Author Description

On pp. 7-38, Irene Runge recreates the everyday life of Germans as reflected in newspapers during the weeks just before and after "Kristallnacht". Kurt Pätzold (p. 39-110) reviews the history of the pogrom and subsequent anti-Jewish measures, the largely negative reaction of the German public to the violence, aid to Jewish neighbors and protest by a courageous few, and protests abroad, along with failure to take effective action to rescue Jews. Suggests that beyond its immediate goals, the pogrom served to habituate the German people to future atrocities. Pp. 111-233 reproduce official Nazi directives and reports concerning "Kristallnacht", reminiscences of Jewish victims, articles from the German and the foreign press, and speeches and letters by prominent persons abroad, mostly Germans in exile.