Night of the Long Knives

Night of the Long Knives
source
Conflict	Night of the Long Knives
Partof	the consolidation of Nazi Germany
Date	June 30 – July 2, 1934
Place	Primarily Germany, with key events in Munich and Bad Wiessee
Result	Decisive victory for Adolf Hitler and the Schutzstaffel; destruction of the Sturmabteilung leadership and other political enemies.
Combatant1	Adolf Hitler, Schutzstaffel, Gestapo, Reichswehr
Combatant2	Leadership of the Sturmabteilung, Stahlhelm, Bund der Frontsoldaten, Political opponents of the Nazi Party regime
Commander1	Adolf Hitler, Heinrich Himmler, Reinhard Heydrich, Hermann Göring
Commander2	Ernst Röhm , Gregor Strasser , Kurt von Schleicher , Gustav Ritter von Kahr
Casualties	Estimated 85+ killed officially; historians estimate up to 200+ victims.

Night of the Long Knives. This was a violent purge orchestrated by Adolf Hitler and the leadership of Nazi Germany from June 30 to July 2, 1934. The operation, carried out primarily by the Schutzstaffel and Gestapo, aimed to crush the political threat posed by the Sturmabteilung and eliminate other perceived enemies of the regime. The event marked a critical turning point, securing Hitler's absolute dictatorship and aligning the Nazi Party with the traditional German Army.

Background and political context

By mid-1934, Adolf Hitler had been Chancellor of Germany for over a year, following the passage of the Enabling Act of 1933. However, significant power struggles persisted within the Nazi Party. The Sturmabteilung, led by Ernst Röhm, numbered over three million men and advocated for a "second revolution" to supplant the conservative German Army and the old German Empire elite. This radicalism alarmed key figures like Hermann Göring and Heinrich Himmler, who led the rival Schutzstaffel. Furthermore, President Paul von Hindenburg and the Reichswehr leadership, including Werner von Blomberg, viewed the Sturmabteilung as a destabilizing, revolutionary mob. Hitler, seeking to consolidate his regime and secure the support of the German Army for his future plans, decided to sacrifice his old ally Ernst Röhm.

The purge: events of June 30 to July 2, 1934

The purge began in the early hours of June 30, with Hitler personally leading a raid on the Sturmabteilung leadership at a hotel in Bad Wiessee. Key Schutzstaffel units, acting on lists prepared by Reinhard Heydrich of the Gestapo, simultaneously arrested and executed targets across Germany. In Munich, Ernst Röhm was arrested and later shot in his cell at Stadelheim Prison. In Berlin, operations were directed by Hermann Göring and Heinrich Himmler. Former Chancellor of Germany Kurt von Schleicher and his wife were murdered in their home, while in Potsdam, Edgar Jung, a speechwriter for Franz von Papen, was also killed. The violence extended over three days, with many victims shot without trial at Lichterfelde barracks and other locations.

Key victims and reasons for elimination

The victims fell into three main categories. First were the Sturmabteilung leaders, primarily Ernst Röhm, who was eliminated for his opposition to Hitler's pact with the Reichswehr and his perceived insubordination. Second were old political enemies from the Weimar Republic era, such as former Chancellor of Germany Kurt von Schleicher, accused of plotting with France, and Gustav Ritter von Kahr, who had opposed the Beer Hall Putsch. Third were individuals within the Nazi Party who represented past rivalries or ideological deviations, like Gregor Strasser, a leading figure of the party's left-wing. Other victims included Ferdinand von Bredow, a close associate of Kurt von Schleicher, and conservative critic Erich Klausener.

Immediate aftermath and consolidation of power

In the immediate aftermath, Hitler justified the killings in a speech before the Reichstag, declaring himself the "supreme judge of the German people." The German Army, represented by Werner von Blomberg, publicly praised Hitler's actions, solidifying the alliance between the Nazi Party and the Reichswehr. The Sturmabteilung was permanently neutered, its remnants absorbed into the Schutzstaffel, which under Heinrich Himmler became the paramount security organ. The death of President Paul von Hindenburg in August 1934 allowed Hitler to merge the offices of chancellor and president, becoming Führer and securing the personal loyalty of the armed forces through the Führer Oath.

Historical assessment and legacy

Historians view the event as the definitive moment when the Nazi Germany regime shed its remaining revolutionary pretense and established a totalitarian dictatorship based on terror. It demonstrated the absolute primacy of Adolf Hitler's will and the readiness of the state to use extrajudicial murder against anyone, including former comrades. The success of the operation empowered the Schutzstaffel and Gestapo, setting a precedent for future atrocities like The Holocaust. The term itself entered the political lexicon, later referenced during events like the Suez Crisis and in critiques of internal party purges within the Communist Party of the Soviet Union.

Category:1934 in Germany Category:Nazi Germany Category:Political purges Category:June 1934 events