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. 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. "[74] Hearing of the murder of former Chancellor Kurt von Schleicher and his wife, he also commented, "We have ceased to live under the rule of law and everyone must be prepared for the possibility that the Nazis will push their way in and put them up against the wall! People could be imprisoned for any or no reason. [28] Hitler had hesitated for months in moving against Rhm, in part due to Rhm's visibility as the leader of a national militia with millions of members. This fear was "[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. Also available as: Gift Options Download Options. With these measures in place, the Nazification of the judicial system was complete. By the end of 1934, the Nazis had managed to infiltrate and take control of every major aspect of German government. British cartoon by David Low, 1934. As such the Nazis justified this measure as implementing necessary security measures, rather than revealing their true motive to remove opposition. Rhm, who was initially 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. The SA (sometimes known as the "Stormtroopers" or "Brownshirts") was the paramilitary organization of the Nazi Party that played a key role in the Nazi . [37] Meanwhile, the SS arrested the other SA leaders as they left their train for the planned meeting with Rhm and Hitler. 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. Despite this, on the whole, Gleichschaltung was largely successful. 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. The Nazi grip on government extended across national, state and local levels. [69] Finally, Hammerstein and Mackensen asked that Hindenburg reorganize the government by firing Baron Konstantin von Neurath, Robert Ley, Hermann Gring, Werner von Blomberg, Joseph Goebbels and Richard Walther Darr from the Cabinet. [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. The Night of the Long Knives (in addition to Hindenburgs deatha few months later) helped Hitler and the Nazi Party to consolidate absolute power in Germany by removing their political opposition. In the cartoon, I can see Hitler standing on a stage, infront of an audience. , was then given the choice of suicide or murder. BUT Some within the Nazi Party opposed Hitler. By the summer of 1934, the SA's numbers had swollen to 2 million men. [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. They used any space they could get their hands on to create temporary camps. The message of the cartoon "They Salute with Both Hands Now" is that in the Night of the Long Knives, Hitler turned on his previously loyal supporters, the SA, in order to consolidate his position by eliminating the threat of Ernst Rohm and the SA and winning over the Army. On 25 June, General Werner von Fritsch placed the Reichswehr on the highest level of alert. [He] died with words "Heil Hitler" on his lips. 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. Why did Hitler turn on the SA in the Night of the Long Knives? 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. [48] Eicke and Lippert then shot Rhm, killing him. To take control of cultural policy, the Nazis appointed Joseph Goebbels as Minister for Public Engagement and Propaganda on the 13 March 1933. An atmosphere of panic and terror followed the event. 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. The Freikorps were nationalistic organizations primarily composed of disaffected, disenchanted, and angry German combat veterans founded by the government in January 1919 to deal with the threat of a Communist revolution when it appeared that there was a lack of loyal troops. Over 150 people were murdered and hundreds more were arrested. . The army's support for the purge, however, would have far-reaching consequences for the institution. 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. [56] Germany's legal establishment further capitulated to the regime when the country's leading legal scholar, Carl Schmitt, wrote an article defending Hitler's 13 July speech. Although President Hindenburg and the Reichstag continued to exist, Hitler could now govern by decree. The Night of the Long Knives - Free download as Word Doc (.doc / .docx), PDF File (.pdf), Text File (.txt) or read online for free. Hitler shouted at Schneidhuber and accused him of treachery. [75] Lutze did little to assert the SA's independence in the coming years, and the organization lost its power in Germany. 95.7% of the population voted. Many of the prisoners were tortured and abused. However, it did so under the guise of legality, and protecting the German people and their democracy. The day after the Reichstag fire, the 28 February 1933, Hindenburg signed a decree giving Hitler emergency powers. persecution 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 stretch of blood. Max Heydebreck, an SA leader in Rummelsburg, denounced the army to his fellow brownshirts, telling them, "Some of the officers of the army are swine. 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. Surrounding this scene, members of the Army and SS stand with their weapons pointing towards the SA members. How useful is the cartoon in helping us to understand the events that occurred during The Night of the Long Knives? "They give . Hitler announced to those present that the SA would act as an auxiliary to the Reichswehr, not the other way around. This act legalised removing anyone of non-Ayran descent from the civil service. The Peoples Court, a court created by the Nazis in April 1934 with judges chosen specifically for their Nazi beliefs, replaced the Supreme Court. 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. Hitler saw the independence of the SA and the penchant of its members for street violence as a direct threat to his newly gained political power. 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. Night of the Long Knives: Directed by Lance Miccio, Grant Slawson. The SS also murders several conservative critics of the Nazi regime including . "It was plain that there was wide acceptance of the deliberately misleading propaganda put out by the regime. In two brutal days in 1934 Adolf Hitler and his senior staff would capture and execute Ernst Roehm, the rest of the senior leaders of the Sturmabteilung (SA) and perhaps 1000 other enemies and threats to his control of Germany. The atmosphere of terror that had followed the Reichstag Fire, and Hindenburgs and von Papens support, made the proposal seem legitimate and, to some, necessary. In response to conservative pressure to constrain Rhm, Hitler left for Neudeck to meet with Hindenburg. A poster from the March 1933 elections. This is an overview of the Night of the Long Knives of June 1934. Rhm, however, wanted to eliminate the generalship of the Prussian aristocracy altogether, using the SA to become the core of a new German military. [84], The Night of the Long Knives represented a triumph for Hitler, and a turning point for the German government. [35] Schneidhuber was executed later that day. 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. Hitler and the rest of the Nazi leadership disagreed with their approach. coalition [62] General von Reichenau went so far as to publicly give credence to the lie that Schleicher had been plotting to overthrow the government. "[85], 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. [41], The regime did not limit itself to a purge of the SA. [2] The purge strengthened and consolidated the support of the military for Hitler. As the leader of the SA, Rhm was seen as a threat to Hitlers power. The Nazi Party used the atmosphere of panic to their advantage, encouraging anti-communism. This new law gave Hitler the power to rule by decree rather than passing laws through the Reichstag and the president. The three men that stand in front of the SA are Hitler (standing aggressively with an armband that reads: the double cross- a pun about the swastika and Hitlers betrayal), Goering (who is dressed as a violent god of war, showing how the Nazis have abandoned democracy and now rule by terror), and Goebbels (shown as Hitlers poodle, since in Britain, where this cartoon was published,he was seen to be cowardly and extremely loyal to Hitler). approved a bill legalising the purge as emergency defence measures. Slope unblocked 76 games at school Arcade is one of the most popular game genres. She even compared him to Frederick the Great, the 18th-century king of Prussia.[2]. President Hindenburg died at the age of 87 on 2 August 1934. This betrayal is seen by the image of SA members looking fearful in surrender, and SA leaders dead on the floor, killed by Hitler, who holds a smoking gun. Uploaded: 09/18/2002. [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]. Moonlight glistened on numerous silvery revolvers, contrasting with the sinister black uniforms. [30] At Hitler's direction, Gring, Himmler, Heydrich and Victor Lutze drew up lists of people in and outside the SA to be killed. Many of those that were harassed by the SA and the SS or imprisoned in camps were terrified to speak out about their ordeal fearing that they would be further abused or re-imprisoned. This continued when a young Dutchcommunist, Van der Lubbe was arrested for the crime. intensified The Night of the Long Knives. The Enabling Law allowed them to do this under the guise of legality. Hitler orders a violent purge of the top leadership of the Nazi Party paramilitary formation, the SA (Sturmabteilungen; Assault Detachments). "[14], Despite such hostility between the brownshirts and the regular army, Blomberg and others in the military saw the SA as a source of raw recruits for an enlarged and revitalized army. "[65] Another rare exception was Field Marshal August von Mackensen, who spoke about the murders of Schleicher and Bredow at the annual General Staff Society meeting in February 1935 after they had been rehabilitated by Hitler in early January 1935. [31] On 27 June, Hitler moved to secure the army's cooperation. Hitler's task would not be simple, however, as the SA made up a large part of Nazism's most devoted followers. Night of the Long Knives (Classroom Activity) When the Nazi Party was first formed it was an anti-capitalist movement. 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. At first, its architects seemed split on how to handle the event. Adolf Hitler . Reichswehr 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 (seemingly equating their own tactics with the treacherous Anglo-Saxons). In British politics, the "Night of the Long Knives" was a major Cabinet reshuffle that took place on 13 July 1962. ", "But in origin the National Socialists had been a radical anti-capitalist party, and this part of the National Socialist programme was not only taken seriously by many loyal Party members but was of increasing importance in a period of economic depression. dutch tool chest pdf. This represents how Hitler betrayed the SA, as they had been led to believe that they would gain power alongside Hitler. The Foreign Office even complained of instances where brownshirts manhandled foreign diplomats. [25] Neurath's manoeuvre to put pressure on Hitler paid off, with Mussolini agreeing to the request (Neurath was a former ambassador to Italy, and knew Mussolini well). consolidate On 22 March 1933, the first Nazi concentration camp was established in the town of Dachau. Mussolini used the affair occasioned by the murder of Giacomo Matteotti as an example of the kind of trouble unruly followers could cause a dictator. One moment in a twelve-year history of the Third Reich that is underappreciated is the Night of the Long Knives, also known as the Rhm Purge, at the end of June 1934. pardoned Additionally, Hitler was uncomfortable with Rhm's outspoken support for a "second revolution" to redistribute wealth. June 30, 1934 - July 12, 1934 News articles about the arrest and murder of leadership within the SA, as well as political opponents of the Nazis ("Night of the Long Knives"). Both Himmler and Gring welcomed Hitler's decision, since both had much to gain by Rhm's downfall the independence of the SS for Himmler and the removal of a rival for the future command of the army for Gring. The Nazis consolidation of power can be grouped into three main themes: pseudo-legality, terror and intimidation and pseudo-moderation. However, to gain power Adolf Hitler built up a close and friendly relationship with Germany's industrialists. Gleichschaltung was the process of the Nazi Party taking control over all aspects of Germany. Just two months later, on 14 July 1933 the Nazis used the Enabling Act to ban all political parties except the Nazi Party. . Most officers are too old and have to be replaced by young ones. While Rhm's homosexuality did not endear him to conservatives, they were more concerned about his political ambitions. The Night of the Long Knives not only removed the SA leaders but also got Hitler the army's oath that he so needed. Hitler ordered him, as one prominent historian described it, to put an end to "homosexuality, debauchery, drunkenness, and high living" in the SA. The bottom half of the poster reads The more power you give Hitler, the easier he will win and the more independent you make him from the parties that led the people to where they are today. The "knives of the long night" episode, as it is now called, took place with brutal swiftness. Hitler did not exercise absolute power, however, despite his swift consolidation of political authority. 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.. [38] Joseph Goebbels, who had been with Hitler at Bad Wiessee, set the final phase of the plan in motion. Its membership plummeted from 2.9 million in August 1934 to 1.2 million in April 1938. One-to-one online tuition can be a great way to brush up on your History knowledge. By the end of May 1934, Hitler had been chancellor for 16 . In this image the narrative present is about the incident now known as the Night of the Long Knives (June 29th/30th 1934), when . 7 Night of the Long Knives - 30 June 1934 . Historians have often wondered why Hitler turned on the SA. The support of respected individuals such as von Papen and Hindenburgs son, Oskar von Hindenburg, gave the Nazis further legitimacy for these actions. . Night of the Long Knives 30 June 1934. Facebook Twitter Email Copy Link. 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. info)) or "Operation Hummingbird" (Kolibri) was a purge that took place in Nazi Germany.It happened between 30 June and 2 July 1934 when the Nazi regime executed at least 90 people for political reasons. British cartoon by David Low, 1934 H I UN TL PR KE ER OM PT 'S IS ES They salute with both hands, now! Wiskemann, Elizabeth, "The Night of the Long Knives", This page was last edited on 28 February 2023, at 06:34. Access-restricted-item true Addeddate 2020-03-19 01:01:54 Boxid IA1794905 Camera USB PTP Class Camera Collection_set printdisabled External-identifier urn:oclc:record:1150935398 After Hitler had promised to protect the interests of the Catholic Church, the party conceded and supported the bill. [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. 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.
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