German History/Kristallnacht Background Notes

World War I (1914-1918) Germany Austria/Hungary Ottoman Empire Central Powers Triple Entente VS. Germany Austria/Hungary Ottoman Empire Kingdom of Bulgaria France Russia United Kingdom (U.S.)

Treaty of Versailles (1918 Peace Treaty) Germany had to agree to the following: Claim sole responsibility for WWI Give up land Disarm Military Pay huge sums of money to T.E. (around $328 billion by today’s value)

German Morale Due to a global depression and the effects of the Treaty of Versailles, many German people lived in a collapsed economy with no jobs and little food. Germans felt angry, embarrassed, and desperate.

Rise of Nazi Party (1918-1929) The party offered jobs and economic reform while promising to restore German pride. The richest and most powerful German citizens were inclined to support the Nazi party in order to keep communist political parties from gaining the support of poor, working class Germans. Hitler was the leader of the Nazi party. He was a very charismatic individual and an exceptional speaker.

Important Events 1933 Hitler was “elected” Germany’s leader. 1935 Hitler broke the Treaty of Versailles by reforming the German army, navy, and air force. 1935 Hitler enforces Nuremburg Laws

Lebensraum – Living Space Hitler wanted the Aryan race to be prosperous and powerful. To do so they needed living space. Jews were first asked to leave Germany of their own accord. The Nazi’s even paid to have some German Jews relocated. Many Jews left Germany at this point. From 1938-1940 Hitler annexes Austria and invades Poland, Denmark, Norway, France, Belgium, Luxemburg, and the Netherlands.

Lebensraum Many of the Jews who left Germany relocated in these areas. Now they were an even bigger threat to Hitler’s Lebensraum. Jews were contained in ghettos and later moved to concentrations camps.

The Final Solution The Nazi’s could not get rid of the Jews quickly or efficiently enough. The Final Solution was ordered to systematically exterminate the Jews. Jews were sent to camps, were for the first time in modern history, industrial means were used to kill human beings. The journey through a gas chamber was as systematic and as calculating as a factory. The product: DEATH for 2 out of 3 European Jews

What Was Kristallnacht? Kristellnacht was the name of the first major attack on the Jewish people. “Kristallnacht” means “night of broken glass” and with good reason. The Germans burned Jewish stores, buildings, and synagogues and broke all the windows. They also looted the stores.

-April 28, 1938. -This newspaper article describes a decree passed that stated all Jewish people had to give the German government all their fortunes and property. -April 28, 1938. -This decree was made to encourage the emigration of Jewish people from Germany.

June 23 , 1938. Berlin, Germany. On this night the propaganda minister Paul Joseph Goebbels put a stamp of official approval of the new feeling of anti-Semitism, this caused a massive crowd of 120,000 people to scream out, “Out with Jews- Out with Jews”. This article also describes how recently all Jewish businesses were smeared with red paint so anyone to pass by was aware. He was also stated to have started open campaigns and riots against the Jewish people with his speeches. “If people say, ‘why, the Jews aren’t doing anything,’ I say why they are provoking us with their very presence.”

Ernst Von Rath German Diplomat in Paris Killed by Herschel Grynszpan in retaliation for his parents expulsion to Poland, Kristallnacht – the Night of the Broken Glass – was the Nazi government’s response to the murder.

What Happened During Kristallnacht? On November 9th, 1938, the Germans smashed Jewish store windows, looted Jewish businesses, and burned the synagogues, a Jewish place of worship. The Germans killed 91 Jews and sent over 30,000 to concentration camps. This is known as Kristallnacht.

-November 13, 1938. -This paper describes the punishment given to all Jews when a German diplomat was killed by a Polish-German Jew. That boy’s name was Herschel Grynszpan. -This paper states that the Jews were fined $400,000,000 and all of the shops ruined had to pay for the repairs. -It also lists the decrees issued barring them from working in certain businesses and excluding them from theaters, movie houses, and other public presentations.

Reaction to Kristallnacht President Roosevelt recalled the German Ambassador in protest. He also extended the visas of over 12,000 German Jews visiting in the US Widespread condemnation in the press. Little concrete action with respect to immigration issues.

Directions: Using the earbuds, watch the clip describing the rise of Adolf Hitler and the events of Kristallnacht. The Rise of Adolf Hitler