History - The Holocaust - Kristallnacht

Kristallnacht: "The Spark that ignited the Holocaust"

On 6 November 1938 a young German Jewish student, Hirsch Gynspan, who was studying in Paris, received news that his parents had been beaten up by Hitler's Stormtroopers. He went to the German Embassy and shot a high-ranking official, Ernst von Rath. Three days later von Rath died. This unleashed an attack on Jewish property and people right across Germany.

Over two nights, 9 and 10 November 1938, Jewish synagogues and shops were burned and looted. Altogether, 117 synagogues were destroyed, 7500 shops were looted and 91 Jews were killed. This became known as Kristallnacht, the 'night of the broken glass'.

Kristallnacht Task 

Task 1

  1. Underline, using one colour, all the evidence in this source that Germans were to be protected on the night of Kristallnacht
  2. In a different colour underline all the evidence that Jews were not to receive the same protection as the Germans
  3. What phrases and sentences in the source prove that the leaders of the SS and the police were actively anti-Semitics?
  4. What evidence is there in the source that Heydrich does not regard German Jews as full citizens of Germany?
  5. Which law allowed him to behave like this without fear of punishment?

Task 2

Watch the DVD and make notes on the following:

  • Reasons for "Kristallnacht".
  • Main events, eg how many died, how many synagogues were burnt down.

Home Study

  • Type up your notes from the lesson.
  • Use the sites on MyHighcliffe to add information to your notes.
  • Find an example of one person's experience of Kristallnacht

Source: Message from SS Gruppenfuhrer Reinhard Heydrich to all State Police on 10 November 1938, after the shooting of von Rath.

Following the attempt on the life of the Secretary of the Legation (embassy) von Rath in Paris, demonstrations against the Jews are expected in all parts of the Reich (Germany) in the course of the coming night. The instructions below are to be applied in dealing with these events:

1. Only such measures are to be taken as do not endanger German lives or property (ie synagogues are to be burned down only where is no danger or fire in neighbouring buildings)

2. Places of business and apartments belonging to Jews may be destroyed but not looted. The police are instructed to supervise the observance (obeying) of this order and to arrest looters.

3. In commercial streets particular care is to be taken that non-Jewish businesses are completely protected against damage

4. Foreign citizens - even if they are Jews - are not be molested (attacked).

On the assumption that the guidelines are observed, the demonstrations are not to be prevented by the police.