Ernst Röhm

Ernst Röhm
Georg Pahl · CC BY-SA 3.0 de · source
Name	Ernst Röhm
Caption	Röhm in SA uniform, 1933
Birth date	28 November 1887
Birth place	Munich, Kingdom of Bavaria, German Empire
Death date	1 July 1934 (aged 46)
Death place	Stadelheim Prison, Munich, Nazi Germany
Party	Nazi Party (NSDAP)
Allegiance	* German Empire * Weimar Republic * Nazi Germany
Branch	* Imperial German Army * Reichswehr * Sturmabteilung (SA)
Serviceyears	1906–1923, 1930–1934
Rank	SA-Stabschef (Chief of Staff)
Battles	* World War I * German Revolution of 1918–1919 * Beer Hall Putsch

Ernst Röhm was a German military officer and an early, pivotal leader of the Nazi Party. He was the founder and long-time commander of the party's paramilitary wing, the Sturmabteilung (SA), which played a crucial role in the violent struggle for power during the final years of the Weimar Republic. His growing power and radical vision for the SA ultimately brought him into fatal conflict with Adolf Hitler and other Nazi leaders, leading to his execution during the Night of the Long Knives in 1934.

Early life and military career

Born in Munich, Röhm joined the Imperial German Army in 1906. He served as a staff officer with distinction during World War I on the Western Front, where he was seriously wounded at Verdun and earned the Iron Cross First Class. After the war, he remained in the reduced Reichswehr, becoming deeply involved in Freikorps activities and right-wing politics in Bavaria, fiercely opposing the Treaty of Versailles and combating communist uprisings during the German Revolution of 1918–1919. This period cemented his belief in paramilitary force as a tool for political change.

Role in the early Nazi Party

Röhm joined the German Workers' Party (DAP) in 1919 and introduced the young Adolf Hitler to the city's nationalist circles. He was instrumental in the early growth of the party, which soon became the Nazi Party, using his military connections to provide security and recruit veterans. He played a leading role in the failed Beer Hall Putsch of 1923, for which he was briefly imprisoned. After a period of estrangement from Hitler, he served as a military advisor in Bolivia before being recalled to Germany in 1930.

Leadership of the Sturmabteilung (SA)

At Hitler's request, Röhm returned to become the SA-Stabschef (Chief of Staff) in 1931, tasked with reorganizing the unruly Sturmabteilung. Under his command, the SA grew exponentially into a massive force of several million men, comprising disaffected workers, unemployed youth, and former Freikorps members. The "Brownshirts" became the Nazi Party's primary instrument of street violence, intimidating political opponents like those from the Social Democratic Party and the Communist Party of Germany, and was crucial to the Nazi seizure of power in 1933.

Rivalry with the SS and conflict with Hitler

Röhm's ambitions for the SA created profound tensions within the Nazi movement. He advocated for a "Second Revolution" that would displace the traditional conservative elites of the Reichswehr and the state bureaucracy, with the SA becoming the nucleus of a new "people's army". This directly threatened the ambitions of Heinrich Himmler, Hermann Göring, and the Schutzstaffel (SS), who sought to consolidate their own power. Most critically, it alarmed Hitler, who needed the support of the Reichswehr and German industry to stabilize his regime and pursue rearmament.

Night of the Long Knives and death

The escalating conflict culminated in the Night of the Long Knives from June 30 to July 2, 1934. On Hitler's orders, the SS and Gestapo moved to eliminate the perceived threat of the SA leadership. Röhm was arrested at a hotel in Bad Wiessee and taken to Stadelheim Prison in Munich. After refusing to commit suicide, he was executed by an SS firing squad on July 1. The purge also claimed the lives of other SA leaders like Edmund Heines and former Chancellor Kurt von Schleicher, solidifying the power of Hitler and the SS.

Legacy and historical assessment

Röhm's death marked the decisive subordination of the Sturmabteilung to the Schutzstaffel, with the SA relegated to a minor role thereafter. Historians view him as a central figure in the Nazi rise to power, whose paramilitary tactics were essential to destroying democracy in Germany. His elimination demonstrated Hitler's willingness to ruthlessly destroy former allies to secure his political position and appease the German Army and conservative establishment. Röhm remains a symbol of the violent, revolutionary faction within the early Nazi Party that was ultimately sacrificed for the sake of the regime's consolidation.

Category:1887 births Category:1934 deaths Category:Nazi Party officials Category:German military personnel of World War I Category:Victims of the Night of the Long Knives