>>2527939I think there is a cultural dimension to it. You can talk about materialism, but there's a certain mindset involved that blames the failure of the small business on "the jews", versus recognizing it's basic capitalism.
I've seen petite bourgeoisie come to this to the latter conclusion. So why then didn't (seemingly) most German small proprietors? The answer imo is not simply "materialism" as class and wealth, but German culture as a whole at a time. And the legacy of patriarchy, organized religion, militarism and other institutions. It's not like every worker joined the KDP either, and Germans at the time weren't illiterate with no access to libraries, newspapers, schools and universities.
When your response to the failure of the family business is a pogrom there's a lot more going on here than simply being a member of the downwardly mobile petite bourgeoisie.