consequences of the night of the long knives

Only the SPD opposed it. coalition [45] Then, on 13 July 1934,[52] Hitler justified the purge in a nationally broadcast speech to the Reichstag: If anyone reproaches me and asks why I did not resort to the regular courts of justice, then all I can say is this. [17] While Hitler did not take immediate action against Rhm for his intemperate outburst, it nonetheless deepened the rift between them. [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. The day after the fire, Hindenburg signed the Emergency Decree for the Protection of the German People. [g] Many stormtroopers believed in the socialist promise of National Socialism and expected the Nazi regime to take more radical economic action, such as breaking up the vast landed estates of the aristocracy. 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. Tes paid licenceHow can I reuse this? 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. 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. The Foreign Office even complained of instances where brownshirts manhandled foreign diplomats. Omissions? The decree also removed basic personal freedoms, such as the freedom of speech, the right to own property, and the right to trial before imprisonment. 9. 8. One of the men Gring recruited to assist him was Willi Lehmann, a Gestapo official and NKVD spy. On 7 April 1943, the SS shut down the Chemno death camp for the first time. Hitler arrived and personally placed Rhm and other high ranking SA leaders under arrest. AQA 8145 - Night of the Long Knives | Teaching Resources [42] The Gestapo also murdered Erich Klausener, the leader of Catholic Action, and a close Papen associate. [31] On 27 June, Hitler moved to secure the army's cooperation. [51] Meanwhile, Goebbels tried to prevent newspapers from publishing lists of the dead, but at the same time used a 2 July radio address to describe how Hitler had narrowly prevented Rhm and Schleicher from overthrowing the government and throwing the country into turmoil. [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. Hitler feared that the SA and Ernst Rhm, their leader, were a potential threat to his leadership. Prisons soon became stretched for space. Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). Also killed that night were hundreds of other perceived opponents of Hitler. ", Coincidentally, Hitler had been incarcerated at. SS men stormed the hotel, and Hitler personally placed Rhm and other high-ranking SA leaders under arrest. Night of the Long Knives - Achieving Total Power - July 1933 - August Fearing that the paramilitary SA had become too powerful, Hitler ordered his elite SS guards to murder the organization's leaders, including Ernst Rhm. In this photo, Rhm is talking to a group of SA men, who appear to be listening intently. 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. 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. 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. Terror and intimidation became one of the main ways that the Nazis sought to control or suppress their opposition, and Germans in general. The Centre Partys vote was crucial. Rhm demurred, telling them, "If I am to be killed, let Adolf do it himself. [23] Himmler envied the independence and power of the SA, although by this time he and Heydrich had already begun restructuring the SS from a bodyguard formation for Nazi leaders (and a subset of the SA) into its own independent elite corps, one loyal to both himself and Hitler. Hitler travelled to Munich by plane with . Hitler ordered him, as one prominent historian described it, to put an end to "homosexuality, debauchery, drunkenness, and high living" in the SA. info)), or the Rhm purge (German: Rhm-Putsch), also called Operation Hummingbird (German: Unternehmen Kolibri), was a purge that took place in Nazi Germany from 30 June to 2 July 1934. This included Vice-Chancellor Papen and those in his immediate circle. Whilst the pseudo-legal measures were one factor that helped the Nazis to consolidate power, another was terror and intimidation. The atmosphere of uncertainty following the Reichstag Fire secured many voters for the Nazi party. [5] In June 1932, one of the worst months of political violence, there were more than 400 street battles, resulting in 82 deaths. 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]. Night of the Long Knives - Cunning History Teacher The speed and scale of the reshuffle caused it to be associated by its critics with the 1934 Night of the Long Knives in Nazi Germany . Rhm was a potential rival to Hitler's position. Consequences of the Night of the Long Knives Flashcards | Quizlet Through the use of primary sources, students will gain a deeper understanding of the motivations, actions, and consequences of the Night of the Long Knives. In British politics, the " Night of the Long Knives " was a major Cabinet reshuffle that took place on 13 July 1962. The Night of the Long Knives L.O. Gleichschaltung was applied across every possible aspect of government policy. : Why did Hitler order the massacre of hundreds of Nazis. isabellaaellis. Night of the Long Knives 30 June 1934. Gring alone had over a thousand people arrested. The consolidation of power that had begun barely a month before with the purge of Rhm and the SA was complete. Conservatives in the army, industry and politics placed Hitler under increasing pressure to reduce the influence of the SA and to move against Rhm. The Reichstag, the German lower house of parliament, was set on fire on the 27 February 1933. 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. The Gestapo arrested and later executed Papen's close associate Edgar Jung, the author of Papen's Marburg speech, and disposed of his body by dumping it in a ditch. NHS services across England will face major disruption throughout today as nurses walk out in a 28-hour strike over pay. Night Of The Long Knives: Hitler's Purge Of The Nazi Party The Nazis also took several more steps to reduce their political opposition legally. [19] Schleicher criticized the current Hitler cabinet, while some of Schleicher's followers such as General Ferdinand von Bredow and Werner von Alvensleben started passing along lists of a new Hitler cabinet in which Schleicher would become vice-chancellor, Rhm minister of defence, Heinrich Brning foreign minister and Gregor Strasser minister of national economy. Night of the Long Knives - Consolidation of power - WJEC - BBC 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. [35] Schneidhuber was executed later that day. illusion Whilst Gleichschaltung aimed to reach every aspect of rule in Germany, this was not always possible. [7] Complaints of "overbearing and loutish" behaviour by stormtroopers became common by the middle of 1933. In a new pair Rally Coach this worksheet. Hitler had become a chancellor in 1933 henceforth he had the power to establish his power. 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. He lifted his arm in the Nazi salute and called out "Heil Hitler, I love Germany. Night Of The Long Knives: What Happened & Why? | HistoryExtra Night of the Long Knives | History | tutor2u British cartoon by David Low, 1934 They salute with both hands, now! 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. [41] Several leaders of the disbanded Catholic Centre Party were also murdered in the purge. The support of respected individuals such as von Papen and Hindenburgs son, Oskar von Hindenburg, gave the Nazis further legitimacy for these actions. The Nazis secured 43.9% of the vote, an improvement of almost 10% on the previous Novembers election. This continued when a young Dutchcommunist, Van der Lubbe was arrested for the crime. [84], The Night of the Long Knives represented a triumph for Hitler, and a turning point for the German government. On 19 April 1943, the beginning of the liquidation of the Warsaw ghetto was met with organised armed resistance by its residents. The Peoples Court, a court created by the Nazis in April 1934 with judges chosen specifically for their Nazi beliefs, replaced the Supreme Court. They used any space they could get their hands on to create temporary camps. persecution Reichswehr 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 Night of the Long Knives was extremely significant in the establishment of the Nazi dictatorship and ultimately Hitler's power. It was named Der Fhrer schtzt das Recht ("The Fhrer Upholds the Law"). Within weeks of Rhms death, Hitler made an attempt to settle the question of union with Austria through simple violence. 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. This would allow them to rule unopposed and unhindered by coalition governments. In the judicial system specifically, this act removed any judges that were deemed non-compliant with Nazi laws or principles. [41], The regime did not limit itself to a purge of the SA. 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. Now that the NSDAP had seized the reins of power in Germany, he said, it was time to consolidate its control. 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. Rhm was very critical of Hitler's policies of working with rich businessmen and the army. Sixty years ago today, Harold Macmillan carried out a cabinet reshuffle which became known as the 'Night of the Long Knives'. The Nazis aimed to increase their share of the vote so that they would have a majority in the Reichstag. "[74], Hitler named Viktor Lutze to replace Rhm as head of the SA. Following the Enabling Law, much of this harassment and imprisonment was legal. On the 28 February 1933, President Hindenburg signed the Emergency Decree for the Protection of the German People. The Night of the Long Knives was "an act of carnage" which had come out of the blue. Night of the Long Knives - Wikipedia On the 2 May 1933 trade unions were banned. Prime Minister Harold Macmillan dismissed seven members of his Cabinet, one-third of the total. 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. Enraged, Hitler tore the epaulets off the shirt of Obergruppenfhrer August Schneidhuber, the chief of the Munich police, for failing to keep order in the city the previous night. Not content solely with the leadership of the SA, Rhm lobbied Hitler to appoint him Minister of Defence, a position held by the conservative General Werner von Blomberg. The SA evolved out of the remnants of the Freikorps movement of the post-World War I years. The purge list is drawn up. Zanu PF's Night of the Long Knives - Nehanda Radio 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. Nazi propaganda presented the murders as a preventive measure against an alleged imminent coup by the SA under Rhm the so-called Rhm Putsch. 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. Officially 85; estimates range up to 1,000. 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. First was his old comrade Ernst Rhm, chief of staff of the SA (Sturmabteilung; German: Assault Division), or Brownshirts. Reviews Something went wrong, please try again later. 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. 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. [11] Rhm saw violence as a means to political ends. Complete a Diamond 9 of the consequences of the Night of the Long Knives. The legacy of Macmillan's 'Night of the Long Knives' - BBC News [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. [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. Although Hitler ordered him released days later, Papen no longer dared to criticize the regime and was sent off to Vienna as German ambassador.[43]. A firefighter in the burnt out ruins of the Reichstag building. [15] In January 1934, Rhm presented Blomberg with a memorandum demanding that the SA replace the regular army as the nation's ground forces, and that the Reichswehr become a training adjunct to the SA.[16]. "[46], Some SA members died saying "Heil Hitler" because they believed that an anti-Hitler SS plot had led to their execution. Macmillan's 'Night of the Long Knives' was political genius (1962) Over 150 people were murdered and hundreds more were arrested. Hitler told the gathered officials, "The stream of revolution has been undammed, but it must be channelled into the secure bed of evolution. [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.

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