Kristallnacht - The Night of Broken Glass, Part 1

After Adolf Hitler's rise, in Germany, he quickly consolidated his power base.  His initial moves were not against Jews but against his political opponents. 

About thirty thousand Communists, Socialists, Unionists and Catholics were imprisoned - without trial - at a place called Dachau.  Some people saw these early actions as very dangerous for Germany's future.

In addition to racist laws, school curriculum began to portray Jewish people in a very negative light.  Then Germans were encouraged to boycott Jewish businesses. 

Hitler's anti-semitic policies, leading to Kristallnacht - and ultimately a "Final Solution" - were implemented over time.

See, also:

Kristallnacht - The Night of Broken Glass, Part 2

Kristallnacht - The Night of Broken Glass, Part 3

Kristallnacht - The Night of Broken Glass, Part 4

Kristallnacht - The Night of Broken Glass, Part 5

Credits

From a documentary on Kristallnacht, David Clarke, Producer; Laszlo Barna, Executive Producer.  

Clip online, courtesy History Television and Canadian Television Fund (now known as Canada Media Fund).