Anti-Semetism in Action 1933-39

  • Hitler appointed German Chancellor

  • Reichstag Fire

    Burning of a parliament building led to the Reichstag Fire Decree that abolished a number of constitutional protections and paved the way for Nazi dictatorship.
  • Nazis and Nationalist won a majority in the Reichstag

  • Revolution from Below

    • Riots against Jews
    • Nazi government tried to down play the incidents, "popular anger"
    • in reality: initiated at local level by rank-and-file Nazi activists. -Hitler asked to stop the violence in fear of polarising his alliance with the conservative elite
  • Enabling law passed

    The Act allowed Hitler to enact new laws without interference from the president or the Reichstag (German parliament) for a period of four years.
  • The Jewish Boycott

    • Anti-jewish violence caused amerians to boycott of german merchandise
    • Proved ineffective: what defines a Jewish firm?
    • International protests
    • last only 1 day
  • The Law of the Restoration of the Professional Civil Service

    "Aryanism" as a prerequisite for holding civil positions. Excluded Jews
  • Jewish Doctors

    • Hitler specifically excluded doctors from the aryan clause
    • nazi local authorities ignored him and proceeded to ban jewish doctors on their own initiative
  • The Law for the Protection of German Blood and German Honour

    • Prohibited marriage and sexual relations betwen jews and non-jewish members
    • forbade Jews to display the national flag
    • prohibited Jews from employing German females under the age of 45 as domestic servants
  • The Reich Citizenship Law

    • Distinguished between citizens and subjects
    • Jews were now officially second-class
  • Olympics on Germany

    • moderate anti-semetism
  • The Conservative Purge

    • Hitler dismissed Schancht from Minister of Economics
    • First victim of a major purge of conservative in the nazi state
    • ended the delicate balance between the Nazis and the traditional elites, conservative had been a major barrier to radical semitism
  • Hitler formally declared that he favoured encouraing emigration 'by every possible means'

  • The Anshcluss

    • Forced union of Germany and Austra in 1938
    • Hardening of Semitic activity was accelerated by this
  • Kristallnacht

    • Orchestrated by party activists
    • some nazi memebrs acted alone, elsewhere ordinary germans joing it
    • 8000 jewish businesses were destroyed, 200 synagogues burned, 90 jews dead
  • Aftermath of Kristallnacht

    • Jews were blamed, had to pay for compensation (1000 million marks) for the murder of Rath
    • no german were persecuted