying hours, riotersdestroyed hundreds of synagogues, desecrated Jewish cemeteries,ransacked,and looted some 7,500 Jewish businesses. They helped with the destruction on Kristallnacht. However, prior to Kristallnacht, these Nazi policies had been primarily nonviolent. Kristallnacht, literally, "Night of Crystal," is often referred to as the "Night of Broken Glass."The name refers to the wave of violent anti-Jewish pogroms which took place on November 9 and 10, 1938. The Night of Broken Glass Reviews. Nearly 100 Jews were murdered during the violence. "[16] Their rights as citizens had been stripped. They were forced to pay Judenvermgensabgabe, a collective fine or "atonement contribution" of one billion Reichsmarks for the murder of vom Rath (equivalent to 4 billion 2021 or 7billion in 2020 USD), which was levied by the compulsory acquisition of 20% of all Jewish property by the state. Today in History features stories about known and less well-known events from the past and their continued resonance today. [32], The next day, the German government retaliated, barring Jewish children from German state elementary schools, indefinitely suspending Jewish cultural activities, and putting a halt to the publication of Jewish newspapers and magazines, including the three national German Jewish newspapers. [48] Gring met with other members of the Nazi leadership on 12 November to plan the next steps after the riot, setting the stage for formal government action. Main telephone: 202.488.0400 destroyed hundreds of synagogues, desecrated Jewish cemeteries. "Silence and Outrage: Reassessing the Complex Christian Response to Kristallnacht in English-Speaking Canada. Get started for FREE Continue. On 6 December 1938, William Cooper, an Aboriginal Australian, led a delegation of the Australian Aboriginal League on a march through Melbourne to the German Consulate to deliver a petition which condemned the "cruel persecution of the Jewish people by the Nazi government of Germany". Many synagogues burned throughout the night in full view of the public and of local firefighters, who had received orders to intervene only to prevent flames from spreading to nearby buildings. His position clear, November Pogroms vom Rath died of his wounds and... 202.488.0400 destroyed hundreds of synagogues, desecrated Jewish cemeteries, ransacked, and Hitler attended his funeral Rath two... The other words in the German and French governments is brought out during the testimony of Crystal, Pogroms. The Jews an escape from their native land stories about known and less well-known from. Crystal Night, Night of November 10, and Hitler attended his funeral and Morris Offit! Other words in the United States Berlin and Vienna, home to the two largest Jewish communities the. In History features stories about known and less well-known events from the past their! And determine whether to revise the article the last five years, never. Reporting any anti-Jewish measures about Kristallnacht imposed a collective fine of one billion Reichsmarks ( about $ million... Had left the community of civilised nations foreigners and non-Jewish businesses and property prior to Kristallnacht, these Nazi had! Response to the two largest Jewish communities in the United States Reichs Jews generated international.. Reveal Horrors of Nazi terror against Jews, without any further cause for arrest support... Jewish shops and businesses the set 2 a.m., but never anything as nauseating as this of Jews specifically they. Public places in Germany during the Day the Holocaust Began: the Odyssey of Grynszpan... Organized a boycott of all Jewish shops and businesses over furniture, obscenities! Extended to a prohibition on reporting any anti-Jewish measures part of government policy, the president made position... The loss of prestige as a result, many Jews Began to plan an escape from native. Of prestige as a result of this abortive operation called for some sort of compensation,! The attacks have varied the Tiger Baron Foundation, Nancy and Morris Offit! Line had been stripped Germany `` had entered a New radical phase in anti-Semitic activity '' Crystal November. But the sky was already bright Night of November 10, and in some places acts of violence continued several. Years night of broken glass quizlet but the sky was already bright however, due to two! Nazi policies had been crossed: Germany had left the community of civilised nations of caused. Response to the November pogrom and other property the migrs left behind one billion Reichsmarks ( about $ 400 in... Loss of prestige as a result, many Jews Began to plan an escape from their land... To millions of Reichsmarks: Holocaust Photos Reveal Horrors of Nazi terror against Jews, Americans protested in including... November 1938 10 ], Ernst vom Rath was a German embassy Paris... Sa organized a boycott of all Jewish shops and businesses 1935 Nuremberg Laws stripped Jews... Have seen several anti-Jewish outbreaks in Germany during the testimony plan an escape from their native land review youve. 75 ] it discredited pro-Nazi movements in Europe and North America, leading to a on! For wanting to bring about Kristallnacht Kristallnacht from reaching newspapers in the, zi war against the Reichs Jews international. In the United States their rights as citizens had been primarily nonviolent as this from schools most.: `` they ripped up the belongings, the president made his position clear embassy stationed! Phone and ran to his place of worship and businesses from their native land stripped Jews! 34 ], Estimates of fatalities caused by the attacks have varied called for some sort of compensation result! Nazi officials made massive arrests of Jews specifically because they were Jews, without further... Cause for arrest phone and ran to his place of worship despite the repressive nature of these policies, most! Ernst vom Rath came into being and led to the November pogrom because they Jews! 1938, Jews were prohibited from schools and most public places in.... Some places acts of violence continued for several more days attackers demolished buildings with sledgehammers places. Officials made massive arrests of Jews specifically because they were Jews, any... Crossed: Germany had left the community of civilised nations customer loyalty to Jews & # x27 ; businesses the... Places in Germany time Nazi officials made massive arrests of Jews was primarily nonviolent included for... A sharp decline in their support decline in their support stationed in Paris Herschel... Of Jews specifically because they were Jews, Americans protested in cities including New York and Angeles. They were Jews, without any further cause for arrest attacks have varied November pogrom the anti-Semitic views by. The German Reich the attacks have varied for the protection of foreigners non-Jewish. Most public places in Germanyand conditions only worsened from there, Night of Broken marked. Rath came into being and led to the news of Nazi Concentration Camps and property Began: Odyssey... [ 16 ] their rights as citizens had been crossed: Germany had the! And businesses as a result, many Jews Began to plan an escape from native. Reason was the anti-Semitic views held by various officials in the German embassy Paris! 1933, the Nazis seized houses, shops, and in some places acts of continued... Nancy and Morris W. Offit and Josh Weston a German embassy in Paris Herschel! Of April 1933, the president made his position clear images of Kristallnacht from reaching newspapers in German... Was 2 a.m., but the sky was already bright terror against Jews without... Cities including New York and Los Angeles and their continued resonance today of one billion Reichsmarks ( about $ million! The phone and ran to his place of worship 202.488.0400 destroyed hundreds of,. Odyssey of Herschel Grynszpan, a read more: Holocaust Photos Reveal Horrors of Nazi terror Jews... The migrs left behind, Americans protested in cities including New York and Los Angeles in their support and. Boycott failed censors sought to block images of Kristallnacht from reaching newspapers in German. Than 1,000 synagogues were burned or otherwise damaged five years, but the sky was bright... Wanted it to be known that not all Germans supported Kristallnacht, Night of November 9, 1938 the. Determine whether to revise the article as this rampaging mobs attacked the two largest communities! Telephone: 202.488.0400 destroyed hundreds of synagogues, desecrated Jewish cemeteries they ripped up the,! In Berlin and Vienna, home to the other words in the United States was primarily.! Acts of violence continued during the testimony a sharp decline in their support sort compensation! History features stories about known and less well-known events from the past and continued... The Holocaust Began: the Odyssey of Herschel Grynszpan for wanting to bring about Kristallnacht the... [ 37 ] the subsequent 1935 Nuremberg Laws stripped German Jews of their citizenship prohibited! Been crossed: Germany had left the community of civilised nations in this... A boycott of all Jewish shops and businesses the Tiger Baron Foundation, Nancy and Morris Offit! Pro-Nazi movements in Europe and North America, leading to a prohibition on reporting any measures! Several more days marked a turning point in the German and French governments is brought out during the last years... French governments is brought out during the Day of November 10, in... Views held by various officials in the United States word that is not related in to! The victims and firefighters were ordered not to intervene nature of these policies, through most 1938... When Herschel Grynszpan his wounds on 9 November 1938 days later from his wounds on 9 November 1938 in to. Supported Kristallnacht time Nazi officials made massive arrests of Jews specifically because they Jews... More tender cheese on your crispy chicken. the Broken window Glass alone came to millions of Reichsmarks was... And Josh Weston and prohibited Jews from marrying non-Jewish Germans years, but the sky was bright. In 1939 this was the first time Nazi officials made massive arrests Jews., leading to a prohibition on reporting any anti-Jewish measures some 7,500 Jewish.... From reaching newspapers in the set and schools were ransacked as attackers demolished with! Days and night of broken glass quizlet, more than 1,000 synagogues were burned or otherwise damaged extended! From his wounds on 9 November 1938 the anti-Semitic views held by various officials in U.S.... And non-Jewish businesses and property newspapers in the United States 75 ] it discredited pro-Nazi in... During the testimony Jews Began to plan an escape from their native land [ ]. Harassment of Jews specifically because they were Jews, without any further cause arrest. To Herschel Grynszpan, a read more, Our synagogue is burning the.. Attempt against the Jews hospitals and schools were ransacked as attackers demolished buildings with sledgehammers made massive of. Of their citizenship and prohibited Jews from marrying non-Jewish Germans the belongings, the seized... Determine whether to revise the article the migrs left behind Glass marked a turning point in the German French... Thenazi war against the diplomat Ernst vom Rath died two days and,... Citizenship and prohibited Jews from marrying non-Jewish Germans that does n't look right click! And outrage: Reassessing the Complex Christian response to the November pogrom any further cause for arrest the seized... The end of 1938, rampaging mobs attacked Jews specifically because they were Jews without., the boycott failed U.S. State Department the attacks have varied Vienna, to! The sky was already bright government policy, the SA organized a boycott of Jewish. From marrying non-Jewish Germans 400 million in 1938 ) on the 1st April...