History Coursework: Kristallnacht

3.           Source D is contradictory to source C. It states that the German people did not want the Jews in their town’s, and that in the countryside they were attacking the Jews and forcing them to leave the area. Source E, however, does give a very similar account to source C. It tells us that most German people had nothing to do with the events of Kristallnacht, and that it was carried out by SA men with axes and housebreaking tools. Although source D does say that the German public were getting violent with the Jew’s it does not give clear evidence that they joined in the events of Kristallnacht. I believe that they would not have thought it correct to burn down the houses and send the Jew’s to concentration camps. I believe they wanted less drastic action. So I believe that sources D and E provide make it more likely that the account by David Buffman is accurate. However sources C and E were written by two members of the allied forces (a Briton and an American, this could mean that the accounts were biased.

4.            Both sources suggest that the German public didn’t agree with Kristallnacht, this is shown by the appearance of Tsar Nicholas II telling the Nazi that attacking the Jew’s didn’t do him any good. Meaning that the public revolted against him when he attacked them. The disapproval of the German people is clearer in source G. The woman representing the German people has been tied up, indicating that the Nazi’s we’re suppressing the people by force. Both cartoons are telling us that the Nazi’s are not acting as the general public wants, which could mean disaster. Source F is more of a warning to the Nazis, where as source G seems to express popular belief of that day, that the Nazis were ruling Germany by force. Also both cartoons show the Nazi with a club in his hand, standing over the ruins of Kristallnacht. This implies that Kristallnacht was carried out by the Nazi’s not the public as they said it was. The club, especially the one in source F, strikes me as being quite a barbaric weapon. This could be trying to say that the attack on the Jews was barbaric. A bloody dagger is also shown; the fact that it is bloody shows that people (Jews) have been killed. Also, the dagger is often connected with the idea of murder, so the cartoon could also be saying that this attack was murderous.

5.           Source H suggests that it was the Nazi party who organised the attack on the Jews, however that it was Goebbels who was responsible not Hitler. Source I does illustrate that Hitler was not behind the attack, and that he did not agree with it. However Frau Troost, the husband of one of Hitler’s architects, could have made a mistake, as this conversation was recalled in 1971. Also, it is unlikely that Hitler would have expressed his true feelings to an architect, so that it did not leak out. However it strikes me that Hitler would not have wanted to destroy the buildings for economic reasons, so the account could be correct. He would have most likely been annoyed with Goebbels, which is shown in source I. Hitler just be saying that the job was not well done and should have been less obvious, as it ruined his opportunity to come to an “understanding” with France.

6.           In general the sources do not support the claim that Kristallnacht was a spontaneous event by the German people. They appear to suggest that it was organised by the Nazis. I believe that the most reliable sources are primary sources and those not written by the Nazis themselves. These include source A, C, E and H. All These four sources were written by foreigners or after the time of the Nazis, so they could not be influenced, by their propaganda / screening of information. Sources C and E say that the Nazi SS carried out the attack and that the general German public was suppressed by the Nazis. While sources A and H add that it was Goebbels who organised the attack.  I believe that (as stated in source A) Hitler was in favour “ Hitler squealed with delight” I think that the event was more of a riot, than the carefully planned controlled attack that Hitler wanted: “The violence was carried out by SS men and Stormtroopers not in uniform. They had been provided with hammers, axes and fire bombs.” This statement suggests that it was, in fact, a very barbaric attack. I think that after the Kristallnacht Hitler thought that the event had been a disaster. This is because all the Jewish buildings had been destroyed, and that no sense of order was displayed to the public.  

I do believe that many German people did not want the Jews in their towns                            and cities. This could have been due to Nazi propaganda, or due to jealousy. Many people were jealous of the Jews, because they tended to own all the money. They were the solicitors, the jewellers, the doctors, the teachers etc. So many thought that if they were got rid of then, the German public would generally be much better off.  This is shown in source D; an account by a German Jew that describes the acts of terror on the Jews.  However sources C, E and G suggest that the public were opposed to the concept of violent behaviour towards the Jews. Source C states that “all the local crowds were obviously horrified by the Nazis’ acts.” So in my opinion all the sources available to me suggest that Kristallnacht was organised by the Nazis and was opposed by general public who seem to have been stifled by force.