PDF How did the Night of the Long Knives help Hitler consolidate power? 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. Background Hitler was Chancellor (Prime Minister), but not yet completely in control. He asked, "What would people have said if I had done such a thing? The Night of the Long Knives not only removed the SA leaders but also got Hitler the army's oath that he so needed. This fear was As the SA were known for being violent and unruly, many saw this as a legitimate move by the government to ensure public order. What were Hitler's and the Nazi Party's ideas? Your Excellency has thrice before saved Germany from foundering, at Tannenberg, at the end of the War and at the moment of your election as Reich President. As chancellor, Hitler did not command the army, which remained under the formal leadership of Hindenburg, a highly respected veteran field marshal. 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. [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. With Greg Stebner. BUT Some within the Nazi Party opposed Hitler. If that was indeed true then, as a legal matter, the law was entirely unnecessary and redundant. [7] Complaints of "overbearing and loutish" behaviour by stormtroopers became common by the middle of 1933. The Night of the Long Knives was a helping event in Hitler becoming a dictator. ", "After the 'Night of the Long Knives,' [Reich Minister for Justice Franz Grtner] nipped in the bud the attempts of some local state prosecutors to initiate proceedings against the killers. The Nazi adoption of the phrase for an upcoming violent event was well known even to the foreign press, with the 2 August 1932 issue of The Times reporting that: Prominent Nazi leaders have played upon the imaginations of their followers..with such phrases as the night of the long knives and a vengeance for every Nazi killed.[79]. He held the same position with Rhm as I held with Himmler. 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. Hitler then ordered Himmler and Goering to eliminate the threat posed by the leaders of the SA. Find Night Of The Long Knives stock photos and editorial news pictures from Getty Images. The Night of the Long Knives: Forty-Eight Hours That Changed the Germany feared revolution. With these measures in place, the Nazification of the judicial system was complete. The Night of the Long Knives - History Place Although President Hindenburg and the Reichstag continued to exist, Hitler could now govern by decree. Then followed a series of extrajudicial killings, in which scores of officials were assassinated. Definitions by the largest Idiom Dictionary. to control. This is a crucial part of Hitler's consolidation of power. 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.. . The Night of the Long Knives by Fritz Leiber | Goodreads "[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. He left Neudeck with the intention of both destroying Rhm and settling scores with old enemies. Night of the Long Knives. [20] Although Schleicher was in fact unimportant by 1934, increasingly wild rumours that he was scheming with Rhm to re-enter the corridors of power helped stoke the sense of crisis. The Nazis started with the 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. [63] Since Schleicher was a good friend of the French Ambassador Andr Franois-Poncet, and because of his reputation for intrigue, the claim that Schleicher was working for France had enough surface plausibility for most Germans to accept it. In this image the narrative present is about the incident now known as the Night of the Long Knives (June 29th/30th 1934), when . org. 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. 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. Originally, though, the term denotes an event in Anglo-Saxon history, first reported by the Welsh historian Nennius in his ninth-century Historia Brittonum . They were under the control of Ernst Rhm, a loyal follower of Hitler since the early days of the Nazi Party. Consumed with rage, Hitler denounced "the worst treachery in world history". 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. 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). This new law gave Hitler the power to rule by decree rather than passing laws through the Reichstag and the president. Civil Service Local governments proved more difficult to infiltrate, and even at the end of 1945 only 60% of local mayors were Nazi Party members. Some estimates, however, put the total number killed at between 150 and 200. The Nazis consolidation of power can be grouped into three main themes: pseudo-legality, terror and intimidation and pseudo-moderation. [63] During a meeting with Polish Ambassador Jzef Lipski on 22 May 1935, Hitler told Lipski that Schleicher was "rightfully murdered, if only because he had sought to maintain the Rapallo Treaty. 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 . [25] During the summit in Venice, Mussolini upbraided Hitler for tolerating the violence, hooliganism and homosexuality of the SA, which Mussolini stated were ruining Hitler's good reputation all over the world. I also almost always agree with what his cartoons are saying. 'The Night of the Long Knives' is now commony associated with a particularly violent political purge in Nazi Germany in 1934. 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. Night of the Long Knives. Night of the Long Knives | Date, Victims, Summary, & Facts [71], In late 1934early 1935, Werner von Fritsch and Werner von Blomberg, who had been shamed into joining Hammerstein and Mackensen's rehabilitation campaign, successfully pressured Hitler into rehabilitating Generals von Schleicher and von Bredow. 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. Finally, Hitler used the purge to attack or eliminate German critics of his new regime, especially those loyal to Vice-Chancellor Franz von Papen, as well as to settle scores with old enemies.[a]. 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. This decree suspended the democratic aspects of the Weimar Republic and declared a state of emergency. 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. Adolf Hitler was in a furious temper when his flight touched down in Munich at 4.30am on 30 June 1934. This hysteria helped to turn the public against the communists, one of the Nazis main opponents, and 4000 people were imprisoned. A poster from the March 1933 elections. , who had previously been a separate organisation, now swore a personal allegiance to Hitler. Night of the Long Knives - HistoryNet "[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. [37] Meanwhile, the SS arrested the other SA leaders as they left their train for the planned meeting with Rhm and Hitler. Dachau Chancellor Adolf Hitler, urged on by Hermann Gring and Heinrich Himmler, ordered a series of political extrajudicial executions intended to consolidate his power and alleviate the concerns of the German military about the role of Ernst Rhm and the Sturmabteilung (SA), the Nazi's paramilitary organization, known colloquially as "Brownshirts". The camps were brutal and had extremely unsanitary conditions. 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. Why did Hitler turn on the SA in the Night of the Long Knives? 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 continued when a young Dutchcommunist, Van der Lubbe was arrested for the crime. He lifted his arm in the Nazi salute and called out "Heil Hitler, I love Germany. This event reputedly occurred during the fifth century Anglo-Saxon settlement of Britain, when Vortigern and the British leaders were invited to discuss peace and the Saxon leader Hengist commanded his men to draw their Seax (the infamous long knives) and massacre the unarmed Britons. The atmosphere of uncertainty following the Reichstag Fire secured many voters for the Nazi party. In the cartoon, I can see Hitler standing on a stage, infront of an audience. This represents how Hitler betrayed the SA, as they had been led to believe that they would gain power alongside Hitler. By mid-1934, Hitler seemed to be master of all Germany. [29], In preparation for the purge, both Himmler and Heydrich assembled a dossier of manufactured evidence to suggest that Rhm had been paid 12 million (EUR 29.1million in 2023) by France to overthrow Hitler. "[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. "[26] According to his memoirs, von Papen, a Catholic aristocrat with ties to army and industry, privately threatened to resign if Hitler did not act. [21] At the end of May, Brning and Schleicher, two former chancellors, received warnings from friends in the Reichswehr that their lives were in danger and they should leave Germany at once. 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. "[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. To take control of cultural policy, the Nazis appointed Joseph Goebbels as Minister for Public Engagement and Propaganda on the 13 March 1933. 3. Following the Enabling Law, much of this harassment and imprisonment was legal. Night of the Long Knives - Totally History . It's been called "the night of the long knives in the tropics.". 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. As such the Nazis justified this measure as implementing necessary security measures, rather than revealing their true motive to remove opposition. Scribd is the world's largest social reading and publishing site. Despite his earlier agreement with Hitler, Rhm still clung to his vision of a new German army with the SA at its core. "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.'" "[46], Some SA members died saying "Heil Hitler" because they believed that an anti-Hitler SS plot had led to their execution. Hence, the Freikorps were in opposition to the new Weimar Republic, which was born as a result of the November Revolution, and whose founders were contemptuously called "November criminals". The SA had given the Nazi's an iron fist . [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 Time Tunnel" Night of the Long Knives (TV Episode 1966) - IMDb The first concentration camp, Dachau, opened in a broken-down munitions factory on the 20 March 1933, imprisoning primarily political prisoners. , issuing the Act for the Restoration of the Professional Civil Service on the 7 April 1933. DOC The Night of the Long Knives - WJEC Night Of The Long Knives Cartoon 3 of 3. Many members of the SA, including its leader Ernst Rhm, were demanding that the Nazi party carry out its socialist agenda and that the SA take over the army. The Night of the Long Knives - History Learning Site ", followed by 12,263 people on Pinterest. Gestapo officers attached to the SS unit shot Papen's secretary Herbert von Bose without bothering to arrest him first. 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. 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 I have the earlier 2005 History Channel video of Night of the Long Knives - before it was Heavily Censored to remove all references to the fact that the Nazis were founded and led by Boy Raping Diseased Homo-Anal Coprophile Ephebophiles, including Founder Ernst Rohm and his male prostitute protege Hitler. [68] Hammerstein, who was a close friend of Schleicher, had been much offended at Schleicher's funeral when the SS refused to allow him to attend the service and confiscated the wreaths that the mourners had brought. Join MyTutor Squads for free (and fun) help with Maths, Coding & Study Skills. Amazon.com: Night Of The Long Knives : Movies & TV "[74], Hitler named Viktor Lutze to replace Rhm as head of the SA. It's Friday Cartoon Images - supremacy-network.de [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. Selected Clips from the movie Bent that depict the Night of the Long Knives. 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 Rhm's view, President Hindenburg's appointment of Hitler as chancellor on 30 January 1933, had brought the Nazi Party to power, but had left unfulfilled the party's larger goals. By the end of May 1934, Hitler had been chancellor for 16 . Battle to save Hitler's Night of Long Knives hotel [m] Years later, in November 1945, while being interviewed by psychologist Gustave Gilbert in his cell during the Nuremberg trials, Gring angrily justified the killings to Gilbert, "It's a damn good thing I wiped them out, or they would have wiped us out! Nazis Hermann Gring and Heinrich Himmler wait for the code word from Hitler to begin what will become known as the "Night of the Long Knives". Night of the Long Knives - Simple English Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia It would become known in Welsh as "twyll y cyllyll hirion" (English: Deceit of the long knives) (first recorded around 1587) and in English as the "Treachery/Plot/Treason of the long knives" (recorded around 1604). [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. ultimate power over Germany, whilst maintaining an Nazi propaganda presented the murders as a preventive measure against an alleged imminent coup by the SA under Rhm the so-called Rhm Putsch. The Night of the Long Knives J. Marshall, 2007. "[63] The statements that Schleicher had been killed because he wanted to partition Poland with the Soviet Union were later published in the Polish White Book of 1939, which was a collection of diplomatic documents detailing GermanPolish relations up to the outbreak of the war. Hitler and the rest of the Nazi leadership disagreed with their approach. Paul von Hindenburg was the president of the Weimar Republic from the 12 May 1925 until his death on the 2 August 1934. 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. Rhm demurred, telling them, "If I am to be killed, let Adolf do it himself. The "knives of the long night" episode, as it is now called, took place with brutal swiftness. coalition Hitler was shrewd enough to understand that he could never fully consolidate his grip on the country without the support of the army. . The Night of the Long Knives was a turning point for the German government. 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. You gave these parties 14 years to ruin Germany! The Reichstag, the German lower house of parliament, was set on fire on the 27 February 1933. [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). Rhm Affair | Holocaust Encyclopedia concentration camp Following Hitlers appointment as chancellor the Nazis were finally in a position of power. PDF 1. Why did Hitler turn on the SA in the Night of the Long Knives? 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. The army's support for the purge, however, would have far-reaching consequences for the institution. 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. Additionally, Hitler was uncomfortable with Rhm's outspoken support for a "second revolution" to redistribute wealth. Kurt von Schleicher's stepdaughter received 250 marks per month up to the age of 21, and the son of General von Bredow received a monthly allowance of 150 marks.[59]. He also wanted to appease leaders of the Reichswehr, the German military, who feared and despised the SA as a potential rival, in particular because of Rhm's ambition to merge the army and the SA under his own leadership. President Hindenburg died at the age of 87 on 2 August 1934. On 30 June 1934 these tensions came to a head. The Night of the Long Knives - Nazi Germany [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. Rhm left the Reichswehr in 1923 and later became commander of the SA. [21] Brning fled to the Netherlands while Schleicher dismissed the tip-off as a bad practical joke. coup Upon returning to Berlin, Goebbels telephoned Gring at 10:00 with the codeword Kolibri to let loose the execution squads on the rest of their unsuspecting victims. By the end of 1934, the Nazis had managed to infiltrate and take control of every major aspect of German government. 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. 3. [35] Schneidhuber was executed later that day. Lippert was convicted and sentenced to 18 months in prison.[50]. , which opened just a few days before the vote on the 20 March 1933. , was then given the choice of suicide or murder. [62] General von Reichenau went so far as to publicly give credence to the lie that Schleicher had been plotting to overthrow the government.