Kristallnacht

Kristallnacht, also referred to as the Night of Broken Glass, was a series of coordinated attacks against Jews throughout Germany and parts of Austria on 9–10 November 1938, carried out by SA storm-troopers and civilians. German authorities looked on without intervening. The attacks left the streets covered with broken glass from the windows of Jewish owned stores, houses, and synagogues. At least 90 Jews were killed in the attacks, and 30,000 male Jews were arrested and incarcerated in concentration camps. Over 1,000 synagogues were burned and at least 7,000 Jewish businesses destroyed, damaged, and/or looted.

It happened because a seventeen-year-old Herschel Grynszpan’s family was going through a hard time and he couldn’t do anything because of the Nazis. He then marched into the German Embassy in Paris and shot a Nazi official on November 7th. The Nazi official died two days later, but the Germans decided to avenge his death so they went to destroy Jewish businesses and homes. Georblls was behind it all, but said that he never knew anything about it and made the Jews pay for the repairs when they were the victims. Jews with insurance weren’t allowed to use it for themselves but had to give it to the state. Propaganda also played with the minds of the Germans into thinking that doing something like Genocide would be a good idea, that the Jews deserved it. The Nuremberg laws also made this happen, at that time the Germans made horrible laws that made Jews leave, or want to but they had to leave everything behind. Also hardly any countries wanted anything to do with the Jews and they were all sent back to die in Germany.

I was very amazed and felt really bad for the Jews. They lost their homes yet they had to pay for the damage the government did to them. The Jews were left with no money since they couldn’t have jobs and because they were supposed to pay for the damage that was brought to them. I find it hard to believe that other countries didn't do anything to help especially the U.S. and the U.K. Goebells made a speech as well saying that the Government had nothing to do with it and wasn’t behind it all. Also that one way or another the Jews deserved what had happened. The Jews didn't deserve anything that happened to them, they never did anything, but they were to scared to do anything and so were the Germans. Everyone at that time, was living a fearful life, fear of Hitler and what he could do with the power he had. I think the whole Holocaust was unbelievable and heart breaking.

The Treaty of Versailles was very unfair towards the Germans. After the war was over, in 1918, the defeated country was punished and Germany was forced to sign a Peace Treaty, giving them restrictions to military forces and rules that they had to live by.

Germans felt betrayed by the treaty. "German honor is being carried to its grave." The paper The Deutsche Zeitung. A number of non-German observers and some historians also considered the treaty too harsh. It said Germany would have to lose the rights and titles of the overseas countries, had to demobilize the military and get rid of submarines and air force. They also made sure that Germany paid back and it would be about $33 billion. If the treaty wasn't so harsh could WWII have been avoided?

If the Treaty of Versailles wasn't so harsh than maybe WWII could have been avoided, because the treaty forced Germany in to a depredation that meant a person like Adolf Hitler could rize to power and blame it all on the Jews starting the Holocaust and WWII.

No man is an island entire of itself; every man is a piece of the continent, a part of the main; if a clod be washed away by the sea, Europe is the less, as well as if a promontory were, as well as any manner of thy friends or of thine own were; any man's death diminishes me, because I am involved in mankind. And therefore never send to know for whom the bell tolls; it tolls for thee.

The Island by Armin Greder

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZrDxe9gK8Gk&feature=player_embedded

The words of this poem show that all people are the same and everyone should be treated with equal respect. Nobody is alone in this world; everyone is a part of something bigger. Today nobody cares about people out of their families, and some people don't even care about their family. "... Any man's death diminishes me, because I am involved in mankind..." Everybody is connected some way or the other, even if you don't know it. We are all a part of mankind and none of us deserve to be alone.

In the book The Island isolation is a big theme the people in the book isolated the stranger before they even knew him. They lock him in a Goat pen and said he was not to leave. People make distinctions between us and them by looking at the person and comparing them to themselves or to a group of same people. An example of this is in the book because all of the island people are big, while the stranger is small. The island people compare by comparing themselves to the stranger.

The video “Mankind is no Island” tell us to look after and take care of the poor and homeless and not ignore them. It also shows that no man is ever alone; there should always be someone to help you. "No man is an island entire of it..." No man should be left by themselves. Everyone is being a bystander to all the death from hunger and easily preventable illnesses that is happening in our world and we need to help them. The video says that no man is alone we are all together is we like it or not.