Reichkristallnacht

Question 1

When was Reichkristallnacht?

Answer 1

9th-10th November 1938
(November Pogrom, Kristallnacht, Night of Broken Glass)

Question 2

what was Reichkristallnacht?

Answer 2

• SS smashed Jewish homes, shops, windows, jews beaten up for no reason, knocked about
• Working towards the Fuhrer in an attempt to impress Hitler
• As it was never officially reported, many chose to blame the Stromtroopers and not Hitler, so support for Hitler continued and his popularity was not diminished

Question 3

Who was behind Kristallnacht?

Answer 3

• Ebert Goering
• Hitler had given him orders to “sort things out”, Goebells was the chief instigator as he gave Nazi officials instructions to organise violence and vandalism but to make it appear that it was not organised by the Nazis
  -Orchestrated by Nazi leadership and the majority of those involved in violence were SA and SS men who had been instructed not to wear uniform

Question 4

What was the excuse used to justify the violence?

Answer 4

• Ernst von Rath’s Murder on Nov 9th
• von Rath = a minor nazi who was killed by Herschel Grynszpan - a young polish jew angry at nazi treatment of his family
• it was also the 15th anniversary of the Munich Putsch (9th nov 1938) - Goebells

Question 5

What was the result of the violence?

Answer 5

• 91 Jews killed, 1000s injured
• a looting of cash, silver, jewellery & other assets
• Damage of businesses and houses amounted to millions of marks
• over 1000 synagogues destroyed
• about 20,000 Jews sent to concentration camps

Question 6

What instructions were given to police and firefighters?

Answer 6

• Orders from the SS directed the police not to intervene + they were ordered to place 20,000/30,000 jews in ‘preventative’ detention
• Fire brigades watched and did nothing as synagogues burned to the ground, their only concern was containing fire to the synangogues

Question 7

How did the German public react?

Answer 7

• was not received with universal approval in Germany
• Some citizens did join in the violence
• others were horrified by the destruction
• Hitler was not blamed for it: Nazis come away generally unscathed in terms of blame
• in Nuremberg for example, many supported it with little to no sympathy

Question 8

What was the Decree for the Restoration of the Street?

Answer 8

• In relation to Jewish Business premises meant that the Jews had to pick up the costs of repairs
• The Jewish community was made to make a 1 billion Reichsmark contribution in compensation for the disruption to the economy