HIST2134
The 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
practices
texts &
• 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 Anticommon prejudices
Semitism but
• 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
be persecuted
→ To “clean nation from parasites”
→ To achieve NS peoples’ community & ‘living space’
to
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 grandparents
2) A half-breed (Mischling) with 2 full-Jewish
grandparents who has either or all …
a. Jewish religion
b. Jewish spouse
c. 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 &
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 …”
profited
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 &
in war + outside Germany
polycracy act
= Life unbearable & highly dangerous for
Jews