How and Why Did the Status and Position of Jews In Germany Worsen In the Years 1933-1939?

Hitler wanted to change all of that. The Nazi party had already tried to take over Germany in the early twenties, but after that was a failure they instead tried to get voted into power. In 1933 he succeeded.

The Nazis, especially Hitler, believed that there was one master race - the Aryans - who were superior to all others. The Nazis wished to eradicate all other people and give the Aryans supreme rule. This was why the Nazis hated the Jews and, eventually, tried to kill them all off. As soon as they came into power, the Nazis started to propagate, spiteful and untrue rumours about the Jews, such as that they would benefit off other's misfortunes by making vast profits and that they'd do anything to get money. This was to get the public on their side so that there wouldn't be as much of an outcry when the persecution began.

This 'official' persecution began almost as soon as the Nazis took over. It started with members of the SA standing outside Jewish shops and turning people away from the door. After that, the Nazis started trying to make it harder for the Jews to practise their religion - by banning the 'kosher' meat that Jews eat and highly taxing equipment for their ceremonies. As it got worse towns and villages started putting up signs prohibiting Jews from entering. The aim of this bullying campaign was to alienate and to ostracise the Jews, so as to encourage them to leave Germany. This plan worked - in total, 60,000 Jews emigrated in 1933 and 1934 alone.

However, this wasn't enough for Hitler and the Nazis. There were still millions of Jews living in Germany, and because Hitler believed them to be an inferior race he started to segregate them. As soon as April 1933, a law was passed which forced many universities and high schools to largely reduce their numbers of Jewish students. The Nuremberg laws were passed which said that Jews could become German citizens and thus could not vote. It also forbade a Jew to marry a 'pure' German. Jews also started to be excluded from public places, such as parks, swimming pools and restaurants.

Towards the end of the 1930s, the persecution of the Jews entered its final stage. All Jews were forced to wear special cards identifying themselves, and they were banned from nearly all public places. The SA started to round up Jews, taking them either to the newly built concentration camps or deporting them to Poland. Another law was passed, stating that all Jewish passports were invalid. All of this anti-semantic feeling culminated in a night of extreme violence - Kristallnacht. Nazi stormtroopers all over Germany went around smashing up Jewish shops and burning down their synagogues. The 'final solution' had begun.