HIST2134The Third Reich through Documents, 1933-1945

Lecture 5:

Anti-Semitic policies of the Third Reich, 1933-38

26 February 2013

Religious Anti-Judaism

Based on deeply rooted ideological, cultural, psychological prejudices in Europe:

• Christian ideas of Jewish guilt for Jesus’ death

• Christian defamation of Jewish religious texts & practices

• But: Jews had chance to become Christians

Economic Anti-Judaism

Based on religious Anti-Semitism since Medieval:

• Jews allegedly using dirty tricks & attempting to enrich themselves on Christians’ costs

→ Jews seen as economic parasites

Increased with modern capitalism of 19th c.:

→ Jews allegedly profited strongly from rapid changes of European economies

• But: Jews had chance to assimilate to Christian societies

German Jews, 1871-1933• 1871: Equal citizens: no official Anti- Semitism but

common prejudices

• WW I: 10,000 Jewish men in army

• 1933: Mostly fully assimilated: business, academia, cultures, media

= Ca. 550,000: only 1% of German population

Anti-Semitism in 1920s

• Based on anti-Semitic works of late 19th c.

• Common pattern to comprehend Germany’s national, social, economic situation after 1918

• Reflected in Hitler’s obsessions in Mein Kampf & speeches: Jews seen as alien elements, parasites, bacillus, enemies

Racial Anti-Semitism• Based on religious & economic Anti-Semitism:

• Social-Darwinist ideas + ‘scientific’ race theories • Jews seen as having specific “Jewish” features:

Characters, attitudes, habits

→ Biologically-defined ‘Jewish race’

• And: Jews not permitted to change or adapt but only to leave society

NS Anti-Semitism• Based on racial Anti-Semitism:

• Jews to be removed from Germany• Other ‘sub-humans’: ‘gypsies’, ‘idiots’, homosexuals

to be persecuted

→ To “clean nation from parasites”

→ To achieve NS peoples’ community & ‘living space’

NS Anti-Semitic Politics (1)• No master plan but mainly improvised measures

• Hitler’s role disputed among historians:

• Intentionalist school: Hitler’s program & ideology prevalent

• Structuralist school: Economic goals, bureaucratic rivalries without Hitler’s direct influence: ‘No Führerbefehl’

• Integrated school: Both elements mattered !

NS Anti-Semitic Politics (2)Improvised step-by-step process:

• Conducted by polycratic power system → Hitler, SS, police, bureaucracy

• Executed in usual two-folded way: ↑ Propaganda + terror by regional-local NS ↓ Legal sanctioning by NS government

NS Anti-Semitic Politics (3)‘Legally’ conducted & generally accepted:

• 1933: “Racial laws” to exclude Jews from various professions & offices

• 1935: ‘Nuremberg Laws’ to create second-class citizens

• 1938: Anti-Jewish legislation to discriminate & withdraw elementary rights

‘Racial laws’ (1)• Who is a Jew?

1) A Jew with at least 3 full-Jewish grandparents2) A half-breed (Mischling) with 2 full-Jewish

grandparents who has either or all …a. Jewish religionb. Jewish spousec. A parent as 1)

► A ‘Full Jew’ (Volljude) ☻= German national of ‘lower status’ (since 1935)

‘Racial laws’ (2) ► Jewish half-breed (Mischling)

a. Of 1st grade (2 Jewish grandparents) → ☺ ☻b. Of 2nd grade (1 Jewish grandparent) ☺

► Jews with military honours →☺ ☻

→ ☺ ☻Since 1935: Step-by-step exclusion + isolation

(e.g. education, military)Since 1943: Forced labour service

Pogrom of 9 Nov 1938 (1)

‘Night of the Broken Glass’ (Reichskristallnacht): Only large-scale Anti-Jewish action in Germany 1933-9

• Assassination: German diplomat by young Jew in Paris

• Up-heated propaganda: Goebbels

• Putting-on-fire of synagogues/shops: ‘Broken crystal glass’

• SA maltreatment of Jews

= Organized destruction, plunder, extortion, denunciation

Pogrom of 9 Nov 1938 (2) • Arrest of 30.000 Jewish men in concentration camps

(Buchenwald, Sachsenhausen, Dachau)

• Capital levy of 20 %: payable in four instalments, resulted in 1,2 Billion RM extra government revenue

• Strong pressure on Jews to emigrate (USA, UK, Palestine, Argentina, South Africa, China)

• ‘Aryanization’ (Arisierung) of Jewish property

• ‘Elimination’ (Entfernung) of Jews from public life

… and other Germans ?• Mainly silent, indifferent, intimidated but often tacitly

critically about “senseless destruction”

• Some actively participated in destruction & profited from “Aryanization”

= Anti-Semitic propaganda generally not effective= Clear distinction between popular anti-Jewish

sentiments + radical NS Anti-Semitism

“► But people knew what was going on …”

Conclusion• 1933-9: To force Jews to emigrate: Hitler & polycracy

care about public mood

= Life strongly worsened for Jews in Germany

• 1940-5: To mass murder Jews: Hitler & polycracy act in war + outside Germany

= Life unbearable & highly dangerous for Jews