The Night of Broken Glass (1939): In retaliation for the assassination of German diplomat Ernst vom Rath in Paris, SS Propaganda Minister Joseph Goebbels announced a government-sactioned pogrom against Jews.
In Germany and Austria on the night of November 9-10, mobs beat, raped, arrested, and murdered Jews. The mobs also ransacked Jewish-owned stores and burned down synagogues. Firefighters and other government officials stood by and watched the destruction, only helping if non-Jewish businesses or homes were threatened.
The brutality of the night has caused many to consider this the beginning of the Holocaust.
See full article: Kristallnacht
