Kristallnacht and the Rise of Antisemitism: A World War II Lesson

I’m Spencer Charrington, and this is my 80-minute lesson on how Nazi persecution escalated up to Kristallnacht, the November 1938 pogrom against Jewish communities in Germany. Students define antisemitism, work with primary sources and learn why historians see Kristallnacht as the point where discrimination turned into open violence.

How the lesson runs

1. Anticipation guide. Students agree, disagree or say they’re not sure about four statements, like “All stereotypes are dangerous” and “Discrimination against Jewish people started with the Nazis”. We come back to their answers at the end.
2. Guided notes. We cover stereotypes, the long history of antisemitism in Europe, Nazi propaganda, the Nuremberg Laws of 1935, eugenics as a false science and what happened on Kristallnacht.
3. Survivor testimony. Students watch video testimony from survivors.
4. Primary source worksheet. Students work through excerpts from the Nuremberg Laws, Nazi propaganda posters, a Nazi children’s book and a photograph taken outside the Pesti Újság newspaper building in Budapest.
5. Extension. A short reading shows that antisemitism in the 1930s went beyond Germany, with examples from Poland, Romania, Hungary and Czechoslovakia.