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The arrest
and deportation of several hundred Jews to Buchenwald in February
1941 horrified the inhabitants of Amsterdam. Communist Party
activists declared a strike and, in their manifesto, demanded an
enhancement of social benefits and the release of the Jewish
prisoners. The strike spread rapidly as all segments of the
population, irrespective of their adherence to the Communist
platform, shut down all means of transport, large enterprises, and
public services. By the next day, the strike spread to the towns
around Amsterdam. The Germans, although surprised by the extent of
the strike, countered it with massive forces and stamped it out by
its third day. The failure of the strike prompted the Germans to
toughen their anti-Jewish policies.
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