1938 Kristallnacht

1. Details about event

In November 1938, Hitler approved of the Kristallnacht; also known as the Night of Broken Glass. It was an attack on Jewish synagogues and other property such as stores owned by Jewish people. More than 7000 stores were destroyed or damaged.

2. How helped to consolidate/maintain power

It helped Hitler to consolidate his power because
  • Within the party, he showed that he is not afraid of using violence and thus was able to have support from various groups such as the SS, SA
  • Also the beneficiaries such as business owners supported him more since he “created” a better economic condition for them. With less stores, there was less competition
  • The ignorant probably thought that it was good to show the Jews that they did not belong to Germans
  • The ones that were scared became more frightened and didn’t dare to initiate any opposition against him