Kristallnacht: The Holocaust And Its Effects On The Holocaust

Kristallnacht, a wave of violent anti-Jewish pogroms, took place on November 9 and 10, 1938 and is often referred to as the "Night of Broken Glass." Organized by Goebbels and Heydrich, head of the Security Service, the campaign of violence resulted in the destruction of many synagogues and thousands of Jewish businesses. Nazis in Germany torched synagogues, vandalized Jewish homes, schools and businesses, killed close to 100 Jews, and sent more than 30,000 to Nazi concentration camps. Starting on November 9 and continuing into the next day, Nazi mobs vandalized and even burned down hundreds of synagogues throughout Germany and damaged, if not completely destroyed, thousands of Jewish homes, schools, businesses, hospitals and cemeteries. Prior to Kristallnacht, the Nazi policies had been primarily nonviolent. However, after Kristallnacht, conditions for German Jews grew increasingly worse. Kristallnacht marked a turning point toward more violent and repressive treatment of Jews by the Nazis. By the end of 1938, Jews were prohibited from schools and most public places in Germany with conditions continuing

However, it was not until late fall that the pogrom fully took shape. The attack on the Jews was soon followed by measures designed to rob them of their economic status. A meeting was held soon after Kristallnacht where it was discussed of who would be held financially responsible for the devastation. Although it was the Nazis that implemented the violence, it was decided that the German Jews were to be held responsible for all damages. They levied fines, confiscated property, and implemented other restrictions on Jewish freedom. Jews were to be eliminated from all positions in public life, forbidden from riding in the same train cars, prohibited from visiting restaurants, stores, and other recreation locations, and their passports and licenses were