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Kristallnacht: Prelude to Destruction (Making History) Paperback – May 29, 2007

by Martin Gilbert (Author)

26 customer reviews

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In the early hours of November 10, 1938, Nazi storm troopers and Hitler Youth rampaged through Jewish neighborhoods across Germany, leaving behind them a horrifying trail of terror and destruction. More than a thousand synagogues and many thousands of Jewish shops were destroyed, while thirty thousand Jews were rounded up and sent to concentration camps. Kristallnacht—the Night of Broken Glass—was a decisive stage in the systematic eradication of a people who traced their origins in Germany to Roman times and was a sinister forewarning of the Holocaust.

With rare insight and acumen, Martin Gilbert examines this night and day of terror, presenting readers with a meticulously researched, masterfully written, and eye-opening study of one of the darkest chapters in human history.

Kristallnacht: Prelude to Destruction (Making History)

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Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Starred Review. An acclaimed Churchill biographer and Holocaust scholar, Gilbert makes a strong case in this elegant volume that Kristallnacht was the watershed moment that laid the groundwork for the Holocaust. Known as "the Night of Broken Glass," the "coordinated, comprehensive rampage" that began on the night of November 9, 1938, saw Nazi-inspired thugs ransack synagogues and Jewish-owned property across Germany and Austria. Gilbert maintains a tight focus on the individual experiences of Jewish men, women and children during the 24-hour spree of destruction, as well as on Germans and Austrians who rioted, opposed the riot or simply looked the other way. The book begins with a harrowing account of that night's events, using accounts from news sources of the day: " 'Terrified children were turned sobbing out of their beds, which were then smashed to pieces.'" Gilbert devotes a chapter each to eyewitness accounts from Berlin and Vienna, where some of the worst destruction occurred. As Felix Rinde, then an Austrian-Jewish teenager, later wrote, "Jewish life in Vienna came to a virtual end." A third chapter offers similar accounts from other cities. Gilbert's commanding account then traces the origins of Kristallnacht in the years of mounting Jewish discrimination that began when Hitler came to power in 1933, and shows how Kristallnacht pointed the way toward the events to come. 8 pages of b&w photos; maps. (June 13)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From School Library Journal

Adult/High School–Through the accounts of dozens of eyewitnesses, Gilbert tells the story of the night of November 10, 1938, when people all over Germany and Austria ransacked and burned Jewish-owned shops and synagogues. The author takes readers from the Night of Broken Glass through the degradation of the Jews, missed escapes, kindertransports, concentration camps, and, finally, to genocide. Maps and archival photos show the breadth of the destruction of lives and property. While less emotionally immediate than the many survivor autobiographies, this book documents in detail the fates of hundreds of victims, and the stories of many courageous rescuers. Kristallnacht addresses the questions: Why didn't the Jews fight back? How did this happen? Students of social justice, U.S. history, and world history will find this work horrifically fascinating and informative.–Ellen Bell, Amador Valley High School, Pleasanton, CA
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product details

Series: Making History
Paperback: 320 pages
Publisher: Harper Perennial (May 29, 2007)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0061121355
ISBN-13: 978-0061121357
Product Dimensions: 5.3 x 0.7 x 8 inches
Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
Average Customer Review: 26 customer reviews
Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #295,098 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #609 in Books > History > World > Jewish > Holocaust
- #950 in Books > History > Europe > Germany
- #2722 in Books > History > Military > World War II

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First Class History by a First Class Historian

ByEarlBon September 3, 2012

Format: HardcoverVerified Purchase

I am a big fan of Martin Gilbert's books and this one is no different. While each of his books vary in subject, they are all of equal quality, and this is no exception. It is the ultimate definition of information and history: top quality history. For all those interested in either Kristallnacht or the prelude the Holocaust, and even more so for those interested in both, this source is invaluable.

As I have alluded to, this book more or less touches upon two subjects: that of Kristallnacht, the night, its prelude and aftermath, and also a comprehensive and simply fascinating to the situation of Jewry during the two or three crucial years following it. On neither of these subjects does this book have room for improvement.

Also, besides for a history of the happenings of Kristallnacht, Gilbert brings scores of eye-witness accounts which are of equal value to the reader and of even more so to the researcher. Furthermore, it is required reading as part of the history of the Holocaust.

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Another stellar contribution

ByMatthew Smithon March 30, 2008

Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase

One of the things I really like about Martin Gilbert's works is how he brings history back down to the personal level. Instead of a deluge of numbers and benign facts and dates he uses personal, eyewitness accounts in his works. This reminds us that what we are reading is real and affected actual human beings. This forces the reader to truly face the reality of what happened and understand the true toll of these events. Of course in doing this kind of book the author must walk a fine line between giving the reader enough personal accounts to keep the reader focused on the human aspects of the historical event, and not too many so as to deluge the reader and bog the work down in to relentless tedium. In my opinion the author has done a fine job with this book in walking that line.

Kristallnacht is very detailed work that doesn't limit itself to major cities, but instead goes into detail about what happened with each Jewish community during this event. The book goes into detail about the psychological affects on the Jewish community of this event, and how this event really brought home to the German and Austrian Jews the precariousness of their situation. As the reality of this night set in there was a renewed effort to escape the Nazi regime.

What I really like about this book is how it talks about some of the heroes. Every nationality and government, down to regular citizens had some very brave individuals who followed their conscience to do a service to humanity rather than take the easy way and quietly acquiesce to their superior's demands. These, tragically, few individuals created a bright spot in a world of darkness, and this is the power of these books that focus on the micro instead of the macro.

My only real criticism is that the author focused exclusively on the Jewish perspective of Kristallnacht, and because of this narrow focus I felt the book was somewhat incomplete. I would have been very pleased had the author added a chapter detailing the German perspective. Those who participated on the ground level, those who simply stood by and those who actually stood against the racist tide. This book is peppered here and there with some superficial accounts of German actions, but these are from the Jewish perspective and quite fleeting. Kristallnacht was more than a Jewish experience. It had to have a profound effect on the ordinary German and Austrian citizen as well. Up to that point they may have been able to assuage their moral qualms about the Nazi regime with the fact that it hadn't really shown its true colors. They probably attributed prior abuses to the newness of the government and assumed it would be tempered with time, but after this event they had to have some realization of just how bad things were going to get. I would have loved to have had some personal accounts from German perspective, but this was lacking and as such I found the work lacking as well.

All in all I still found the work to be very readable and very informative. The author has a great talent for writing and a wealth of knowledge and information. I think anyone would get a lot out of this book which is why I still give it four stars even with my disappointment with the possible omission of the German and Austrian perspective. I certainly recommend this book to anyone interested in this event or time period.

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Five Stars

ByShannon L Claytonon March 3, 2017

Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase

Informative.