Night of the Long Knives

The SA was a paramilitary group set up by Hitler in 1921 to attack political rivals. Its
leader was Ernst Röhm.

The SA had been very important in getting Hitler into power in January 1933 and in
securing the Enabling Act in March 1933, but by 1934 Hitler wanted to get rid of this
organisation.

Hitler had a number of motives for wanting to eliminate the SA:

 The SA was demanding the Nazis introduce major social change, but Hitler
was worried their left-wing ideas would alienate the groups he depended on
most, i.e. the middle class, businessmen and industrialists.
 The SA had two million members and it wanted to take over the much smaller
army. Hitler did not want to annoy the military because it could overthrow him
and he needed them to co-operate with his ambitious foreign policy.
 Hitler believed the SA was the only group that could stop him achieving a
dictatorship.

On 30 June 1934, Hitler ordered the SS (i.e. the Schutzstaffel who were Hitler's
personal body guards) to murder approximately 400 people, including Röhm.

They were mostly SA leaders but also included were a number of other opponents
that Hitler wanted to eliminate, like the previous Chancellor, Kurt von Schleicher.

In public, Hitler justified the slaughter by accusing the SA of being homosexuals and
plotting against Germany.

On 3 July 1934, the Reichstag passed a law retrospectively legalising the Night of
the Long Knives.

The Night of the Long Knives was very significant because:

 it destroyed all opposition to Hitler within the Nazi Party;

 it gave more power to the brutal SS, which became more important than the
Nazi Party in running the dictatorship;
 it discouraged potential opponents because they knew they would be dealt
with ruthlessly.
 What Hitler gained from the Night of The Long Knives
 Allows him to become “Fuhrer” when Hindenburg dies because army now
support him
 Complete loyalty of the army with an oath.
 Embarrassing and out of date SA removed – gives Hitler more support from
ordinary Germans.
 Makes Hitler appear ruthless and become more feared among other Nazi
leaders
 Gives Hitler chance to build up his new group, the SS.
1
1.control of the Reichstag: January - March 1933
The Law for the Protection of People and State

In January 1933, the majority of the seats in the Reichstag belonged to Hitler’s rivals.
This was a problem because he needed to gain control of two-thirds of the seats in
order to change the constitution from a democracy to a dictatorship.

He therefore convinced President Hindenburg to call a new Reichstag election for

March 1933. This set off a series of events that ended with Hitler becoming a
dictator.

On 27 February 1933, a few days before the election, the Reichstag building was
set on fire.

A Dutch communist, Marinus van der Lubbe, was caught in the burning parliament.

Hitler used the fire as an excuse to persuade President Hindenburg there was a
communist plot to overthrow the government.

The President, who had the power to issue a decree in an emergency, approved the
Law for the Protection of People and State.

The Law for the Protection of People and State was an important step in Hitler
becoming a dictator. It removed many people’s civil rights.

Anyone suspected of plotting against the government could be arrested and

imprisoned without trial.

Hitler used the decree to disrupt the election campaigns of his main rivals by putting
many Communist Party (KPD) leaders in prison, confiscating their literature, closing
their offices and using the SA (Sturmabteilung), better known as the Brownshirts, to
break-up their meetings.

2.The Reichstag Election

A few days after the fire, in the election on 5 March 1933, 44 per cent of the German
people voted for the Nazis, who won 288 seats in the Reichstag. This was still not
the two-thirds majority Hitler needed, but this did not stop him.

When the Reichstag met on 23 March 1933 Hitler was able to secure the passing of
an important law, the Enabling Act by:

 using the decree for the Protection of People and State to ban the
Communist Party (KPD);
 arresting some non-Nazi deputies;
  persuading the Nationalist Party to support him;
 obtaining the Centre Party’s cooperation and obedience by promising to
protect the rights of Catholics and cancelling the Law for the Protection of
People and State;
 arranging for the SA to intimidate other parties.

3.The Enabling Act

On the 23rd of March 1933, the Enabling Act was passed by the Reichstag 441
votes to 94.

This Act gave Hitler the right to make laws without the Reichstag’s approval for the
next four years.

Arguably this was the most critical event during this period. It gave Hitler
absolute power to make laws, which enabled him to destroy all opposition to his rule.

This Act removed the Reichstag as a source of opposition. The Reichstag rarely met
for the remainder of Hitler’s time in power.

4. Creating a one-party state

Within months of the passing of the Enabling Act, Hitler removed most sources of
political opposition.

 He merged the Nazi and the Nationalist Parties.

 The Centre Party (Catholic Party) disbanded voluntarily in return for Hitler
agreeing not to interfere in Catholic schools and youth movements.
 Socialists and communists, who had not already fled, were put in prison.
 In March, local parliaments were closed and then re-established with Nazi
majorities.
 In April, Nazis took over key posts in local governments. Jews and other
political enemies were removed from the civil service.
 In July 1933, other political parties were banned. The Law Against the
Formation of New Parties meant only the Nazi Party was allowed to exist.
Therefore, when the Reichstag and local governments met, which was
infrequently, all the deputies were Nazis.
 In January 1934, the Law for the Reconstruction of the State abolished
Germany’s state governments, apart from Prussia.

These changes made Germany a one-party state and destroyed democracy in

the country.

When a new Reichstag election was held in December 1933, the Nazis won 92 per
cent of the vote.
5. Making himself Führer
When President Hindenburg died on 2 August, Hitler did not hold an election to
replace him. Instead, he declared himself jointly President, Chancellor and Head of
the Army and he became known as the Führer (leader).

This formally made Hitler the absolute ruler of Germany. He now also had the
President’s power of decree and the ability to call and dismiss the Reichstag when
he wanted.

6. Ensuring the loyalty of the army

During the previous regime, the Weimar Republic, the army had helped to
undermine the government. Hitler was determined this would not happen to him.

He gained control of the army in a number of ways:

 He increased his popularity with them by eliminating the SA. The army had
disliked the SA because it was setting itself up as a rival to it.
 Members of the army had to swear a personal Oath of Allegiance (i.e.
unconditional obedience) to Hitler, not Germany.
 Hitler kept the army out of politics by keeping it busy with conscription and
later rearmament.

These actions put down any sources of opposition to Hitler within the army.

7Gleichschaltung

Gleichschaltung meant the co-ordination of all aspects of life in Germany to fit in with
Hitler’s ideas and his authority.

Hitler extended his power to key organisations either by taking them over, abolishing
them, or doing a deal with them.

 Trade unions were abolished. On 2 May 1933, their leaders were arrested,
their funds confiscated and strikes declared illegal. Workers lost the right to
negotiate wage increases and improvements in working conditions. All
workers had to join the German Labour Front (DAF), which was run by Dr.
Robert Ley. Within two years, 20 million workers had joined DAF. They gave
up their workers’ rights in return for the perks offered by the new Strength
Through Joy (KdF) movement and because they feared the SS.
 The Catholic church signed an agreement with Hitler. The Concordat
(agreement) was signed with the Pope in July 1933. It allowed Hitler to
increase his power in Germany without opposition from the Catholic Church,
in return for the latter being allowed to run its schools and youth movement
 without interference. However, Hitler did not keep his promise and by 1935
there was friction between the Catholic Church and the Nazis.
 The establishment of the People's Courts. Hitler set up the Nazi People's
Courts where judges had to swear an oath of loyalty to the Nazis.
 Nazification of local government and elimination of rival political parties was
also part of Gleichschaltung.

By August 1934, Hitler was in control of Germany.

He held a plebiscite (referendum) on 19 August 1934. Almost 90 per cent voted that
they approved of Hitler becoming Führer.

8.

.
 Date Event
30 January 1933 Hitler appointed Chancellor
27 February
Reichstag fire
1933
5 March 1933 Reichstag Election
23 March 1933 Enabling Act
4 April 1933 Jews and other opponents removed from the civil service
26 April 1933 Local government reorganised
2 May 1933 Trade Unions abolished
19 May 1933 DAF set up
20 June 1933 Concordat with Rome
14 July 1933 Only the Nazi Party allowed to exist.
24 April 1934 People's Courts set up
30 June 1934 Night of the Long Knives
Hindenburg dies. Hitler becomes Führer. Army swears allegiance
2 August 1934
to Hitler
19 August 1934 Plebiscite. Hitler confirmed as Führer