Medieval to Modern Anti-Semitism and the Rise of Nazism

Flashcards covering medieval to modern anti-Semitism, Jewish social and economic life, major historical events, and the early emergence of Hitler and the Nazi Party based on lecture notes.

What Christian laws were established prior to the Theodosian Code in Elvira, Spain (300 CE) regarding Jewish interactions?

Intermarriage with Jews, sex with Jews, blessings of fields and crops by Jews, and sharing feasts with Jews were all prohibited.

What conditions did the Theodosian Code of 438 CE place on Jews settling among a Christian majority?

Jews were allowed to settle as long as they accepted their subordinate and subservient status, meaning no public office, no military service, potential exile for circumcising Christians, and no new synagogues.

What was the 'Kehillah' in medieval Jewish society?

The 'Kehillah' was the Jewish community, which provided essential social services like schooling and synagogues.

What distinguished Jewish quarters like the Juderia or Judengasse from later ghettos?

Jewish quarters were practical living arrangements, whereas the first ghetto in Venice (1516) had locks on the inside for protection, distinguishing it from later coercive Nazi ghettos.

Why did Jewish people predominantly step into the role of money-lenders after the First Crusade (post-1096)?

The Church banned interest-bearing loans among Christians, creating a vacuum that Jewish people filled due to fewer such prohibitions.

What central Christian accusation against Jews was termed 'deicide'?

The accusation that Jews were responsible for Jesus's death, based on the New Testament (Matthew 27:24).

Who established the dehumanizing rhetoric that Jews were 'animals fit for slaughter'?

Chrysostom (349-407 CE).

What major event occurred in 1096 that involved Christian crusaders assaulting Jerusalem and persecuting Jews?

The First Crusade.

What was the 'blood libel' accusation against Jews, originating in Norwich in 1144?

The false accusation that Jews ritually murdered Christian children to reenact the crucifixion of Christ.

What was 'Judensau' in medieval anti-Jewish imagery?

A vulgar image associating Jews with pigs, often depicting them wearing required badges and hats.

How did Martin Luther's stance on Jews change, as expressed in 'On the Jews and their Lies' (1543)?

Initially, Luther supported Jews hoping for their conversion to Protestantism, but when they wouldn't convert, he called for 'robbery,' 'physical destruction,' and 'violence' against them.

What factor contributed to countries in Western Europe inviting Jews back in the 17th century?

These factors included questioning the difference between religious truth and political rule, the rising status of Hebrew and Jewish literature, and mercantilism in a rising economy.

What impact did the French Revolution have on Jewish life in Europe?

It provided Jews with rights through emancipation, leading to their successful integration into European society.

What three characteristics symbolized Jewish 'over-successfulness' that caused anxiety in Europe?

Urbanization, population growth, and overrepresentation in certain professions like law, medicine, commerce, and trade.

Who coined the term 'Anti-Semitism'?

Wilhelm Marr.

What are some varieties of modern anti-Semitism described in the notes?

Religious (deicide), Economic (control banks), Social (vulgar), Racial (superior/threatening), Ideological (communism/capitalism), and Cultural (brainwashing society with pornography/jazz).

Who established the first anti-Semitic political party, the 'Christian Socialist Workers Party'?

Adolf Stöcker.

What did the 'Berlin Movement' of 1879 aim to achieve?

It sought to revoke Jewish emancipation, effectively stripping Jews of their citizenship.

In the 19th century, how was 'race science' used to characterize Jews?

'Race science' claimed that Jews were a separate, permanent race, with physical characteristics reflecting their alleged intelligence and moral character.

What was Richard Wagner's perspective on Jews in his work 'Judaism in Music'?

He claimed that Jews were not genuinely German and could never become German, lacking the true German spirit and only mimicking German language and culture.

Who wrote 'Handbook of the Jewish Question,' a textbook-like work that heavily influenced Hitler?

Theodor Fritsch.

What major concept did Houston Stewart Chamberlain's 'Foundations of the Nineteenth Century' promote?

It portrayed an ultimate struggle between Jews and Aryans, suggesting an inevitable war between them.

What was the name of Hitler's father before it was changed?

Alois Schicklegruber.

What magazine, promoting racial purity and struggle, influenced most of Hitler's early ideas?

Ostara.

Who did Hitler learn from regarding avoiding opposition from the Church and mastering effective message delivery in politics?

He learned from Georg von Schönerer (to avoid anti-Catholicism) and Karl Lueger (on message delivery).

What were the approximate death and injury counts for World War I?

Approximately 9 million deaths and 22 million injured, displaced, or missing individuals.

Where did a significant portion of Jewish soldiers fight during WWI?

Mainly on the Eastern Front, particularly in the Pale of Settlement and Galicia regions of Russia.

What was the significance of the Armenian Genocide to Hitler's thinking, according to the notes?

Hitler noted that no one remembered the Armenian Genocide, seeing it as proof that war could provide a convenient cover for mass murder.

Why were German Jews particularly eager to enlist in WWI?

They wanted to show their loyalty, gratitude, and commitment to Germany, especially after receiving equal rights in 1871.

What was the symbolic significance of the Battle of Tannenberg in 1914 for the Germans?

It symbolically avenged their loss at the Battle of Grunwald in 1410, which occurred in roughly the same place.

What was Hitler’s actual role in the German army during WWI?

He was a dispatch runner, not serving in the trenches as he later exaggerated.

What was the 'Jew Count' mandated by the German war minister during WWI?

It was an order for all German army units to report how many Jews were enlisted, which was seen as a heavy blow by Jewish soldiers who had enlisted eagerly.

What was the 'Dolchstoss' or 'stab-in-the-back' myth?

A convenient accusation that Germany lost WWI not due to military defeat, but because of Jewish sabotage at home amidst famine and influenza.

What were the main goals of the Treaty of Versailles in 1919?

To create lasting peace by restricting the German military, confiscating territory (Rhineland, Alsace-Lorraine, Danzig, colonies), and placing financial burdens on Germany through Article 231, the 'guilt clause'.

What political system replaced the German Empire after WWI?

The Weimar Republic, an attempt at democracy declared by Scheidemann.

What were the 'Freikorps', and who did they target?

Paramilitary organizations that emerged post-WWI chaos, utilized to fight the political left, and where many Nazis originated. They targeted left-leaning politicians like Rosa Luxemburg and Walter Rathenau.

What was Article 48 of the Weimar Constitution?

It was a proposition that allowed decision-making power to be revoked from the parliament and given to the president in emergencies, which had a significant caveat regarding what constituted an emergency.

What was the 'DAP' and how did Hitler initially get involved?

The DAP was the German Workers Party, headed by Anton Drexler. Hitler initially came to a meeting in 1919 as a military spy but quickly found that he liked their ideas.

What were some key ideas included in Hitler's '25-point program' presented in his 1920 speech?

Unification of Germany, demanding land and colonies back, and claiming that the German race was only of German blood, excluding Jews.

What was the name of the Nazi's paramilitary unit, also known as the 'Brownshirts'?

The Sturmabteilung (SA).

What was the 'Beer Hall Putsch'?

A violent coup organized by the Nazis to gain more power, which resulted in Hitler receiving a 5-year sentence (of which he served only 9 months).