[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. [27] While von Papen's resignation as vice-chancellor would not have threatened Hitler's position, it would have nonetheless been an embarrassing display of independence from a leading conservative. This night of brutal murder and elimination of the Sturm Abteilung (SA) gave Hitler the support of the army, which he need for both the creation of a totalitarian state and his future foreign policy and also relieved the pressures on Hitler. [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. It will first explore this topic in chronological order, from the Reichstag Fire through to the death of President Hindenburg, and then explore it thematically in the last section. Chancellor Adolf Hitler, urged on by Hermann Gring and Heinrich Himmler, ordered a series of political extrajudicial executions . Gring declared that the communists had planned a national uprising to overthrow the Weimar Republic. Whilst the purge focused on the SA, the Nazis also used the event to eliminate other political opponents, such as the former chancellor Kurt von Schleicher. Plenary: Form a circle of 6-8 students and paraphrase passport everything you have learnt about the Night of the Long Knives. The crowd, which included party members and many SA members fortunate enough to escape arrest, shouted its approval. To ensure quality for our reviews, only customers who have purchased this resource can review it . The Night of the Long Knives: the bloody purge that secured Hitler's power. "[46], Some SA members died saying "Heil Hitler" because they believed that an anti-Hitler SS plot had led to their execution. Under pressure from Hitler, Rhm reluctantly signed a pledge stating that he recognised the supremacy of the Reichswehr over the SA. [1] More than a thousand perceived opponents were arrested. On the 31 January 1933, Hitler, conscious of his lack of a majority in the Reichstag, immediately called for new elections to try and strengthen his position. Reorganisation and the Bamberg Conference, The role of economic instability in the Nazi rise to power, The role of political instability in the Nazi rise to power, The role of the conservative elite in the Nazi rise to power. isabellaaellis. Excellency, save Germany for the fourth time! President Paul von Hindenburg appointed Hitler chancellor on 30 January 1933. The leaders of the SA were ordered to attend a meeting at a hotel in Bad Wiesse, Bavaria. To take control of cultural policy, the Nazis appointed Joseph Goebbels as Minister for Public Engagement and Propaganda on the 13 March 1933. Rhm was very critical of Hitler's policies of working with rich businessmen and the army. He lifted his arm in the Nazi salute and called out "Heil Hitler, I love Germany. 5. impact of nazi foreign policy mrmarr 4.9K views . Rhm left the Reichswehr in 1923 and later became commander of the SA. Hitler entitled the purge the 'Night of the Long Knives' - a reference to the lyrics from a popular Nazi song. He was now a dictator. The Nazis immediately used the Enabling Law to remove civil rights. 8. This meant, as well as removing other personal freedoms, that the Nazis could now imprison their political opposition for an indefinite period for any, or no, reason. The purge list is drawn up. 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. The SA and the SS had also been on a month long campaign of violence to scare or imprison other opponents to the party. Night of the Long Knives 30 June 1934. Rhm wanted to have his troops incorporated into the new Wehrmacht that was being prepared to take the place of the Reichswehr, despite the fact that the conservative-minded generals were resolutely opposed to any such contamination of the army by the SA. Among the few exceptions were General Kurt von Hammerstein-Equord and Field Marshal August von Mackensen, who started a campaign to have Schleicher rehabilitated by Hitler. [35] Goebbels emphasised this aspect in subsequent propaganda justifying the purge as a crackdown on moral turpitude. This new law gave Hitler the power to rule by decree rather than passing laws through the Reichstag and the president. Consumed with rage, Hitler denounced "the worst treachery in world history". [38] Joseph Goebbels, who had been with Hitler at Bad Wiessee, set the final phase of the plan in motion. "Rhm was given the opportunity to draw the consequences of his treacherous behaviour," said Hitler in . When the Nazi regime did not take such steps, those who had expected an economic as well as a political revolution were disillusioned. [69], Hindenburg never responded to the memo, and it remains unclear whether he even saw it, as Otto Meiner, who decided that his future was aligned with the Nazis, may not have passed it along. The trial of Van der Lubbe following the Reichstag fire. [h], The action Hitler took would not only defang Rhm and the SA as a potential threat to Hitler's personal control of the Nazi Party, but would also serve to strengthen his relationship with the Wehrmacht the German armed forces which had long considered the SA to be their primary rival, the SA at times outnumbering the military in manpower.[10]. 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. [18], Finally, in early 1934, the growing rift between Rhm and Hitler over the role of the SA in the Nazi state led former chancellor General Kurt von Schleicher to start playing politics again. "[9], Hitler's speech signalled his intention to rein in the SA, whose ranks had grown rapidly in the early 1930s. Political instability in the Weimar Republic, Hyperinflation and the invasion of the Ruhr, Strength and weaknesses of the Weimar Republic. They will . [47], Rhm was held briefly at Stadelheim Prison[j] in Munich, while Hitler considered his future. In the judicial system specifically, this act removed any judges that were deemed non-compliant with Nazi laws or principles. Within weeks of Rhms death, Hitler made an attempt to settle the question of union with Austria through simple violence. If that was indeed true then, as a legal matter, the law was entirely unnecessary and redundant. [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. 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. Rhm's contempt for the party's bureaucracy angered Hess. On 7 April 1943, the SS shut down the Chemno death camp for the first time. The Reichstag, the German lower house of parliament, was set on fire on the 27 February 1933. "[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. He wanted the Nazi Party to focus on socialist policies to support . Purge in Nazi Germany from 30 June to 2 July 1934, Papen, nonetheless, remained in his position although people quite close to him were murdered, including, "At least eighty-five people are known to have been summarily killed without any formal legal proceedings being taken against them. Reviews Something went wrong, please try again later. The Nazis also took steps to ensure they couldnt be openly opposed in the press. Over 150 people were murdered and hundreds more were arrested. It established Hitler as "the supreme leader of the German people", as he put it in his 13 July speech to the Reichstag. On 27 February 1933, as the campaign moved into its final, frantic days, theReichstag, the German Parliament building, was set on fire and burnt down. 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. The army almost unanimously applauded the Night of the Long Knives, even though the generals Kurt von Schleicher and Ferdinand von Bredow were among the victims. The atmosphere of uncertainty following the Reichstag Fire secured many voters for the Nazi party. The Night of the Long Knives was extremely significant in the establishment of the Nazi dictatorship and ultimately Hitler's power. The Night of Long Knives, one of most noteworthy events during Hitler's rule, was a purge that occurred on the 30th June 1934. . This also lead to the Oath Of Loyalty which was. retrospectively Blomberg, Hitler and Goebbels. [78], The term "long knives" as a metonym for treachery and violence had been used to describe the Treason of the Long Knives since this incident was recorded in the 9th century Historia Brittonum. Several of Hitler's lieutenants feared Rhm's growing power and restlessness, as did Hitler. Gring's personal police battalion also took part in the killings. [k] Signed into law by Hitler, Grtner, and Minister of the Interior Wilhelm Frick, the "Law Regarding Measures of State Self-Defence" retroactively legalized the murders committed during the purge. On 13 July 1934 the Reichstag coalition [21] Brning fled to the Netherlands while Schleicher dismissed the tip-off as a bad practical joke. [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. This photograph shows the SA as they marched victoriously through the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin the same day. "A very calm and easy going mailman," the diarist Victor Klemperer wrote, "who is not at all National Socialist, said, 'Well, he simply sentenced them.'" Answer (1 of 5): if you were Ernst Rohm, or former conniving Chancellor Gen von Schleicher or his wife, the consequences were terminal. From the airport they drove to the Bavarian Interior Ministry, where they assembled the leaders of an SA rampage that had taken place in city streets the night before. [75] Lutze did little to assert the SA's independence in the coming years, and the organization lost its power in Germany. Prisons soon became stretched for space. ultimate power over Germany, whilst maintaining an However, it did so under the guise of legality, and protecting the German people and their democracy. consolidate 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. Corrections? In Berlin, on Gring's personal orders, an armed SS unit stormed the Vice-Chancellery. Rhm was given the nickname "The Machine Gun King of Bavaria" in the early 1920s, since he was responsible for storing and issuing illegal machine guns to the Bavarian Freikorps units. The first concentration camp, Dachau, opened in a broken-down munitions factory on the 20 March 1933, imprisoning primarily political prisoners. 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. Language links are at the top of the page across from the title. In a new pair Rally Coach this worksheet. Source starter, video introducing the night of the long knives, source analysis assessing causes and consequences of the night of the long knives, describe 4 mark question built in and overall judgement building on the learning sequence of the most significant reason Hitler was able to establish a dictatorship. (29-30 June 1934) The name coined by Hitler for a weekend of murders throughout Germany. Omissions? In this photo, Rhm is talking to a group of SA men, who appear to be listening intently. The Night of Long Knives, also known as the Rhm Putsch, was the purge of the SA leadership and other political opponents from 30 June 1934 to 2 July 1934. Although many Germans approached the official news of the events as described by Joseph Goebbels with a great deal of scepticism, many others took the regime at its word, and believed that Hitler had saved Germany from a descent into chaos. [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 support of respected individuals such as von Papen and Hindenburgs son, Oskar von Hindenburg, gave the Nazis further legitimacy for these actions. Just two months later, on 14 July 1933 the Nazis used the Enabling Act to ban all political parties except the Nazi Party. Centuries of jurisprudence proscribing extrajudicial killings were swept aside. We were close personal friends; we often dined together in Berlin. By June 1934 this had grown to over 3,000,000 members. 20 terms. government, under President Hindenburg. "[77], Rhm was purged from all Nazi propaganda, such as The Victory of Faith, the Leni Riefenstahl film about the 1933 Nuremberg rally, which showed Rhm frequently alongside Hitler. [37] Arriving back at party headquarters in Munich, Hitler addressed the assembled crowd. The murders of SA leaders were also intended to improve the image of the Hitler government with a German public that was increasingly critical of thuggish SA tactics. Blomberg, who had been meeting with the president, uncharacteristically reproached Hitler for not having moved against Rhm earlier. Hitler ordered him, as one prominent historian described it, to put an end to "homosexuality, debauchery, drunkenness, and high living" in the SA. You were murdered June 30-July 2, 1934, the Night of the Long Knives. Hitler feared that the SA and Ernst Rhm, their leader, were a potential threat to his leadership. 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. Over the next two days, most of the SA leadership were placed under arrest and murdered without trial. Rhm was a potential rival to Hitler's position. Night of the Long Knives: newspaper coverage, Third Reich: The Rhm affair and the Night of the Long Knives, This article was most recently revised and updated by, https://www.britannica.com/event/Night-of-the-Long-Knives, Spartacus Educational - Night of the Long Knives, History Learning Site - The Night of the Long Knives, Alpha History - The Night of the Long Knives, German soldiers swearing allegiance to Adolf Hitler. Its membership plummeted from 2.9 million in August 1934 to 1.2 million in April 1938. Germany feared revolution. Lippert was convicted and sentenced to 18 months in prison.[50]. It followed a secret deal between himself and units of his personal bodyguard, the SS. Gleichschaltung was the process of the Nazi Party taking control over all aspects of Germany. 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. This photograph was taken the same day, showing the Reichstag still burning. Hitler's entire life was one of making key-life and death-strategic decisions, successfully. By the end of it, Hitler's party had been shaken by a major crisis, and the long knives were put quietly back in their box while all the Fhrer kept out was a wary ear. Ernst Rhm was murdered in the event known as the Rhm Putsch, or the Night of Long Knives. An atmosphere of panic and terror followed the event. During a trip to Warsaw in January 1935, Gring told Jan Szembek that Schleicher had urged Hitler in January 1933 to reach an understanding with France and the Soviet Union, and partition Poland with the latter, and Hitler had Schleicher killed out of disgust with the alleged advice. The Night of the Long Knives was the least important factor, as it did no help much towards Hitler's consolidation of power. Thus from June 30 to July 2, 1934, which the chancellor later titled the Night of the Long Knives, Hitler purged any and all opposition in his way to a dictatorship. Once inside Rhm's cell, they handed him a Browning pistol loaded with a single cartridge and told him he had ten minutes to kill himself or they would do it for him. 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. Moreover, it was not just the Reichswehr that viewed the SA as a threat. illusion Also killed that night were hundreds of other perceived opponents of Hitler. The Night of the Long Knives was a turning point for the German government. [68] Besides working for the rehabilitation of Schleicher and Bredow, Hammerstein and Mackensen sent a memo to Hindenburg on 18 July setting out in considerable detail the circumstances of the murders of the two generals and noted that Papen had barely escaped. [i] Rhm, as one of the earliest members of the Nazi Party, had participated in the Munich Beer Hall Putsch, an attempt by Hitler to seize power by force in 1923. He dismissed seven ministers - one-third of the cabinet - and . [69] The memo asked that Hindenburg instead create a directorate to rule Germany, comprising the Chancellor (who was not named), General Werner von Fritsch as Vice-Chancellor, Hammerstein as Minister of Defense, the Minister for National Economy (also unnamed), and Rudolf Nadolny as Foreign Minister. Complete a Diamond 9 of the consequences of the Night of the Long Knives. "It was plain that there was wide acceptance of the deliberately misleading propaganda put out by the regime. [3] It established Hitler as the supreme administrator of justice of the German people, as he put it in his 13 July speech to the Reichstag. First was his old comrade Ernst Rhm, chief of staff of the SA (Sturmabteilung; German: Assault Division), or Brownshirts. The long term impact brought forth by the consequences or legacy of the Nazi party included a population decrease and an increase in deaths. [38], Although Hitler presented no evidence of a plot by Rhm to overthrow the regime, he nevertheless denounced the leadership of the SA. "[35] Having heard nothing in the allotted time, they returned to Rhm's cell at 14:50 to find him standing, with his bare chest puffed out in a gesture of defiance. In reality, the laws that the Nazis put forward secured their future as the sole ruling party in Germany. Gleichschaltung was applied across every possible aspect of government policy. Wilhelm Miklas, and recalled his minister from Vienna. [21] By the beginning of June everything was set and all that was needed was permission from Hitler. 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 . This act was reinforced by the German Civil Service code of 26 January 1937, which retired any judges or judicial official who would not intervene in cases and rule in favour of the Nazis. Also killed that night were hundreds of other perceived opponents of Hitler. The Nazi Party used the atmosphere of panic to their advantage, encouraging anti-communism. 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. Night of the Long Knives, (June 30, 1934) Purge of Nazi leaders by Adolf Hitler. The consolidation of power that had begun barely a month before with the purge of Rhm and the SA was complete. Hitler announced that he would occupy this new role. On the 28 February 1933, President Hindenburg signed the Emergency Decree for the Protection of the German People. 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