Kristallnacht: Prelude to Destruction

Synopsis of Kristallnacht: Prelude to Destruction

In 'Kristallnacht', Martin Gilbert presents a sophisticated analysis of the gradual process which made the horrors of the Third Reich possible, combining a moving account of the suffering of the victims of the Nazi regime. Gilbert also depicts how the rest of the world failed Europe's increasingly desperate Jewish population: in the aftermath to Kristallnacht almost every country was asked to help; most would not do so, despite the transport of the staggering 10,000 German Jewish children to Britain. This international indifference had direct implications for future German policy, while the events of Kristallnacht went on to radically influence the attitudes of governments - and people - outside Germany towards Nazism.