1) The Creation Of Thr Nazi Dictatorship 9: The Night Of The Long Knives Flashcards
What did the SA want?
They wanted a second revolution and the creation of a people’s army by merging the germany army with the SA
Within 6 months of hitler coming to power what had he managed to do?
He managed to turn germany into a one-party dictatorship
Who was the leader of the SA?
Ernst Röhm
What did Röhm want to do?
Amalgamate the army and the SA into a people’s militia
What did the SA consist of?
3 million committed Nazis with Hitler’s oldest
political friend, Ernst Röhm leading it
But what was the only organisation that could unseat Hitler from political power?
The army
What had the Enabling act of 1933 given hitler the power to do?
Make laws without first having to seek approval from the Reichstag
What the did Nazis do with the Enabling act of 1933?
Took advantage of it and brought about many changes which have become known as the Nazi Revolution
What were some of the first laws passed after the Enabling act?
- laws which removed political opponents and Jews from thr civil servie and judiciary
- Trade unions were banned
What did the Sturmabteilung (SA) begin a new wave of?
A new wave of intimidation and fear and they broke into people’s homes and searched them
By 1934 what were the few left of?
By 1934 there were very few people left who could openly oppose Hitler and Nazis
Who were the ones who could diminish Hitler’s power?
President Hindenburg could dismiss Hitler at any time and the German army were capable of using their military expertise to overthrow the nazis
If the SA opposed Hitler’s ideas what could they have posed?
They could have posed a threat to thr Nazi plans for the future of Germany
By 1934 how many members did the SA have?
3 million
Despite Ernst Röhm being extremely loyal to Hitler and being his oldest political friend, what did many high ranking nazi officials such as göring and goebbels advise hitler to do?
High ranking nazis such as göring and goebbels advised hitler to take action against the SA
By the early 1930s what had the SA become?
Unruly and difficult to control
What happened on the 30th of june 1934
Hitler and members of the SS arrested Ernst Röhm and Röhm and SA members were shot by members of the SS
How many SA members are estimated to have been killed?
200
What had Hitler eliminated?
He had eliminated the SA as a political and military force and brought the SA under his control by purging its leadership
What was the SS now confirmed as?
The favoured organisation charged with protecting Hitler and the. Nazi party
What colour shirts did the SA wear?
Brownshirts
What colour shirts did the SS wear?
Blackshirts
How were members of the SS chosen?
They were hand picked on the basis of their physical appearence, blood purity and devotion to the Nazi party
By 1930 how many well trained members of the SS were there?
50,000
Who was the leader of the SS?
Heinrich Himmler
What were the SS given the power to do?
To arrest people without trial, to ransack homes and to confiscate people’s belongings
What were the SS well known for?
Their cruelty and they struck fear across Germany
What three branches was the SS split into?
- fighting units
2. The Gestapo ( international security ) (secret police)
3. Responsible for running concentration camps
What did the Germany army do because hitler and the SS shot Röhm?
For shooting Röhm the army volunteered to swear an oath of allegiance to Hitler which tied the army to Hitler
What was the significance of the Night of the Long Knives?
The German army had aligned itself behind Hitler and it marked the emergence of the SS
