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The start of the boycott of Jewish shops
Started on April 1st 1933
Hitler claimed this action was a justified retaliation against Jews in Germany and abroad who called for a boycott on German goods
Propaganda campaigns within the boycott
Organised by Goebbel to maximise the impact of the boycott
Carried out by gangs of brown-shirted SA men
SA’s role in the boycott
SA stood outside Jewish businesses to intimidate those who would be customers
Shops were the main target, but SA also intimidated Jewish doctors and lawyers
Disrupted court proceedings involving Jewish lawyers and judges in Berlin
SA attacked Jewish lawyers in the street and had their legal robes stripped
Similar attacks happened to Jewish doctors, school teachers and university lecturers.
Was the boycott successful
Made a big public impact and featured prominently in news in both Germany and foreign countries
However was unclear in Germany what was a ‘Jewish’ business and what wasn’t - many were half-Jewish or half-German in ownership or controlled foreignally
A number of German citizens still used Jewish shops to show thei disapproval of Nazi policies
Boycott was abandoned after one day - even though the SA intended for it to last
What did the boycott show
Showed the unleashing of Nazi violence and the aggressive new dictatorship just a week after the passing of the Enabling Act
Hitler’s view on the shop boycott
Hitler wasn’t enthusiastic about a ‘revolution from below’, bringing chaos in Germany
Wanted to keep SA under control - was concerned about adverse reactions from conservative allies in Germany or from foreign public opinion
Possible that Hitler only intended for the boycott to be a brief affair
In order to avoid instablity among the German citizens whilst he carried out his ‘legal revolution’
Arguably for Hitler anti-Semitic violence was a two-edged sword - just enough and the Nazis could claim that only they could maintain order in an unstable Germany
However too much and Hitler’s position might be threatened by the conservative elites whom he depended on
Note 
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