- German:
- âCrystal Nightâ
- Also called:
- Night of Broken Glass or November Pogroms
- Date:
- November 9, 1938 - November 10, 1938
- Location:
- Germany
- Context:
- antisemitism
- Holocaust
- Nazism
- Third Reich
Kristallnacht
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What was Kristallnacht?
Kristallnacht, or the "Night of Broken Glass," occurred on November 9â10, 1938, and was a turning point for Jews in Germany. Orchestrated by the Nazi party, the SS, and Gestapo, the event saw the destruction of synagogues and Jewish businesses, as well as the murder of at least 91 Jews.
Following the event, the Nazi regime confiscated Jewish property, barred Jews from schools, and imposed curfews, making Jewish survival in Germany impossible. The name Kristallnacht refers to the broken glass that littered the streets after the pogroms and symbolized the shattering of Jewish existence in Germany.
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When and where did Kristallnacht happen?
Kristallnacht, also known as the "Night of Broken Glass," occurred on November 9â10, 1938, when Nazis in Germany and Austria attacked Jewish people and property. The name Kristallnacht refers to the broken glass left in the streets after the pogroms. Triggered by the death of German diplomat Ernst vom Rath, the violence included the burning of over 1,000 synagogues and the vandalism of Jewish businesses, homes, and schools. Approximately 30,000 Jewish males were arrested, and at least 91 Jews were killed. After Kristallnacht, the Nazi regime made Jewish survival in Germany impossible.
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Why did Kristallnacht take place?
Kristallnacht, the "Night of Broken Glass," occurred on November 9â10, 1938, when Nazis in Germany attacked Jewish people and property. The pretext was the shooting of German diplomat Ernst vom Rath in Paris by a Polish-Jewish student.
Upon hearing of Rath's death, Adolf Hitler incited violent reprisals, which Minister of Propaganda Joseph Goebbels staged as spontaneous demonstrations. Nazi officials ordered police not to interfere with attacks on Jewish people and synagogues but to arrest the victims. Nazis and their supporters burned synagogues, vandalized Jewish businesses, homes, and schools, and killed at least 91 Jews. The regime then confiscated Jewish people's property and barred them from public life.
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What happened during Kristallnacht?
Kristallnacht, or the "Night of Broken Glass," occurred on November 9â10, 1938, when Nazis in Germany attacked Jewish people and property. The name refers to the broken glass left in the streets after the pogroms.
The pretext for the violence was the shooting of German diplomat Ernst vom Rath by a Polish-Jewish student. News of vom Rathâs death reached Adolf Hitler, who was in Munich. Minister of Propaganda Joseph Goebbels urged violent reprisals. Telephone orders triggered pogroms throughout Germany and Austria.
In two days, more than 1,000 synagogues were burned or damaged. Rioters looted about 7,500 Jewish businesses, killed at least 91 Jews, and vandalized Jewish hospitals, homes, schools, and cemeteries. Some 30,000 Jewish males were arrested. After Kristallnacht, the Nazi regime made Jewish survival in Germany impossible.
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Who was most affected by Kristallnacht?
During Kristallnacht, also known as the "Night of Broken Glass" on November 9â10, 1938, German Nazis targeted Jewish people and their property. The violence included burning or damaging over 1,000 synagogues and ransacking approximately 7,500 Jewish businesses.
The Jewish community was most affected by Kristallnacht. At least 91 Jews were killed, and rioters vandalized Jewish hospitals, homes, schools, and cemeteries. The attackers were often neighbors. Around 30,000 Jewish men, aged 16 to 60, were arrested and sent to concentration camps. Jewish people were banned from schools and most public places. The Nazi regime confiscated Jewish property and imposed a collective fine of one billion Reichsmarks on the Jewish community. After Kristallnacht, Jewish people lost any sense of a future in Germany.
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How did Kristallnacht change life for Jewish people in Germany?
Kristallnacht, occurring on November 9â10, 1938, marked a turning point for Jewish people in Germany. During this event, Nazis attacked Jewish people and property, shattering the illusion of Jewish safety in Germany.
After Kristallnacht, the Nazi regime confiscated Jewish property and barred Jews from schools and most public places. Jewish people were effectively erased from public life. The events of Kristallnacht symbolized the destruction of Jewish existence in Germany, making Jewish survival in Germany impossible.
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Kristallnacht, the night of November 9â10, 1938, when German Nazis attacked Jewish persons and property. The name Kristallnacht refers ironically to the litter of broken glass left in the streets after these pogroms. The violence continued during the day of November 10, and in some places acts of violence continued for several more days.
The pretext for the pogroms was the shooting in Paris on November 7 of the German diplomat Ernst vom Rath by a Polish-Jewish student, Herschel Grynszpan. News of Rathâs death on November 9 reached Adolf Hitler in Munich, Germany, where he was celebrating the anniversary of the abortive 1923 Beer Hall Putsch. There, Minister of Propaganda Joseph Goebbels, after conferring with Hitler, harangued a gathering of old storm troopers, urging violent reprisals staged to appear as âspontaneous demonstrations.â Telephone orders from Munich triggered pogroms throughout Germany, which then included Austria.
Just before midnight on November 9, Gestapo chief Heinrich MĂŒller sent a telegram to all police units informing them that âin shortest order, actions against Jews and especially their synagogues will take place in all of Germany. These are not to be interfered with.â Rather, the police were to arrest the victims. Fire companies stood by synagogues in flames with explicit instructions to let the buildings burn. They were to intervene only if a fire threatened adjacent âAryanâ properties.
In two days and nights, more than 1,000 synagogues were burned or otherwise damaged. Rioters ransacked and looted about 7,500 Jewish businesses, killed at least 91 Jews, and vandalized Jewish hospitals, homes, schools, and cemeteries. The attackers were often neighbours. Some 30,000 Jewish males aged 16 to 60 were arrested. To accommodate so many new prisoners, the concentration camps at Dachau, Buchenwald, and Sachsenhausen were expanded.
After the pogrom ended, it was given an oddly poetic name: Kristallnachtâmeaning âcrystal nightâ or ânight of broken glass.â This name symbolized the final shattering of Jewish existence in Germany. After Kristallnacht, the Nazi regime made Jewish survival in Germany impossible.
The cost of the broken window glass alone came to millions of Reichsmarks. The Reich confiscated any compensation claims that insurance companies paid to Jews. The rubble of ruined synagogues had to be cleared by the Jewish community. The Nazi government imposed a collective fine of one billion Reichsmarks (about $400 million in 1938) on the Jewish community. After assessing the fine, Hermann Göring remarked: âThe swine wonât commit another murder. IncidentallyâŠI would not like to be a Jew in Germany.â
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The Nazi government barred Jews from schools on November 15 and authorized local authorities to impose curfews in late November. By December 1938, Jews were banned from most public places in Germany.