Scott Denham
Kristallnacht Information for my lecture at 
Ferrum College on 9 March 1999

 

 

 
One aspect of our discussion was bystanders. The Kristallnacht pogrom of 9 November 1938 serves as a case in which the role of bystanders is easily highlighted. During the Kristallnacht over two hundred synagogues were destroyed by Germans, mainly NS party members, making the anti-semitic policies, attititudes, and laws of the regime violently public.(See map.) No one in the country, nor for that matter in the world, could any be ignorant of the violent anti-semitism of Germany. From this point on, one can argue, bystanders become culpable because the aims and means of the state had become clear and public and explicitly went beyond the legalistic means of harrassment of the Nürnberg Laws.
Not only were synagogues destroyed, dozens of Jews killed, hundreds wounded and thousands carted off to concentration camps, but also Jewish-owned shops, homes, and businesses were vandalized or destroyed. The evidence of the state's policies were present for everyone to see. These photos are representative of what happened in nearly every urban area in Germany (including Austria).

The world also knew of the pogrom right away. Here is the AP story as it was run in a regional Canadian paper. (Source: 11/11/1938 Newspaper-The Holocaust)


Here are some links with more information on the Kristallnacht: Go back