1

Suh, Sargent
1. Introduction
November 9th, 1938 at first was a generally peaceful day, just as any other morning could
have been (Gompertz, I Remember Kristallnacht). It was not just any other day, as it would
seem. This date is significant in the history of WW2, or more specifically the holocaust, as the
Night of Broken Glass also known as Kristallnacht (Kristallnacht: A Nationwide Pogrom).
In the time span of a day there were 267 destroyed synagogues and 7,500 Jewish owned
commercial establishments looted and torn down (Kristallnacht: A Nationwide Pogrom). There
was also a very high number of rapes and suicides, lives of at least 91 Jews taken, and up to
30,000 males arrested and most likely sent to labor or concentration camps (Kristallnacht: A
Nationwide Pogrom). Kristallnacht, known as Crystal Night or Night of the Broken Glass
was a cruel and inhumane pogrom that occurred after the opportunity had arisen, and it is known
to many as a beginning to the long and painful suffering of the Jews.
2. Background
The Holocaust was not just a sudden uprising against the Jews; there were a multitude of
occurrences that led up to the pogrom known as Kristallnacht. At the time Europe had a very
high standing in the world and from many with irrational pride for their country were infected
with the desire to control the weaker countries (Mara 9). Around this time World War 1, also
known as the Great War, began (Mara 11). Expenses of the war were incredibly large and by the
end of the Great War Europes status had severely diminished (Mara 12). Formal peace
agreements were made with Germany receiving the worst of them, the Treaty of Versailles,
causing Germany to reduce its armed forces, publically accept complete responsibility for the
entire war as well as giving them other agreement terms causing Germans suffering for years to
come (Mara 12-13).
This great suffering gave one man, known to many as Adolf Hitler, a huge opportunity

2
(Mara 13). Hitler was not always involved in politics; only after he failed his entrance exams to
the prestigious Academy of Fine Arts in 1907 and 1908 that his interest in politics had sprouted
(Mara 13-14). He began to achieve the same irrational pride of those in Germany, though
originally born in Austria, and at the same time was being introduced to anti-Semitic ideas and
absorbed them, which concluded in his full hatred for Jewish people (Mara 14). In 1919 he
finally began working for the Nazis as a spokesman (Mara 17). He quickly gained permanence
and attempted the Beer Hall Putsch, which ended in Hitler being sent to jail, and within that
time he wrote his book Mein Kampf (Mara 18). Hitler was later released and as he was an
amazing politician he was able to achieve the status of chancellor, and after Hindenburgs death
he received complete control over the country (Mara 19-20).
Almost immediately after gaining power he began excluding Jews from society
with boycotts and other things as well as forbidding Jews from being in governments or basically
from any jobs that he could have excluded them from (Mara 20-23). Though resistance was a
very bad idea there were still quite a few Jewish and non-Jewish assisting and helping with the
resistance (Mara 25-27). Much of the resistance had to do with leaving Germany and many other
countries had accepted Jews but at a limit. Those who were unable to leave were stuck (Mara
28). There were a good number of helpers but still many of them turned away as well as other
countries that were helping (Mara 28-29). Both people as well as countries continuously ignored
the actions of Hitler and due to that he became bolder with every passing day (Mara 29). With
the weaker countries around him unable to help and with the passiveness of others he was finally
ready to complete his plan, a total and final purification of Germany (Mara 29-30).
3. Significant People
When it comes to the event of Kristallnacht, there is one man who plays a significant role

3
Suh, Sargent
and he goes by the name of Herschel Gryszpan (Grynszpan).

4. Significant Events

5. Significant Artifacts
Kristallnacht was a very sudden occurrence so there arent many artifacts, but there are
still quite a few. One of the artifacts found was a bunch of pages of Hebrew prayer books that
were damaged during the pogrom (Pages of Hebrew Prayer Books). These were one of the
many things that were destroyed, these pages in particular, were burned along with the
synagogues by the Nazis during Kristallnacht (Pages of Hebrew Prayer Books). There is a
photo of a synagogue that was burning down that was taken by Georg Schmidt (Isenburg, Fire
Destroyed the Synagogues). Later that day, German police came and confiscated the film and
stored it in the city hall in which they were later discovered by a German policeman working for
the postwar U.S. occupation and took them (Isenburg, Fire Destroyed the Synagogues). Years
later the negatives were found in a toolbox by the soldiers son-in-law and donated them to the
city (Isenburg, Fire Destroyed the Synagogues). Many items were taken or destroyed during
Kristallnacht.

6. Impact on the Holocaust

7. Current Relevance
The memories of the Holocaust, more specifically Kristallnacht, are very painful and
deeply scarring to many such as Ralph Neuhaus (Goodman, Time Too Painful to Remember).

4
8. Interesting Facts
From the time of Kristallnacht to now it has been 73 years, 6 months, and 7 days. Even
after 73 years the event of the Holocaust is still as impacting and significant as it was back
during the time of World War 2. As many would know Kristallnacht, there are many alternative
names for the Pogrom of November 9th (Mara 37). The most common name, which is
Kristallnacht, translated into English as crystal night, is named reference to the thousands of
windows that were smashed that night (Mara 37). Another name for the pogrom is
Reichkristallnacht, using the prefix Reich-, as well as Pogromnacht meaning night of havoc and
destruction. (Mara 37) The alternate name Novemberpogrome translated as November night
of havoc and destruction expresses the month that it occurred in (Mara 37).

9. Conclusion
Overall, Kristallnacht is a very intense and fragile topic. Many people were harmed in the
event of Kristallnacht and was very widespread throughout the country, first beginning in the
provinces of Hesse and Magdeburg-Anhalt and then, by media, spreading it to the entire country
(Mara 35). It was extremely brutal and very scary to people as many were being attacked, hurt,
raped, and beaten by crowds of seemingly hundreds (Cavendish 94). Many shops, as well as
peoples belongings were demolished (Lisciotto, Night of Crystal).

10. Reflection

5
Suh, Sargent
Works Cited
Cavendish, Marshall. History of World War II: Origins and Outbreaks.
Tarrytown, New York: Marshall Cavendish Corporation, 2005. Print.
Gompertz, Rolf. I Remember Kristallnacht - 70 Years Later. Jewish Journal.
Tribe Media Corp, 6 Nov. 2008. Web. 9 May 2012.
Isenburg, Trudy. Fire Destroys the Synagogue in the Village of Ober-Ramstadt During
Kristallnacht. United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. USHMM. Web. 8 May 2012.
Kristallnacht: A Nationwide Pogrom, November 9-10, 1938. United States Holocaust
Memorial Museum. United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, Washington, DC, 6 Jan.
2011. Web. 6 May 2012.
Mara, Wil. Perspectives on Kristallnacht Nazi Persecution of the Jews in Europe. New York,
NY: Marshall Cavendish Benchmark, 2010. Print
Pages of Hebrew Prayer Books Damaged During Kristallnacht. United States Holocaust
Memorial Museum. United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, Washington, DC, n.d.
Web. 8 May 2012.
Goldman, Ari. L. Time Too Painful to Remember. The New York Times. The New York Times
Company, 10 Nov. 1988. Web. 9 May 2012