Part 9/11:
Kristallnacht: The Night of Broken Glass
On November 9, 1938, a strategic increase in anti-Semitic sentiment culminated in Kristallnacht—a state-sanctioned pogrom against Jewish citizens. Spurred by a fabricated justification, the violence that erupted saw thousands of businesses destroyed, synagogues burned, and more than 30,000 Jews sent to concentration camps. This violent eruption not only marked a turning point in Nazi-initiated persecution but also illustrated the alarming willingness with which ordinary Germans participated in the violence, revealing a deeply entrenched anti-Semitic attitude spurred by years of carefully curated propaganda.