The Night of Long Knives was the purge of the SA leadership and other political opponents from the 30 June 1934 to the 2 July 1934. The army's support for the purge, however, would have far-reaching consequences for the institution. Sixty years ago today, Harold Macmillan carried out a cabinet reshuffle which became known as the 'Night of the Long Knives'. [5] In June 1932, one of the worst months of political violence, there were more than 400 street battles, resulting in 82 deaths. [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. Excellency, save Germany for the fourth time! Hitler, however, disclaimed all responsibility for the coup, sent a telegram of condolence to Austrian Pres. 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. Most officers are too old and have to be replaced by young ones. But with the Night of the Long Knives, it's . 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. ", "The most general theory that National Socialism was a revolution of the lower middle class is defensible but inadequate. 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. The purge of the SA was kept secret until it was announced by Adolf Hitler on July 13. This act legalised removing anyone of non-Ayran descent from the civil service. [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]. [70] It is noteworthy that even those officers who were most offended by the killings, like Hammerstein and Mackensen, did not blame the purge on Hitler, whom they wanted to see continue as Chancellor; they at most wanted a reorganization of the Cabinet to remove some of Hitler's more radical followers. [66], Rumours about the Night of the Long Knives rapidly spread. With the army limited by the Treaty of Versailles to one hundred thousand soldiers, its leaders watched anxiously as membership in the SA surpassed three million men by the beginning of 1934. The Night of the Long Knives. 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]. Political instability in the Weimar Republic, Hyperinflation and the invasion of the Ruhr, Strength and weaknesses of the Weimar Republic. [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. It was named Der Fhrer schtzt das Recht ("The Fhrer Upholds the Law"). The support of respected individuals such as von Papen and Hindenburgs son, Oskar von Hindenburg, gave the Nazis further legitimacy for these actions. Gring declared that the communists had planned a national uprising to overthrow the Weimar Republic. Several of Hitler's lieutenants feared Rhm's growing power and restlessness, as did Hitler. Let the nation know that its existence which depends on its internal order and security cannot be threatened with impunity by anyone! [75] Hitler expressly told him to stop SA funds from being spent on limousines and banquets, which he considered evidence of SA extravagance. Hitler did not exercise absolute power, however, despite his swift consolidation of political authority. Home Explore. [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. Religion and The Bloody Chamber. During the 1920s and 1930s, the SA functioned as a private militia used by Hitler to intimidate rivals and disrupt the meetings of competing political parties, especially those of the Social Democrats and the Communists. A firefighter in the burnt out ruins of the Reichstag building. 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. Grtner also declared in cabinet that the measure did not in fact create any new law, but simply confirmed the existing law. [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. [12] Although nicknamed the "Rubber Lion" by some of his critics in the army for his devotion to Hitler, Blomberg was not a Nazi, and therefore represented a bridge between the army and the party. The Reichstag, the German lower house of parliament, was set on fire on the 27 February 1933. The Night of the Long Knives was a turning point for the German government. In British politics, the " Night of the Long Knives " was a major Cabinet reshuffle that took place on 13 July 1962. British cartoon by David Low, 1934 They salute with both hands, now! 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). Rhm was a potential rival to Hitler's position. [33] On 28 June Hitler went to Essen to attend the wedding celebration and reception of Josef Terboven; from there he called Rhm's adjutant at Bad Wiessee and ordered SA leaders to meet with him on 30 June at 11:00. A combat veteran of World War I, Rhm had recently boasted that he would execute 12 men in retaliation for the killing of any stormtrooper. A copy of the original film, before Rhm was edited out, was found in the 1980s in the German Democratic Republic's film archives. [37] Arriving back at party headquarters in Munich, Hitler addressed the assembled crowd. 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. If that was indeed true then, as a legal matter, the law was entirely unnecessary and redundant. The Night of the Long Knives was the least important factor, as it did no help much towards Hitler's consolidation of power. Hitler formally adopted this title in April 1942, thus placing himself above the reach of the law de jure and de facto. This photograph was taken the same day, showing the Reichstag still burning. "[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. ", Night of the Long Knives (disambiguation), The History Place Triumph of Hitler Night of the Long Knives, German Culture The Third Reich Consolidation of Power, The German Embassy in the United States The Era of National Socialism, National Political Institutes of Education, National Socialist German Workers' Party (NSDAP), National Socialist German Doctors' League, National Socialist League for Physical Exercise (NSRL), Bulgarian National Socialist Workers Party, German National Socialist Workers' Party (Czechoslovakia), Finnish National Socialist Labor Organisation, German National Movement in Liechtenstein, National Socialist Movement in the Netherlands, National Socialist Workers' Party of Denmark, Nationalist Liberation Alliance (Argentina), South African Gentile National Socialist Movement, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Night_of_the_Long_Knives&oldid=1148917121, Wikipedia articles needing page number citations from June 2022, Short description is different from Wikidata, Articles containing explicitly cited English-language text, Pages using Sister project links with wikidata mismatch, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, Operation Hummingbird, Rhm Putsch (by the Nazis), The Blood Purge. This would allow them to rule unopposed and unhindered by coalition governments. In this hour I was responsible for the fate of the German people, and thereby I became the supreme judge of the German people. They were often given a free rein on their activities and were violent and difficult to control. It established Hitler as "the supreme leader of the German people", as he put it in his 13 July speech to the Reichstag. When the Nazi regime did not take such steps, those who had expected an economic as well as a political revolution were disillusioned. Rhm is pictured here on the left next to Rudolf Hess, who was the deputy Fhrer from 1933-1941. The camps were brutal and had extremely unsanitary conditions. intensified On the 2 May 1933 trade unions were banned. However, following Hitler being elected chancellor, the SA, and particularly Rhm, were keen to continue the revolution and replace the traditional conservative elite with Nazis. 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. Nazi propaganda presented the murders as a preventive measure against an alleged imminent coup by the SA under Rhm the so-called Rhm Putsch. If passed, the law would establish the conditions needed for dictatorial rule. In a new pair Rally Coach this worksheet. 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. [21] By the beginning of June everything was set and all that was needed was permission from Hitler. consolidate 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. Both Kurt von Schleicher, Hitler's predecessor as Chancellor, and his wife were murdered at their home. How did the Night of the Long Knives help to create a dictatorship out of a democracy? Centuries of jurisprudence proscribing extrajudicial killings were swept aside. The SA also ran a violent campaign of terror against any and all opponents of the Nazi regime. The primary instruments of Hitler's action, which carried out most of the killings, were the Schutzstaffel (SS) paramilitary force under Himmler and its Security Service (SD), and Gestapo (secret police) under Reinhard Heydrich. , who had previously been a separate organisation, now swore a personal allegiance to Hitler. 95.7% of the population voted. 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]. government, under President Hindenburg. On 7 April 1943, the SS shut down the Chemno death camp for the first time. [35] Schneidhuber was executed later that day. was 10.99. 20 terms. To a lesser extent, the Sturmabteilung (SA), a Nazi paramilitary organization, remained somewhat autonomous within the party. From 20 August onwards, the Give Hitler four years to rebuild it!
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