Anti Semitism in Germany, Research Paper Example

Introduction

Anti Semitism is defined as hatred toward Jews as individuals or collectively as a people. This can be ascribed to the Jewish ethnicity or religion. In its most extreme structure, it ascribes to the Jews an extraordinary status amongst other cultures, and disparages them as a mediocre group as well as denying them their existence as a nation. This intolerance against Jews has overwhelmed the world for over two centuries. There are several types of anti-Semitism. These include; religious anti-Semitism, cultural anti-Semitism, and lastly racial anti-Semitism. During the nineteenth century, several ideologies and scientists posed a variety of theories as to what comprises a race. Emphasis was put on intellect and physical beauty. The Germans, or “Aryan”, race was perceived to be the greatest race. It was theoritisized that their ancestors were responsible for all great achievements in human civilization. Not only were the Jews viewed as rather unusual and incompatible with European personality, they were seen as a pollutant that ought to be eradicated (Burleigh, 323)[1].

Anti Semitism in Germany

Anti-Semitism has been synonymous with German history. This religious prejudice had its roots firmly lodged prior to the rise of the Third Reich in the early 1930s.  While the absolute scale of the loss of life in the holocaust is merely impossible to comprehend, these horrors illustrated the conclusion of generations of anti-Semitism. The conviction that Jews were self-centered, scheming, ignorant heretics was popular in Germany. The Catholic Church only added weight to these prejudicial opinions. To many early Christians, the Jews represented a stubborn people who had rejected Jesus as the foretold Messiah. In the reformation, anti-Semitism was usual among Germans and was also defended by the Catholic Church.  The Reformation only created another organized faction that formally detested the Jews (Burleigh, 323)[2].

By the 20th century, anti-Semitism was developing in Germany in a more aggressive manner, as right wing attractiveness reached explosive scales.  Jewish scientist, businessman, politician, and philosopher, Walther Rathenau served Germany in the First World War as an administrator and supplier and of raw materials for the war.  At the end of the war, Rathenau tried to change several provisions of the Versailles Treaty. His objective was to achieve the assistance of western powers in anticipation of shaping a stronger, better unified Germany. His ability as a political mind almost immediately got him a post as Germany’s Foreign Minister. His unpopularity among the German patriots haunted him right through his political career. He was assassinated barely four months since his appointment as Germany’s Foreign Minister. This event served a prelude to the politically drastic events to follow.  The most heinous crime of the 20^th century was perpetrated against the Jewish people. Their crime was that they were guilty of being Jewish.

Night of Broken Glass

The night of broken glass is also referred to as Kristallnacht. This occurred on the night of 9^th and 10^th November 1938. All over Germany, in local gathering halls, Nazi leaders drove the people into an incomparable rage of Jewish hatred. The people left the meetings and went into each Jewish community, setting synagogues ablaze, tearing down Jewish homes and businesses and physically abusing scores of Jewish citizens.

Thousands of Jewish citizens encountered unjustifiable violence during the Kristallnaicht. Hitler ordered the State Police to apprehend loads of able-bodied males of Jewish origin. In a few days time, concentration camps incarcerated over 30,000 men. This figure accounted for one-tenth of the whole male Jewish populace in Germany.  Hitler’s ceaseless bombardment of anti-Semitic propaganda, prior to this violence, had so sedated the mind-set of the German citizenry that the actions of Kristallnacht did not raise any protest from the German people. There were no protests either from any foreign governments. Consequently, Hitler interpreted the lack of attention as consent to do whatsoever he wanted with the Jews (Huston, 3)[3].

The events of that night and subsequent days could be seen as final experiment prior to the Holocaust. The violence, the extensive arrests and deportations to camps and the following enormous judicial and economic assault marked the genesis of the annihilation of a people, even physically. The declared excuse to the pogroms was said to be the shooting in Paris, of the Legation secretary in the German embassy by a young Polish Jew on November7th.

Nuremberg laws

On August 20, 1935, a meeting of ministers was held to confer on the economic effects of Party actions in regard to the Jews. The subsequent month two measures were proclaimed at the yearly Party Rally in Nuremberg. These were later to be known as the Nuremberg Laws

The first law was The Law for the Protection of German Blood and German Honor. This law proscribed marriages and extra-marital interaction between Jews and Germans. It also banned the employment of German females below the age of forty-five in Jewish homesteads. The second law was The Reich Citizenship Law. This law stripped German citizenship off the Jews and initiated a new distinction involving “nationals” and “Reich citizens.”  The Nazi leadership, through these laws, demanded that Jews ought to be dispossessed of their rights as citizens.

The Nuremberg Laws unexpectedly generated confusion and intense debate regarding what entailed a “full Jew” (Edelheit & Hershel, 49)[4]

Boicottage against the Jews

On April 1, 1933, barely a week subsequent to Hitler becoming dictator of Germany, he ordered an embargo of Jewish businesses. The boycott was however, generally overlooked by German shoppers and was discontinued after three days. However, the abortive boycott was followed by a speedy sequence of laws which deprived the Jews of numerous rights (Burleigh, 324)[5].

The eleven point boycott order was distributed to all Party offices and Party organizations. It stipulated as follows;

Point 1: Action Committees for the Boycott against the Jews

All local branches and organizational section of NSDAP Action Committees are to be created instantly for the practical, systematic execution of a boycott of Jewish businesses. The Action Committees are duty bound to make sure that the boycott will fulfill its objectives.

Point 2: utmost security for all Foreigners

Action Committees are duty bound to ensure maximum security for all foreigners, without considering their religion, race or origin. The boycott is exclusively a defensive tool, directed exclusively against the Jews of German origin.

Point 3: misinformation for the Boycott

Action Committees will instantly employ propaganda to popularize the boycott. The standard must be that Germans will abstain from Jewish businesses.

Point 4: Central Direction: Party Comrade Streicher

In uncertain cases, the boycott of the mentioned store is to be deferred until explicit orders from the Central Committee in Munich are received. Member Streicher is the Chairman of the Central Committee.

Point 5: Supervision of Newspapers

The Action Committees will inspect newspapers most severely with a vision to scrutinizing the level to which they participate in the information campaign in relation to Jewish atrocity propaganda overseas.

Point 6: The Boycott as a tool for the defense of German Labor

Action Committees, as well as Party cells in industry, should import into the businesses illustrative propaganda on the outcome of Jewish atrocity crusade for German production, and consequently for the German worker, and clarify to the workers the necessity of a national boycott as a defensive tool to defend German labor.

Point 7: Action Committees in the least Village

Action Committees be obliged to reach out into the negligible peasant village in order to strike mainly at Jewish traders in the countryside

Point 8: The Boycott Will Start on April1

The boycott is supposed to begin simultaneously; arrangements to this goal are to be made straight away. Orders will be given to the SA and SS to station guards outside Jewish businesses in order to caution the public against entering the premises.

Point 9: Mass assemblies to insist on the Numerus Clausus!

Action Committees will straight away organize scores mass assemblies, reaching down to the least village, whereby the demand will be raised for the launching of a restricted quota for the employment of Jews in every profession, according to their percentage in the German population.

Point 10: The Need for Explanations Abroad

Action Committees have the duty of guaranteeing that each German who has any kind of acquaintances abroad will make use of these in telegrams, letters, and telephone calls.

Point 11: Quiet, Discipline and No Violence!

The Action Committees are duty bound to ensure that this whole struggle is executed in complete tranquility and with absolute discipline (Goebbles, & Reichskanzlei 291-292)[6].

Bibliography

Burleigh, Michael. The Third Reich. New York: Hill and Wang 2000 pp. 323–4.

Edelheit, Abraham and Hershel Edelheit. History of the Holocaust. A Handbook and Dictionary. Boulder: Westview Press 1994. p. 49.

Goebbles, J. and Reichskanzlei VonKaiserhof Zur. From the Emperor’s Court to the Reich Chancellery, Munich, 1937. Pp.291-292.

Huston, David.  Night of Broken Glass 2003 Rosh Pinnah Publications.

[1] Burleigh, Michael. The Third Reich. New York: Hill and Wang 2000 pp. 323–4.

[2] Burleigh, 323

[3] Huston, David.  Night of Broken Glass 2003 Rosh Pinnah Publications

[4] Edelheit, Abraham and Hershel Edelheit. History of the Holocaust. A Handbook and Dictionary. Boulder: Westview Press 1994. p. 49.

[5] Burleigh, 324

[6] Goebbles, J. and Reichskanzlei VonKaiserhof Zur. From the Emperor’s Court to the Reich Chancellery, Munich, 1937. Pp.291-292.