Kristallnacht (The Night of Broken Glass) (nov 9, 1938 – nov 10, 1938)

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Kristallnacht, or The Night of Broken Glass, was a planned Nazi attack against Jewish communities, marking the turning point in the Nazi persecution of Jews. It was the first large-scale violent attack on Jews under Adolf Hitler and was a key event that led to the Holocaust.

During Kristallnacht, over 7,000 Jewish businesses and hundreds of synagogues were destroyed, vandalized, or burned. Jewish homes, schools, and hospitals were also destroyed. 30,000 Jewish men were arrested and sent to concentration camps, for example, Dachau. Also, hundreds of Jews were beaten and murdered. Its name, The Night of Broken Glass, comes from the shattered glass that was spread across the streets from the broken windows of the destroyed Jewish shops, synagogues, and homes. Kristallnacht occurred due to the assassination of a German diplomat, Ernst vom Rath, executed by a Polish-Jewish teenager, Herschel Grynszpan, as an excuse to start anti-Jewish violence in Germany.

There were many consequences to the night of Kristallnacht. The Nazis blamed the Jews for the damages of the night and fined Jews 1 billion Reichsmarks, which is around 55 to 60 billion U.S. dollars. Jews were also banned from schools, public spaces, and many professions. As mentioned above, this event also triggered the start of the beginning of the Holocaust. After Kristallnacht, many Jews tried to flee Germany, but strict immigration policies in international countries made it hard to immigrate.

This night was internationally recognized, but there was no direct action to respond to the horrid event. Many countries, such as the U.S., Britain, and other nations, accepted some Jewish refugees but did not intervene in the situation militarily. Overall, Kristallnacht was a preview of future events and was a clear example of the actions the Nazis would take to achieve their goal.

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