Jewish Berlin POI1 Lustgarten

Lustgarten



 


Joseph Goebbels Calls for a Boycott of Jewish Businesses (April 1, 1933)
 


 


 

Description

The resistance to the anti-Jewish Nazi propaganda in Berlin was evident throughout the twentieth century. In 1933, a Nazi boycott of Jewish businesses too place in April. The centre of the Nazi boycott was at Lustgarten located at, Am Lustgarten 10178, Berlin. This is a garden in central Berlin on Museum Island, which is also used as a park. The area that would become Lustgarten grew vegetables, fruits, and potatoes including flower beds spread out. Lustgarten was formally created into a garden in 1646, but was destroyed in 1713 by Friedrich Wilhelm I so that the ground would be sand for his palace. The site went through more changes, with the lot repurposed for a garden once again in 1790 before used for drilling troops under Napoleon. By 1829, a garden designer, Peter Joseph Lennée, redesigned Lustgarten by commission, yet Adolf Hitler paved it for rallies in 1934, removing the statue and garden look. After the bombing from World War II, Lustgarten regained it's nineteenth century garden look in 1998.

Although Lustgarten experienced many changes, it remains a unique landscape. Lustgarten compliments the classical buildings surrounding it, such as the Altes Museum and Berlinder Dom Cathedral.The site was restored during the 1990s to imitate its original as closely as possible. Lustgarten is significant because is has had several changes during its course. Lustgarten continued its changes to match the era it was in, while complimenting its surroundings. This site held importance for many centuries, each with a different purpose. Lustgarten was an important location in Berlin.


Analysis

Lustgarten's location was significant for the Jewish resistance. Joseph Goebbels gave a speech there April of 1933 declaring that Germans should boycott Jewish businesses. Goebbels wrote in a diary entry that this was a demonstration to the world that Germany can take over the nation without causing too much disturbance. And as mentioned in the "Instructions Given by the National-Socialist Party," Germans were not to buy any goods from a Jew. Goebbels gave a speech at Lustgarten to rally support for the boycott and when observing the photograph from GHDI, it appeared successful, which is noticeable from the photo. However, the German public did not fully cooperate with the boycott. Although some of the Jewish shops were shut down, customers stood outside the stores wanting entry. The public disagreed with the boycott. This was a form of resistance against the anti-Jewish propaganda.

The boycott itself only lasted for three days, which involved armed guards to stand by targeted stores to direct public away without violence. Although this raised awareness against the Jews, it was significant that people resisted the Nazi propaganda. Overall, the boycott was less successful than Goebbels anticipated because he wanted Jews to lose power from important jobs or to flee the country. Ultimately, this was not the case, however, Jews began to fear living in Berlin. People like Julius Streicher, the leader of the boycott campaign, announced that the Jewish population wanted to fight, so Germans will continue until they win. This demonstrates the disrespect that some Germans had for the Jewish population. The rally at Lustgarten sparked this initial resistance to the boycott, which proved successful, as people claimed they wanted in the shops, and it only lasted for three days.

Bibliography

Dawidowicz, Lucy S. The war against the Jews: 1933–1945. Open Road Media, 2010.

Goebbels, Joseph. Goebbels on Jewish Boycotts (1933). Manuscript. Alpha History, Nazi Germany. http://alphahistory.com/nazigermany/goebbels-on-jewish-boycotts-1933/ (accessed November 21, 2017).

"Joseph Goebbels Calls for a Boycott of Jewish Businesses (April 1, 1933)." GHDI – Image. Accessed November 21, 2017. http://germanhistorydocs.ghi-dc.org/sub_image.cfm?image_id=1940

Ladwig-Winters, Simone. "The Attack on Berlin Department Stores (Warenhäuser) After 1933." David Bankier (Hg.): Probing the depths of German antisemitism. German society and the persecution of the Jews 1941 (1933): 246-267.

"Nuremberg Trial Defendants: Julius Streicher." Jewish Virtual Library. Accessed November 21, 2017. http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/nuremberg-trial-defendants-julius-streicher#The%20Ant-Jewish%20Boycott%20of%201933

"Organization of the Anti-Jewish Boycott of April 1, 1933 – Instructions Given by the National-Socialist Party." SHOAH Resource Centre. Accessed November 21, 2017. http://www.yadvashem.org/odot_pdf/Microsoft%20Word%20-%201987.pdf

Roberts, Jeremy. Joseph Goebbels: Nazi Propaganda Minister. The Rosen Publishing Group, 2000.

"Startseite." Link to: Startseite Berlin.de. Accessed November 21, 2017. https://www.berlin.de/en/attractions-and-sights/3560037-3104052-lustgarten.en.html.

Weinberg, Lee. "Lustgarten." [Landscape Architecture Study Tour with Professor Jack Ahern.] Accessed November 21, 2017. https://people.umass.edu/latour/Germany/lweinberg/index.html.


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