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The Holocaust: from persecution to Kristallnacht

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The Holocaust was the murder of around six million Jewish men, women and children by Nazi Germany and its collaborators. To understand it, we start with who was lost and how persecution began.

Jewish life before the war

Jewish communities had lived in Europe for centuries. In 1933 more than nine million Jews lived in Europe. They were doctors, farmers, shopkeepers, teachers, artists, children and grandparents, with many ways of life.
In Germany there were about 500,000 Jews, less than 1% of the population. Many had fought for Germany in the First World War.
Antisemitism means hostility to, or prejudice against, Jews. It had a long history in Europe, but the Nazis made it the policy of a government.

Step-by-step persecution, 1933 to 1935

In April 1933 the Nazis organised a boycott of Jewish shops and businesses, and soon removed Jews from government jobs.
The Nuremberg Laws of 1935 took away Jews' German citizenship and banned marriages between Jews and non-Jews.
Step by step, Jewish people were pushed out of schools, jobs and public life.

Kristallnacht, November 1938

On 9 to 10 November 1938 Nazis attacked Jewish communities across Germany and Austria. Hundreds of synagogues were burned and thousands of Jewish shops and homes were wrecked. At least 91 Jews were killed, and about 30,000 Jewish men were sent to concentration camps.
It was called Kristallnacht ('Night of Broken Glass').
Afterwards, many Jews tried to leave, but most countries let in only a limited number of refugees. Through the Kindertransport Britain took in about 10,000 mainly Jewish children from 1938 to 1939. Most never saw their parents again.
Worked example

How did Nazi persecution of Jews in Germany change between 1933 and 1938?

  1. In 1933 it began with a boycott of Jewish businesses and removing Jews from government jobs.
  2. In 1935 the Nuremberg Laws took away citizenship, making Jews outsiders in law.
  3. In 1938 Kristallnacht brought organised violence, destruction and mass arrests.

Answer: It grew step by step: from economic attacks, to legal exclusion, to open violence.

Key idea

Before the war, more than nine million Jews lived in Europe; about 500,000 in Germany (under 1%). Persecution grew step by step: boycott (1933), Nuremberg Laws (1935), Kristallnacht (9 to 10 November 1938). The Kindertransport brought about 10,000 children to Britain.

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