Kristallnacht

Historian Martin Gilbert recounts the night of broken glass or Kristallnacht--November 9, 1938--when, across Germany, Hitler youth, Nazi storm troopers, and German citizens attacked Jewish-owned businesses, homes, and synagogues in a destructive rage. Jews were beaten in the street by thugs, and many were rounded up and sent away. This date is remembered and marked as significant, because there was no longer any question of what was to come, following the years of the rise of Hitler and the Third Reich. It was a matter not of if but of when. In telling his story, Gilbert relies on eyewitness accounts as well as the many press reports, and he describes the response worldwide to the night of terror. Copyright (C) Muze Inc. 2005. For personal use only. All rights reserved.