Hindenburg died on August 2, 1934. The SA also ran a violent campaign of terror against any and all opponents of the Nazi regime. The Nazis consolidation of power can be grouped into three main themes: pseudo-legality, terror and intimidation and pseudo-moderation. First was his old comrade Ernst Rhm, chief of staff of the SA (Sturmabteilung; German: Assault Division), or Brownshirts. On 25 April 1933, the Law Against Overcrowding in Schools and Universities was issued, restricting the number of Jewish students. And realize that this is Germany that was a Rechtsstaat, the Germans always say, a state with laws. In this hour I was responsible for the fate of the German people, and thereby I became the supreme judge of the German people. Night of the Long Knives 30 June 1934. The strike, which will end just before midnight, comes after a High Court . As the stormtroopers were hustled off to prison, Hitler assembled a large group of SS and regular police, and departed for the Hanselbauer Hotel in Bad Wiessee, where Ernst Rhm and his followers were staying.[36]. [64] One retired captain, Erwin Planck, seemed to realize this: "If you look on without lifting a finger", he said to his friend, General Werner von Fritsch, "you will meet the same fate sooner or later. Although President Hindenburg and the Reichstag continued to exist, Hitler could now govern by decree. The widows of the murdered SA leaders received between 1,000 and 1,600 marks a month, depending on the rank of the murdered person. Until then, Lippert had been one of the few executioners of the purge to evade trial. This photograph shows the SA as they marched victoriously through the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin the same day. [83], Before its execution, the purges instigators referred to the plans under the codename Hummingbird (German: Kolibri), the word used to command execution squads into action on 30 June. A very large number of the Freikorps believed that the November Revolution had betrayed them when Germany was alleged to be on the verge of victory in 1918. The result was that it was made Hitler the undisputed leader of the Nazis and by extension Germany. This fear was Significance of the Night of the Long Knives for Hitler's Power This included Vice-Chancellor Papen and those in his immediate circle. Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree. In response, Hitler met Blomberg and the leadership of the SA and SS on 28 February 1934. With the army limited by the Treaty of Versailles to one hundred thousand soldiers, its leaders watched anxiously as membership in the SA surpassed three million men by the beginning of 1934. [82] However, the term was soon adopted by the Nazis themselves to invoke what they saw as justifiable and necessary measures taken by Germanic peoples against an enemy. The purge of the SA was kept secret until it was announced by Adolf Hitler on July 13. Hitler formally adopted this title in April 1942, thus placing himself above the reach of the law de jure and de facto. It followed a secret deal between himself and units of his personal bodyguard, the SS. The Party had generally been aligned with the Social Democrats and Catholic Church during the rise of Nazism, being critical of Nazi ideology, but voting nonetheless for the Enabling Act of 1933 which granted Hitler dictatorial authority. "It was plain that there was wide acceptance of the deliberately misleading propaganda put out by the regime. How Did the Night of the Long Knives Help Hitler | Bartleby [38], Although Hitler presented no evidence of a plot by Rhm to overthrow the regime, he nevertheless denounced the leadership of the SA. [6], Hitler's appointment as chancellor, followed by the suppression of all political parties except the Nazis, did not end the violence of the stormtroopers. The Liberals' future leader, Jeremy Thorpe, mocked Macmillan by observing . Political instability in the Weimar Republic, Hyperinflation and the invasion of the Ruhr, Strength and weaknesses of the Weimar Republic. The trial of Van der Lubbe following the Reichstag fire. "[74], Hitler named Viktor Lutze to replace Rhm as head of the SA. The SS found Breslau SA leader Edmund Heines in bed with an unidentified eighteen-year-old male SA senior troop leader. Hitler's entire life was one of making key-life and death-strategic decisions, successfully. [21], As a means of isolating Rhm, on 20 April 1934, Gring transferred control of the Prussian political police (Gestapo) to Himmler, who, Gring believed, could be counted on to move against Rhm. isabellaaellis. [79] This story would be popularized across western Europe in the 12th century as part of the History of the Britons by Geoffrey of Monmouth, which introduced many of the Arthurian legends to Germany.[80][81]. After this date, the SS lead by Heinrich Himmler was to become far more powerful in Nazi Germany. He held the same position with Rhm as I held with Himmler. In the years preceding the purge, the term "long knives" had become a popular description of treachery in Germany and was used as a criticism of Nazi actions and deceitfulness. The SA traced its dramatic rise in numbers in part to the onset of the Great Depression, when many German citizens lost both their jobs and their faith in traditional institutions. Having earlier imprisoned or exiled prominent Social Democrats and Communists, Hitler used the occasion to move against conservatives he considered unreliable. [66], Rumours about the Night of the Long Knives rapidly spread. With Hitler's arrival in Bad Wiessee between 06:00 and 07:00, the SA leadership, still in bed, were taken by surprise. Hitler's desire to consolidate his power and settle old scores, Desire of Ernst Rhm and the SA to continue "the National Socialist revolution" versus Hitler's need for relative social stability so that the economy could be refocused to rearmament and the German people acclimated to the need for expansion and war, Hitler's need to bring the Reichswehr under his control, Significant reduction in the regime's opposition, Strengthening of relationship between Hitler and the military. How seriously Hitler took the socialist character of National Socialism was to remain one of the main causes of disagreement and division within the Nazi party up to the summer of 1934. A telegram purportedly from the ailing Hindenburg, Germany's highly revered military hero, expressed his "profoundly felt gratitude", and congratulated Hitler for "nipping treason in the bud",[61] although Hermann Gring later admitted during the Nuremberg trials that the telegram was never seen by Hindenburg, and was actually written by the Nazis. "[55] Reich Justice Minister Franz Grtner, a conservative who had been Bavarian Justice Minister in the years of the Weimar Republic, demonstrated his loyalty to the new regime by drafting the statute, which added a legal veneer to the purge. It targeted potential threats to Hitler's power, particularly within the NSDAP's fast-growing and politically vocal paramilitary wing, the Sturmabteilung or SA. 2 Lucy S. Dawidowicz, The War against the Jews, 1933-1945 (New York: Holt, Rinehart and Winston, 1975), 82. By May, lists of those to be "liquidated" started to circulate amongst Gring and Himmler's people, who engaged in a trade, adding enemies of one in exchange for sparing friends of the other. In this photo, Rhm is talking to a group of SA men, who appear to be listening intently. The Night of the Long Knives was the least important factor, as it did no help much towards Hitler's consolidation of power. On the 30 January 1933 Hitler was appointed as chancellor of the Weimar Republic. You were murdered June 30-July 2, 1934, the Night of the Long Knives. While all of these men were veterans of the Nazi movement, only Rhm continued to demonstrate his independence from, rather than his loyalty to, Adolf Hitler. 1 Quoted in Richard J. Evans, The Third Reich in Power (New York: Penguin Books, 2005), 37-38. concentration camp Over the next two days, most of the SA leadership were placed under arrest and murdered without trial. If that was indeed true then, as a legal matter, the law was entirely unnecessary and redundant. Refusing to take his own life, he was shot on 1 July 1934 by two SS guards. Reichswehr On the 2 May 1933 trade unions were banned. Hitler arrived and personally placed Rhm and other high ranking SA leaders under arrest. by Gring and Himmler, who gave Hitler news of Rhm organising a potential To ensure quality for our reviews, only customers who have purchased this resource can review it . Night of the Long Knives - SlideShare By the end of May 1934, Hitler had been chancellor for 16 months and dictator for 14 (under the Enabling Act of March 24, 1933), but two obstacles to his absolute power remained. Fearing that the paramilitary SA had become too powerful, Hitler ordered his elite SS guards to murder the organizations leaders, including Ernst Rhm. By the end of May 1934, Hitler had been chancellor for 16 . I gave the order to shoot the ringleaders in this treason, and I further gave the order to cauterise down to the raw flesh the ulcers of this poisoning of the wells in our domestic life. [21] By the beginning of June everything was set and all that was needed was permission from Hitler. On 13 July 1934 the Reichstag He stated that 61 people had been executed and 13 had committed suicide. [49] In 1957, the German authorities tried Lippert in Munich for Rhm's murder. . To make both of these impacts, Hitler had to overcome many hard . Rhm was a potential rival to Hitler's position. [35] Papen was unceremoniously arrested at the Vice-Chancellery, despite his insistent protests that he could not be arrested in his position as Vice-Chancellor. . The primary instruments of Hitler's action, which carried out most of the killings, were the Schutzstaffel (SS) paramilitary force under Himmler and its Security Service (SD), and Gestapo (secret police) under Reinhard Heydrich. consolidate Most officers are too old and have to be replaced by young ones. On 7 April 1943, the SS shut down the Chemno death camp for the first time. It was during this speech that Hitler gave the purge its name: Night of the Long Knives (a phrase from a popular Nazi song). The purge list is drawn up. In 1933, up to 200,000 people were seized and imprisoned by the SA and the SS. [72] Fritsch and Blomberg suddenly now claimed at the end of 1934 that as army officers they could not stand the exceedingly violent press attacks on Schleicher and Bredow that had been going on since July, which portrayed them as the vilest traitors, working against the Fatherland in the pay of France. The History Learning Site, 9 Mar 2015. President Paul von Hindenburg appointed Hitler chancellor on 30 January 1933. In addition to this, there was a mutual dislike between the traditional conservative elite who maintained many key positions in the government and the army during the first years of the Third Reich and the SA. On 1 April 1933, the Nazi Party led a nationwide boycott of Jewish-owned businesses across Germany. Hitler ordered him, as one prominent historian described it, to put an end to "homosexuality, debauchery, drunkenness, and high living" in the SA. The Night of the Long Knives was a helping event in Hitler becoming a dictator. This decree gave the Nazis a legal basis for the The crowd, which included party members and many SA members fortunate enough to escape arrest, shouted its approval. [19] The British historian Sir John Wheeler-Bennett, who knew Schleicher and his circle well, wrote that Bredow displayed a "lack of discretion" that was "terrifying" as he went about showing the list of the proposed cabinet to anyone who was interested. [70] It is noteworthy that even those officers who were most offended by the killings, like Hammerstein and Mackensen, did not blame the purge on Hitler, whom they wanted to see continue as Chancellor; they at most wanted a reorganization of the Cabinet to remove some of Hitler's more radical followers. oppression At least 85 people died during the purge, although the final death toll may have been in the hundreds,[b][c][d] with high estimates running from 700 to 1,000. The Nazis started with the Despite some initial efforts by local prosecutors to take legal action against those who carried out the murders, which the regime rapidly quashed, it appeared that no law would constrain Hitler in his use of power. [38] Joseph Goebbels, who had been with Hitler at Bad Wiessee, set the final phase of the plan in motion. More than a thousand high ranking SA officials (Hitler's militant Nazi storm troopers), including several of Hitler's oldest affiliates were . One key example of an event posed as moderate was the Night of Long Knives. On the 4 October 1933, it was declared that all editors must be Aryan. It was a mass murder planned by the SS for the SA and their members. of democracy. It was named Der Fhrer schtzt das Recht ("The Fhrer Upholds the Law"). This would allow them to rule unopposed and unhindered by coalition governments. : Why did Hitler order the massacre of hundreds of Nazis. Following the purge, the Nazi's sculpted the media coverage to portray the event as a preventative measure against a revolutionary, violent, and . Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions. And let it be known for all time to come that if anyone raises his hand to strike the State, then certain death is his lot. In his speech to the Reichstag on 13 July justifying his actions, Hitler denounced Schleicher for conspiring with Rhm to overthrow the government; Hitler alleged both were traitors working in the pay of France. Local governments proved more difficult to infiltrate, and even at the end of 1945 only 60% of local mayors were Nazi Party members. During the 1920s and 1930s, the SA functioned as a private militia used by Hitler to intimidate rivals and disrupt the meetings of competing political parties, especially those of the Social Democrats and the Communists. While many officers were impressed by Hitler's promises of an expanded army, a return to conscription, and a more aggressive foreign policy, the army continued to guard its traditions of independence during the early years of the Nazi regime. In 1928, the popular Nazi song "Wetzt die langen Messer" (English: Sharpen the long knives) encourages the mass murder of Jewish people and the desecration of Synagogues. Night of the Long Knives | Date, Victims, Summary, & Facts These acts removed peoples ability to oppose the Nazi Party, in any form. [45][41] As Himmler's adjutant Karl Wolff later explained, friendship and personal loyalty were not allowed to stand in the way: Among others, a charming fellow [named] Karl von Spreti, Rhm's personal adjutant. The tension between the SA and the Nazi leadership grew. Blomberg and many of his fellow officers were recruited from the Prussian nobility and regarded the SA as a plebeian rabble that threatened the army's traditional high status in German society. However, the threat of a declaration of martial law from Hindenburg, the only person in Germany with the authority to potentially depose the Nazi regime, put Hitler under pressure to act. As the leader of the SA, Rhm was seen as a threat to Hitlers power. Also killed that night were hundreds of other perceived opponents of Hitler. [37] Arriving back at party headquarters in Munich, Hitler addressed the assembled crowd. Hitler announced to those present that the SA would act as an auxiliary to the Reichswehr, not the other way around. Also in 1932, the Nazi critic Carl von Ossietzky would use the term to describe the then unrealised plans for a violent uprising: At the beginning of 1932 the Nazis seemed on the verge of a dictatorship, and the air was full of the stench of blood. Just two months later, on 14 July 1933 the Nazis used the Enabling Act to ban all political parties except the Nazi Party. Also known as the "brownshirts" or "stormtroopers," the SA became notorious for their street battles with the Communists. Leading members of the leftist-leaning Strasserist faction of the Nazi Party, including its leader Gregor Strasser, were also killed, as were establishment conservatives and anti-Nazis, such as former Chancellor Kurt von Schleicher and Bavarian politician Gustav Ritter von Kahr, who had helped suppress Hitler's Munich Beer Hall Putsch in 1923. "[67] The extent of the massacre and the relative ubiquity of the Gestapo, however, meant that those who disapproved of the purge generally kept quiet about it. Gring instructed police stations to burn "all documents concerning the action of the past two days". [37] Sepp Dietrich received orders from Hitler for the Leibstandarte to form an "execution squad" and go to Stadelheim Prison where certain SA leaders were being held. This decree suspended the democratic aspects of the Weimar Republic and declared a state of emergency. Reviews Something went wrong, please try again later. Rhm's contempt for the party's bureaucracy angered Hess. In conclusion, this lesson plan on Night of the Long Knives Rohm Source Investigation, provides an in-depth examination of one of the most controversial events in modern history. Let the nation know that its existence which depends on its internal order and security cannot be threatened with impunity by anyone! Free Essay: Night of The long Knives - 597 Words | Studymode 9. Omissions? Within weeks of Rhms death, Hitler made an attempt to settle the question of union with Austria through simple violence. As chancellor, Hitler did not command the army, which remained under the formal leadership of Hindenburg, a highly respected veteran field marshal. The Night of the Long Knives L.O. Some of Hitlers other enemies were also murdered, including the last chancellor of the Weimar Republic, Kurt von Schleicher; Gregor Strasser, who until 1932 had been second only to Hitler in the Nazi Party; Bavarian ex-separatist Gustav von Kahr; conservative critic Edgar Jung; and Catholic professor Erich Klausener. Rhm demurred, telling them, "If I am to be killed, let Adolf do it himself. The next German minister there was Papen, with the mission of steering Austro-German relations into a friendly and normal channel again. Soon after arriving in Vienna, he told the U.S. minister, George S. Messersmith, that all of southeastern Europe, to the borders of Turkey, was Germanys natural hinterland and that achieving control of Austria was to be the first step in that direction. Despite this improvement, the Nazis still did not command a majority in the Reichstag. [41], The regime did not limit itself to a purge of the SA. The Night of Long Knives was the purge of the SA leadership and other political opponents from the 30 June 1934 to the 2 July 1934. Hitler remained indecisive and uncertain about just what precisely he wanted to do when he left for Venice to meet Benito Mussolini on 15 June. Precise details remain unknown, but the army is believed to have promised to support Hitler as head of state after Hindenburg's death in return for . [e] Over the next few months, during the so-called Gleichschaltung, Hitler dispensed with the need for the Reichstag of the Weimar Republic as a legislative body[f] and eliminated all rival political parties in Germany, so that by the middle of 1933 the country had become a one-party state under his direction and control. The Night of the Long Knives - the Education Forum [62] General von Reichenau went so far as to publicly give credence to the lie that Schleicher had been plotting to overthrow the government. Historian Gavin Mortimer explains how Hitler nearly came unstuck as early as 1934 - and that the bloody purge that followed was a warning of horrors to come . While Nazism was not exclusively or even primarily a working-class phenomenon, the SA fulfilled the yearning of many unemployed workers for class solidarity and nationalist fervour. The Nazis improvised. Hitler travelled to Munich by plane with . Lippert was convicted and sentenced to 18 months in prison.[50]. 464 Words. AQA 8145 - Night of the Long Knives | Teaching Resources Both Kurt von Schleicher, Hitler's predecessor as Chancellor, and his wife were murdered at their home. Goebbels became responsible for controlling the national media, film, theatre, arts, and other cultural aspects. Consequences of the Night of the long Knives Death of Hindenburg and Fuhrer Army Oath Plenary - hierarchy task. The Night of the Long Knives was extremely significant in the establishment of the Nazi dictatorship and ultimately Hitler's power. The undersigned Generals and senior officers swear to preserve to the last breath their loyalty to you and the Fatherland. As the SA were known for being violent and unruly, many saw this as a legitimate move by the government to ensure public order. However, most accounts argue that as many as 1,000 deaths occurred during the Night of the Long Knives. Gring's personal police battalion also took part in the killings. Hitler shouted at Schneidhuber and accused him of treachery. The Night of the Long Knives - Nazi Germany [69] Mackensen and Hammerstein ended their memo with: Excellency, the gravity of the moment has compelled us to appeal to you as our Supreme Commander. It established Hitler as "the supreme leader of the German people", as he put it in his 13 July speech to the Reichstag. An atmosphere of panic and terror followed the event. Leading officers in the SS were shown falsified evidence on 24 June that Rhm planned to use the SA to launch a plot against the government (Rhm-Putsch). Hitler entitled the purge the 'Night of the Long Knives' - a reference to the lyrics from a popular Nazi song. There were 4 main reasons why the Night of the Long Knives occurred: Ernst Rhm had become too powerful with 3 million SA loyal to him. People could be imprisoned for any or no reason. Through these aspects the Nazis suppressed any opposition to their power, and were able to start the road from democracy to a dictatorship. The Night of the Long Knives. History portrays the infamous 'Night of the Long Knives' as a textbook political disaster, but as a BBC documentary shows on the 50th anniversary, it could have been so different. [34], At about 04:30 on 30 June 1934, Hitler and his entourage flew to Munich. [57][58], A special fund administered by SS General Franz Breithaupt was set up for the relatives of the murdered, from which they were cared for at the expense of the state. Night of the Long Knives - Consolidation of power - WJEC - BBC Our editors will review what youve submitted and determine whether to revise the article. Religion in Dracula. This topic will explore how the Nazis managed to eliminate their opposition and [12] Although nicknamed the "Rubber Lion" by some of his critics in the army for his devotion to Hitler, Blomberg was not a Nazi, and therefore represented a bridge between the army and the party. ", Coincidentally, Hitler had been incarcerated at. She even compared him to Frederick the Great, the 18th-century king of Prussia.[2]. Hitler told the crowd that "undisciplined and disobedient characters and asocial or diseased elements" would be annihilated.