Kristallnacht

The Night of Shimmering Glass Kristallnacht, “Night of Crystal,” was a turning point between Germany and the rest of the world. On November 9th, 1938, an uprising against the Jewish residents of Germany and Austria occurred. This attack against the Jewish was referred to as a pogrom. Kristallnacht was the first marked nationwide action against religion. The Nazi regime and their wish to implement Nuremberg’s laws helped push-start the process of degrading Jews to an inferior level in life by giving reason to start the riot. The accumulation of events and new laws leading to Kristallnacht forced thousands of Jews to be stuck on the border lines of Poland and Germany, thus setting the stage for Germany’s justification for the genocide yet to occur. The aftermath of Kristallnacht changed the lives of Jewish and non-Jewish people. It affected the economy, the power and control of the Nazi’s, and further advanced the start of World War II and the Holocaust. In a few words, historian Max Rein described Kristallnacht best: “Kristallnacht came... and everything was changed.” (1) The usage of the term Kristallnacht – Crystal Night – became popular in 1946. The name of this event was thought to be chosen as a derogatory remark against the Jews. It meant the night of broken glass, almost describing the violence and wave of anti-Jewish mobs as a piece of art: “... it sparkles, glistens, and gleams as if it were a special occasion.” (2) Pehle argues that if the term Kristallnacht was created as an offensive statement, then it reinforced the ruthlessness of the Nazi’s and how they were able to view human suffering so lightly. In his book, Eingriffe, Theodor Adorno addressed the interpretation of Kristallnacht and also connected it to the cruelty of the Nazi’s: “...the notion of Reichkristallnacht conveyed not so much Nazi cynicism, but a critical stance towards Nazi brutality.” (3) In other words, although some historians have argued that the Nuremberg’s Laws and anti-Semitic