Kristallnacht Causes Essay Flashcards
Introduction
Kristallnacht, which is also commonly called “The Night of Broken Glass” was a pogrom (an organised attack by a mob) that targeted Jews in Germany, Austria, and part of Czechoslovakia in November of 1938.
Significance
It was significant because it led to the many horrors of the Holocaust and was the turning point which led to the murder of millions of Jews in Europe alongside World War II.
Main causes
Kristallnacht’s main causes were the anger and economical disasters that were the result of the Treaty of Versailles, and the murderous antisemitism that Hitler and the Nazi’s used to gain power.
Assassination at German embassy
7/11/1938 - Herschel Grynzspan, a Polish-German Jew shot Ernst vom Rath at the German Embassy.
Event
Two days later, on the night of November 9, 1938, violent anti-Jewish riots broke out, where protesters burnt down Jewish synagogues, attacked people’s houses, smashed shop windows, and destroyed many religious artifacts. While the attack was supposed to look like an unplanned outburst due to the anger for vom Rath’s shooting, it was actively co-ordinated by leaders of the Nazi party who told members of the Nazi paramilitaries to attack Jewish communities. The police and fire departments were all ordered not to intervene.
End of event
7,000 Jewish businesses were destroyed that night and the rest were ordered to become non-Jewish or be shut down. While the intention of the pogrom was not to murder Jews, approximately 90 Jewish people were killed during the riots. This ultimately led to increased arrests, deportations, and persecution of German Jews, and then the Holocaust which resulted in the deaths of six million Jews.
First cause summary
The first cause of Kristallnacht was the anger the Germans felt after the Treaty of Versailles, and how the Nazi Party was able to utilise it in order to direct the anger towards the Jews
Treaty of Versailles
Due to the millions of casualties (20 million) and large expenses of World War I (£38 billion), the allies decided that Germany should have to pay which caused many Germans to blame the Jews. In 1919, one year after WWI ended, the leaders of the winning countries gathered to discuss the peace settlement called the Treaty of Versailles. The things that Germany had to agree to in the Treaty of Versailles was to pay reparations of £6.6 billion to go towards the cost of the war, to reduce their military down to 100,000 men, to agree to never unite with Austria, to sign a statement saying that only Germany was guilty of starting WWI, and to give up 13.5% of her territory to neighbouring countries. Many Germans felt as if their country had betrayed them, as the government had been telling them that the war was going well for Germany, which directly contributed to the anger and violence towards Jews that eventually led to Kristallnacht.
Strikes in 1923, fear of communism
increased support for right wing & nazi party
Radical political groups using propaganda
ppl eager to get revenge on jews
november 1923
failed coup, raised hitlers profile
jan 30 1933
hitler chancellor of germany, manipulate political system to become dictatorship
August 1934
Hitler proclaims himself the Füher (leader) of Germany, political viewpoints promote antisemitism
Second cause
murderous antisemitism nazis used to gain power, acted upon once gained power
1925
mein kampf (my struggle) published, part autobiographical, part political disquisition
