ABSTRACT
The Kristallnacht pogrom of 9–10 November 1938 marked the transition of Nazi Germany from a period of strenuous, but potentially unending, preparation for war to the certainty that such a total all-consuming war was inevitable. The Nazis wished to inform the world that their political program had undergone a paradigmatic change. They indicated that they were no longer concerned with international public opinion. The Kristallnacht pogrom consisted of a centrally directed series of nation-wide violent acts. At the core of every act of social violence stand symbolic messages, and on this occasion these were clearly spelled out. A new generation of German statesmen, none of whom can be considered dyed-in-the-wool imperialists or colonialists, are realizing Germany’s traditional political ambition of becoming the pivotal power in Europe. The tendency of most writers, including historians, to view armed resistance to the Germans as the only heroic response to occupation and repression is utterly misconceived.
