the night of the long knives
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The Night of the Long KnivesTRANSCRIPT
Learning Objectives: To explain how Hitler overcame the opposition facing him in order to consolidate his position of power within Nazi Germany
Night of the Long Knives
Night of the Long KnivesLO: To explain how Hitler overcame the opposition facing him in order to consolidate his position of power within Nazi Germany
RECAP:
How did the Reichstag Fire & the Enabling Act help Hitler consolidate his position of power.
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Night of the Long KnivesLO: To explain how Hitler overcame the opposition facing him in order to consolidate his position of power within Nazi Germany
The Road to DictatorshipLO: To explain how Hitler overcame the opposition facing him in order to consolidate his position of power within Nazi Germany
Must - Describe the events of the Night of the Long KnivesShould - Explain how the Night of the Long Knives increased Hitler’s powerCould - Make a judgment about the most important events that led to Hitler’s Dictatorship
LO: To explain how Hitler overcame the opposition facing him in order to consolidate his position of power within Nazi Germany
The Road to Dictatorship
Hitler wants to become dictator of Germany. As one of his closest advisor, Hitler wants you to help him.
The obstacles which may stand in his way are:
•Any new laws must be passed by the Reichstag •There are only 3 Nazis in the government •He does not have the support of the army which feels threatened by the SA•Opposition parties exist•Hindenburg, the president can sack him at any time
Background•Hitler was Chancellor, but still did not have full control.•Opposition from outside the Nazi Party was being destroyed – Communists were banned and concentration camps had been set up.•BUT – some within the Nazi Party opposed Hitler. ALSO – some important people would not support Hitler while these opponents remained.
Night of the Long KnivesLO: To explain how Hitler overcame the opposition facing him in order to consolidate his position of power within Nazi Germany
• The Stormtroopers were also know as the Brownshirts
• Formed to protects the Nazi Party in 1921
• Ernst Rohm was their leader
Sturmabteilung (SA)LO: To explain how Hitler overcame the opposition facing him in order to consolidate his position of power within Nazi Germany
• Some SA members were still keen on the original ideas of the Nazi’s – a National Socialist Revolution
• They wanted rich landowners and big businesses to be swept away or taken over
• Gregor Strasser was the main believer in this – he had a lot of supporters
Why were they disloyal?LO: To explain how Hitler overcame the opposition facing him in order to consolidate his position of power within Nazi Germany
Gregor Strassor was not keen on Hitler!
‘I am a man marked by death.
Whatever happens, mark what I say: From now on Germany is
in the hands of an Austrian who is a congenital liar, a
former officer who is a pervert, and a clubfoot.
And I tell you the last is the worst of them all. This is Satan
in human form.’
LO: To explain how Hitler overcame the opposition facing him in order to consolidate his position of power within Nazi Germany
Ernst Rohm, the leader of the SA, also clashed with Hitler.He wanted the Brownshirts to become the new German Army. With him in charge of course
Ernst RohmLO: To explain how Hitler overcame the opposition facing him in order to consolidate his position of power within Nazi Germany
Did Rohm know what was coming?
Adolf is a swine. He will give us all away. He only associates with
reactionaries now. Adolf knows exactly what I want. Not a
second edition of the imperial army. Are we revolutionaries or
aren’t we? We have got to produce something new, don’t
you see? A new discipline. A new principle of organisation. The
generals are a lot of old fogies. (Jan 1933)
LO: To explain how Hitler overcame the opposition facing him in order to consolidate his position of power within Nazi Germany
Was Rohm in a strong position?
Hitler can’t walk over me as he did a year ago; I’ve seen that. Don’t forget that I have three
million men, with every key position in the hands of my own people…If Hitler is reasonable I shall settle the matter quietly; if he isn’t I must be prepared to
use force – not for my sake but for the sake of the revolution.
(Jan 1934)
LO: To explain how Hitler overcame the opposition facing him in order to consolidate his position of power within Nazi Germany
Why should HitlerWhy should Hitlersupport the support the
SturmabteilungSturmabteilung(S.A)(S.A)
The S.A. had been in existence
since the early days of The Nazi
Party
The S.A. had supported Hitler and the Nazis by putting up posters,
handing out leaflets and intimidating political opponents throughout the 1920’s and early
1930’s.
The S.A. had more than 2 million
members by 1934.
The S.A. had fought for Hitler
during the Munich Putsch in
1923
Members of the S.A. were loyal Nazis
Ernst Rohm shared Hitler’s vision of a
racially pure society
The S.A. was led by one of Hitler’s earliest supporters
– Ernst Rohm
Ernst Rohm was personally loyal to
Hitler
Why should HitlerWhy should Hitlerpurge the purge the
SturmabteilungSturmabteilung(S.A)(S.A)
The German Army was well organised and trained and possessed the
weapons necessary to wage large scale war
S.A. leaders were demanding rewards for their loyal service.
They were angry that new Party Members were receiving
more recognition than they were
Many Generals and leading Nazis distrusted and feared Ernst Rohm
If the S.A. were not brought under
control Hitler may lose the support of
Hindenburg (the President) and
powerful conservativesErnst Rohm wanted to
merge the regular German Army with the
S.A
Ernst Rohm was a potential rival to Hitler
The S.A. were becoming lawless by the early
1930’s and were causing some Germans to turn against the Nazis
As S.A. membership grew, they were
becoming harder to control
The S.A. were good at breaking up opponents political meetings, but
they were not a professional army.
If Hitler supported the German Army he would gain the support of large
businesses
What was Hitler’s Decision?
Hitler complied a hit list of disloyal SA men.
Himmler, Heydrich and Goering were keen to do this.
Viktor Lutze, another SA chief was also willing to help
LO: To explain how Hitler overcame the opposition facing him in order to consolidate his position of power within Nazi Germany
This was of course done in secret!
Himmler, leader of the SS, was especially keen to get rid of Rohm. He wanted
control of the concentration camps
and police forces.
Watch you back Ernst…
LO: To explain how Hitler overcame the opposition facing him in order to consolidate his position of power within Nazi Germany
What happens next?
Read the worksheet - Why did Hitler turn on the SA in the
Night of the Long Knives?
As you read highlight the following:
•Key individuals involved in the event;
•Key events that took place.
LO: To explain how Hitler overcame the opposition facing him in order to consolidate his position of power within Nazi Germany
Death of HindenburgLO: To explain how Hitler overcame the opposition facing him in order to consolidate his position of power within Nazi Germany
On 2nd August 1934 President Hindenburg died. Within hours,
Hitler had declared himself President and was now
Commander in Chief of the German Armed Forces as well
as Chancellor of the Reichstag. He combined the
offices of President and Chancellor and declared
himself ‘Führer’ (leader) of the new Third Reich.
The Führer OathLO: To explain how Hitler overcame the opposition facing him in order to consolidate his position of power within Nazi Germany
Hitler made the whole of the army swear an oath of loyalty to him personally.
‘I swear by almighty God this scared oath:
I will render unconditional obedience to the Führer of the German Reich and people, Adolf Hitler, supreme
commander of the Wehrmacht, and, as a brave soldier I am ready at any time to stake my life for this Oath.’
With this final step, Hitler’s power was unquestionable and his consolidation of power complete
How was Hitler able to increase his power between January 1933 and August 1934?
(8 marks)
You have to explainexplain how this dramatic change from Chancellor to Dictator happened in just 18
months.
It is important that you don’t just describedescribe (tell a story).
Every paragraph must have a Point, some Evidence and an ExplanationExplanation...
Hitler's Consolidation of Power
LO: To explain how Hitler overcame the opposition facing him in order to consolidate his position of power within Nazi Germany
Bun - PointBun - Point
Salad - EvidenceSalad - Evidence
Meat - ExplanationMeat - Explanation
Bun - LinkBun - Link
*History Skills Builder* Burger/PEEL Paragraphs
How was Hitler able to increase his power between January 1933 and August 1934?
(8 marks)
LO: To explain how Hitler overcame the opposition facing him in order to consolidate his position of power within Nazi Germany
Answer this question using P-E-E-L.Answer this question using P-E-E-L.1)Write a brief introduction setting the scene.
In January 1933 Hitler was in a weak position. Hindenburg could sack him at any time and he had only 33% of the vote.
1)Choose the 3 events you think are the most important to Hitler’s power increasing.
2)Write a paragraph about each one, making sure you explain how the event led to Hitler’s
power increasing.
Hitler's Consolidation of Power
How was Hitler able to increase his power between January 1933 and August 1934?
(8 marks)
LO: To explain how Hitler overcame the opposition facing him in order to consolidate his position of power within Nazi Germany
Sentence starters...A key event that helped Hitler increase his power was...One way Hitler was able to increase his power was...Another event that led to Hitler increasing his power was...
Useful connectives (for explanation)This meant that...This led to...It enabled him to...He could now...This resulted in...
Hitler's Consolidation of Power
Two things you have learnt
Two things that youstill have questions
LO: To explain how Hitler overcame the opposition facing him in order to consolidate his position of power within Nazi Germany
Hitler's Consolidation of Power
Describe the appearance of Hitler, Goebbels and Goering.
What point is Low, the cartoonist, trying to make?
What is written upon Hitler’s armband? (Go to next slide to enlarge)
What do you think is meant by this?
What has been discarded on the floor? (See message enlarged on next slide)
What do you think is meant by this?
What has happened to the people in the foreground?
According to the cartoonist who seems most likely to be responsible for this action?
Give evidence.Cartoon from the London Evening Standard with permission
Overall, what is the meaning of the cartoon?
How useful is the cartoon in helping us to understand the events that occurred during The Night of the Long Knives?
So what have I learnt about the S.A.?
(Some information has been added for you)
The S.A. was led by one of Hitler’s earliest
supporters – Ernst Rohm
The S.A. had supported Hitler and the Nazis by putting up posters, handing out leaflets and intimidating political
opponents throughout the 1920’s and early 1930’s.
So what have I learnt about the reasons for theNight of the Long Knives?
(Some information has been added for you)
If the S.A. were not brought under control
Hitler may lose the support of Hindenburg
(the President) and powerful
conservatives
The S.A. were becoming
lawless by the early 1930’s and were
causing some Germans to
turn against the Nazis
So what have I learnt about the consequences of theNight of the Long Knives?
(Some information has been added for you)
Ernst Rohm, potential rival to Hitler and leader of the
S.A. was shot dead
At least 83, (but more likely over 200) people were killed
Hitler’s popularity soared within the Party and
amongst the German population