Before reading this article, thank you for clicking "Follow", not only to have a good experience, but also to have a different sense of participation, thank you for your attention!
In June 1937, Captain Neuratt gave instructions to the ambassador to London: ".It was not in Germany's interest to establish a Jewish state, or a Jewish-dominated state under British rule.
A year later, when the International Conference was held in Evian,Nazi chief thinker Alfred Rosenberg,published in the newspaper "People's Observer", entitled:Where Are the Jews Going? 》In the editorial, he summarized the results of the current discussion. First, Palestine cannot be a center of mass immigration. Secondly, it seems that the countries of the world cannot receive the Jews of Europe. Again, "it is necessary to look for a closed area that Europeans have not yet settled".
Under these circumstances, in the spring of 1938, the name of a French island off the east coast of Africa came to Hitler's mind for the first time: Madagascar. On April 11, Goebbels recorded: "There was a long conversation at the breakfast table about the Jewish question. The Führer wanted to expel all the Jews from Germany. Rush to Madagascar or something similar. That's right! He believed that they themselves came from former penal colonies. Quite possibly. A nation crushed by God. ”
The idea itself is not new. As early as the 80s of the 19th century, the originator of anti-Jewish racism, the orientalist Paulo de Lagarde, once suggestedThe plan to emigrate Jews to Madagascar as part of Germany's policy of conquest of Eastern EuropeSince the twenties of the twentieth century, anti-Semites in various countries have been promoting this "solution to the Jewish problem."
In June 1926 it was published on the front page of the newspaper "National Observer".Henry Hamilton Beamisharticle, it bluntly appealed: ".** Is it a blessed place where Jews can live peacefully and happily? Can they maintain the purity of their race and hold on to their ideals? Madagascar.
But this appeal is almost tantamount to sarcasm, as Bimmish and other proponents of the Madagascar plan are well awareThe living conditions on the island were very poor, and most of the Jews who were deported there would have died. Streicher's demagogic newspaper, the Vanguard, was already openly in the 30sOn the topic of such genocide programmes。The New Year's edition of the 1938 newspaper carried the headline "Madagascar" with a cartoon of a terrified Jew pressed on his back on a globe with the caption "He saw the end of the world."
Hitler had not yet made up his mindGoebbels' remark of "rushing to Madagascar, or something like that," proves that he had other optionsBut he remained unwavering in his plan to drive all the Jews out of Germany. In mid-August 1938, he revealed in his coterie that the Nuremberg Laws were "in fact too lenient."
Now he considersSupplementary regulations were passed to further restrict Jewish life in GermanyThis made it impossible for the entire Jewish community to survive in Germany. This is the best way to get rid of them. ”At the end of September 1938, after the signing of the Munich Agreement, the danger of major conflicts in Europe over the "Sudetenland" seemed to disappear for the time being, and anti-Jewish riots broke out again.
The fear of war in the hearts of most Germans in early autumn now turned into an intensified crusade against the Jews. In many places, especially in southern and central Germany, there were attacks on synagogues and Jewish industry. The riots "took on a local nature".According to the report of the Imperial Security Department in October 1938. Many National Socialist activists believed"The time has come for the final settlement of the Jewish question".
On November 4, Willie Cohen wrote in his diary with a hunch: "I think that the Jews who remain in Germany will enter a very difficult period. "A few days later,The nationwide ** came unexpectedly, and the anti-Semitic violence reached its climaxIt became more and more extreme in 1938. It was Hitler who gave the decisive signal to allow hatred and destruction to run rampant.
November 7, 1938a17 years old who grew up in GermanyJews of Polish origin—Hersher Greenspan,The secretary of the German embassy in Paris was shot and assassinated- Ernst von Ratt, Rattle is seriously wounded. The assassination was an act of revenge: at the end of October, German police and stormtroopers gathered 17,000 Polish Jews living in the "Third Reich" and drove them to the Polish border.
Greenspan's parents, brothers and sisters were also deported Jews, and for many days they lived in harsh conditions in the no-man's land between Poland and Germany. "When I think about our tragedy......My heart is bleeding".In a message to his uncle, who lives in Paris, the assassin confesses, "I have to somehow ** and let the world hear my **".
Greenspan's act of desperation gave the Nazi leaders the long-awaited excuse to coordinate the fight against Jews and dispossess them of their property. Goebbels, in particular, immediately saw the opportunity to regain Hitler's favor with him through hard work, and his personal relationship with Hitler had been seriously affected by his affair with the Czech actress Lida Barlova in the previous months.
On the evening of November 7, the head of the propaganda department ordered the press to report on the matter "with great fanfare", and in the comments it was noted that it would"led to the most serious consequences in the case of German Jews". On November 8, the People's Observer newspaper published an editorial"**People", blatantly instigating the big **:
It is clear that the German people can draw conclusions from this new fact. Hundreds of thousands of Jews still occupy entire shopping streets and entertainment venues within the bordersEarn money as a 'foreign landlord' for German tenantsAnd their compatriots are calling abroad for war against Germany and **Germany**, which is intolerable. ”
On the morning of November 9, the news agency reported that Latte had only a few more hours to live. Young female journalistsRuth Andreas FriedrichRecord,Berlin was in the midst of "pent-up anxiety before the storm." On the two nights of 7 and 9 November, in response to the assassinations, the first round of anti-Semitic riots took place in Kassel and in many parts of the Kurhessen region.
The riots were planned by local cadres of the National Socialist Party, who acted entirely as leaders in their own right. Synagogues were the main targets. "Massive anti-Semitic rallies broke out in Hesse," Goebbels wrote"The synagogue burned down. How nice it would be if we could get the masses to unleash their anger now! But this would require an explicit statement from Hitler, whose consent has not yet been obtained from the head of the Propaganda Department.
On the evening of November 8, Hitler was in MunichBeagle Blau Beer House, publishedCommemorating the failed 1923 Beer Hall CoupIn his traditional speech, he did not mention the assassination in Paris at all. The unusual silence does not mean that he wants to settle down; On the contrary,This is an unmistakable indication that he intends to carry out a conspiracy.
Unlike the assassination of William Gustloff in early February 1936, he banned anti-Semitic excesses in consideration of the Winter OlympicsThis time he decided to do it to the Jews. But he had to wait until he heard of Rat's death. On the evening of November 7-8, he sent his personal physician, Carl Brandt, to Paris with Gerg Magnus, the attending physician at the Munich Surgical Hospital. Two doctors examined the seriously injured embassy secretary and noted in several medical reports that his injuries were serious.
Ernst von Rattle died at 16:30 p.m. on November 9. Adjutant Nicholas von Bülow confirmed that Hitler learned of his death through ** at his home on Regent Street. After 6 p.m., he went to the old town hall in Munich to gather with his "old comrades" and participate in the annual commemoration held in the banquet hall of the old town hall, so that the ** man had enough time to think about his next move.
November 9thWhat happened here was orchestrated by both Hitler and Goebbels, actions with a dramatic deceptive effect. Around 9 p.mWhile everyone was still eating, Hitler received a telegram reporting the death of the embassy secretary. Once again, he showed his acting talent, feigning surprise and shock in front of everyone, talking excitedly to Goebbels next to him.
Although the conversation is recorded in Goebbels's diary in only a few lines, one can tell from itIt was a decisive moment when the ** gave the green light to the planned anti-Semitism: "He decided to let the ** continue; Withdraw the police. The Jews should be made to feel the anger of the people. That's right. I immediately gave orders to ** and party cadres. ”
After speaking to Goebbels, Hitler immediately left the meeting hall and did not say anything else, he returned to his home on Regent Street. Apparently he avoided direct contact with what happened next. Goebbels spoke in his place。Although he did not leave the original text of his speech, the effect he wanted to achieve was evident in the investigation report submitted by the National Socialist Supreme Court a few months later: the report said"All the leaders of the party understood" the order of the head of the propaganda department"The National Socialist Party did not appear externally as the promoter of the demonstrations, but in fact it was the planner and implementer".
Goebbels himself described the audience's reaction to his speech this way: "Thunderous applause. Everyone immediately rushed to the ** machine. The people are moving. ”He identified deceptive official caliberMust seem like a natural outburst of "popular anger."And the real masterminds, especially Hitler and Goebbels, must be hidden in the shadows. In this spirit, the party district chairmen and the SA detachment leaders, who met in Munich, gave orders to their subordinates. The order was smoothly transmitted down to the district leaders and local group leaders.
At the Beagle Blau Beer HouseAmong the "veterans" who took part in the commemoration of the anniversary of the coup d'état, including the 39 members of Adolf Hitler's commando who attended as guests, was retained as a traditional fraternity after the National Socialist Party was banned in 1924. After listening to Goebbels' incendiary rhetoric, they went on a rampage through the streets of Munich, destroying many shops along the way, and setting fire to the Jacob Synagogue on Herzog-Rudolf Street (the synagogue on Herzog-Rudolf Street was demolished in June 1938).
GoebbelsTogether with the chairman of the Munich-Upper Bavarian Party district, Adolf Wagner, came to the seat of the party headquarters on PlannestraßeSaw the scene of the destruction with your own eyes. "At the same time, the commandos did a big job, and they did it all on their own. Hitler's personal aide-de-camp - Julius Schaub was also one of the perpetrators. "Schaub struck hard", Goebbels commented, "and the soul of his former commando was resurrected".
Before presiding over the traditional SS recruit swearing-in ceremony at midnight, Hitler had already negotiated with HimmlerThe SS will not be involved**. Reinhardt Heinrich gave a beating to Heinrich Müller, the head of the Gestapo in Berlin, and then Miller sent a telegram to the Gestapo command at 23:55, ".In the shortest possible time, action was taken against Jews throughout the country, especially against synagogues".
Actions must not be "disturbed in any way" and "robbery and other special acts of harassment" are prohibited. In addition to this, the Gestapo is preparing to arrest between 20,000 and 30,000 Jews throughout the country. According to Goebbels's diary, it was Hitler himself who made this request. In an urgent telegram sent at 1:20 a.m., Heinrich elaborated in more detail on Miller's order:"No action may be taken that may endanger the lives and property of the Germans".Jewish shops and private homes "may only be destroyed and not looted".
The documents and archives of synagogues and community offices must be confiscated and handed over to the offices of the Imperial Ministry of Security。The police and the Imperial Ministry of Security also received orders,"Arrest as many Jews as possible in the districts – especially the wealthy onesThe number of people depends on the capacity of the existing prison"."After the arrest, please contact the concentration camps in your jurisdiction immediately in order to resettle these Jews as soon as possible."
At this time, it has already begun in a vast area of the country**. Stormtroopers and National Socialist activists marched to the nearest synagogueMost of them were dressed in civilian clothes and carried gasoline cans in their hands, and they smashed objects and set fire to churches. The local police stood by on the sidelines according to the orders from aboveThe fire brigade will only come to put out the fire if it spreads to nearby houses.
At the same time, other teams attacked Jewish shops, smashing shop windows, throwing goods into the streets, and the next morning the sidewalks were covered with broken glass – thus spreading the term that downplayed the seriousness of the incident in Berlin"Imperial Kristallnacht".。Others stormed Jewish homes, smashed furniture, and abused their owners. Never since the Middle Ages has there been such a large-scale, unbridled anti-Jewish atrocity in Germany.
ReferencesFrank Bayol, The Nouveau Rieu and the Profiteers, 2001, 186-192;
Michael Werther, The Generation Without Limits, 2002, 201-208;
Eberhardt Yecker and Axel Kuhn, The Hitler Archives, 1980, 223-227;