A copy of the original film, before Rhm was edited out, was found in the 1980s in the German Democratic Republic's film archives. The Nazis aimed to increase their share of the vote so that they would have a majority in the Reichstag. In the cartoon, I can see Hitler standing on a stage, infront of an audience. Max Heydebreck, an SA leader in Rummelsburg, denounced the army to his fellow brownshirts, telling them, "Some of the officers of the army are swine. [75] Lutze did little to assert the SA's independence in the coming years, and the organization lost its power in Germany. Search ID: CS308675. Courtesy of The Wiener Holocaust Library Collections. [21] At the end of May, Brning and Schleicher, two former chancellors, received warnings from friends in the Reichswehr that their lives were in danger and they should leave Germany at once. retrospectively A very large number of the Freikorps believed that the November Revolution had betrayed them when Germany was alleged to be on the verge of victory in 1918. He held the same position with Rhm as I held with Himmler. Battle to save 'Night of the Long Knives' hotel where Hitler turned on Brownshirts' leader Ernst Rhm - the only man standing in his way to absolute power - in deadly 1934 purge. Political instability in the Weimar Republic, Hyperinflation and the invasion of the Ruhr, Strength and weaknesses of the Weimar Republic. With Greg Stebner. The process primarily took place between 1933-1934. [68] Hammerstein, who was a close friend of Schleicher, had been much offended at Schleicher's funeral when the SS refused to allow him to attend the service and confiscated the wreaths that the mourners had brought. This was called the "Night of the Long Knives." This cartoon is joking about how these fanatical Nazis who were once Hitler's shock troops now found themselves the target of Hitler. 1. Night of the Long Knives: Directed by Lance Miccio, Grant Slawson. [37] Sepp Dietrich received orders from Hitler for the Leibstandarte to form an "execution squad" and go to Stadelheim Prison where certain SA leaders were being held. Also in 1932, the Nazi critic Carl von Ossietzky would use the term to describe the then unrealised plans for a violent uprising: At the beginning of 1932 the Nazis seemed on the verge of a dictatorship, and the air was full of the stretch of blood. The crowd, which included party members and many SA members fortunate enough to escape arrest, shouted its approval. SS men stormed the hotel, and Hitler personally placed Rhm and other high-ranking SA leaders under arrest. The army almost unanimously applauded the Night of the Long Knives, even though the generals Kurt von Schleicher and Ferdinand von Bredow were among the victims. The Night of the Long Knives was a purge that took place in Nazi Germany. What does Long Knives expression mean? However, most accounts argue that as many as 1,000 deaths occurred during the Night of the Long Knives. "It was plain that there was wide acceptance of the deliberately misleading propaganda put out by the regime. With James Darren, Robert Colbert, Malachi Throne, David Watson. [5] In June 1932, one of the worst months of political violence, there were more than 400 street battles, resulting in 82 deaths. 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]. Whilst the pseudo-legal measures were one factor that helped the Nazis to consolidate power, another was terror and intimidation. President Hindenburg died at the age of 87 on 2 August 1934. intensified Grtner also declared in cabinet that the measure did not in fact create any new law, but simply confirmed the existing law. Its membership plummeted from 2.9 million in August 1934 to 1.2 million in April 1938. While Nazism was not exclusively or even primarily a working-class phenomenon, the SA fulfilled the yearning of many unemployed workers for class solidarity and nationalist fervour. By 1934 most of the socialists had left the party but some important figures in the hierarchy like Ernst Rhm and . In response, Hitler met Blomberg and the leadership of the SA and SS on 28 February 1934. Paul von Hindenburg was the president of the Weimar Republic from the 12 May 1925 until his death on the 2 August 1934. This fear was [79] This story would be popularized across western Europe in the 12th century as part of the History of the Britons by Geoffrey of Monmouth, which introduced many of the Arthurian legends to Germany.[80][81]. Open navigation menu of democracy. "[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. The Night of the Long Knives - Free download as Word Doc (.doc / .docx), PDF File (.pdf), Text File (.txt) or read online for free. [8], On 6 July 1933, at a gathering of high-ranking Nazi officials, Hitler declared the success of the National Socialist, or Nazi, seizure of power. A more succinct understand of the years between 1920 - 1945 of Hitler would be hard to find. "[14], Despite such hostility between the brownshirts and the regular army, Blomberg and others in the military saw the SA as a source of raw recruits for an enlarged and revitalized army. He also wanted to appease leaders of the Reichswehr, the German military, who feared and despised the SA as a potential rival, in particular because of Rhm's ambition to merge the army and the SA under his own leadership. The Night of the Long Knives commences. Hitler and the rest of the Nazi leadership disagreed with their approach. While all of these men were veterans of the Nazi movement, only Rhm continued to demonstrate his independence from, rather than his loyalty to, Adolf Hitler. Have a Free Meeting with one of our hand picked tutors from the UK's top universities. With Germany now under his control the expansion of Germany could begin. The Night of the Long Knives In June 1934, Hitler ordered the SA to go on leave for the entire month. The Night of the Long Knives involved the violent purge of certain members of the Nazi Party from June 30th to July 2nd in 1934. [66], Rumours about the Night of the Long Knives rapidly spread. [38], Although Hitler presented no evidence of a plot by Rhm to overthrow the regime, he nevertheless denounced the leadership of the SA. July 14-20, 1934 News articles, editorials, opinion pieces, letters-to-the-editor, and . Others were appalled at the scale of the executions and at the relative complacency of many of their fellow Germans. The Nazis immediately used the Enabling Law to remove civil rights. By 1935, over 1,600 newspapers had been closed. Both Kurt von Schleicher, Hitler's predecessor as Chancellor, and his wife were murdered at their home. A convoy of lorries moved quietly through the night. Lippert was convicted and sentenced to 18 months in prison.[50]. [1] More than a thousand perceived opponents were arrested. This is a crucial part of Hitler's consolidation of power. [45] Then, on 13 July 1934,[52] Hitler justified the purge in a nationally broadcast speech to the Reichstag: If anyone reproaches me and asks why I did not resort to the regular courts of justice, then all I can say is this. In August 1932 there were approximately 445,000 members of the SA. 8 study hacks, 3 revision templates, 6 revision techniques, 10 exam and self-care tips. One key example of an event posed as moderate was the Night of Long Knives. [63] During a meeting with Polish Ambassador Jzef Lipski on 22 May 1935, Hitler told Lipski that Schleicher was "rightfully murdered, if only because he had sought to maintain the Rapallo Treaty. Uploaded: 09/18/2002. Adolf Hitler needed Ernst Rhm and his storm troops to climb to power in faction-torn Germany. Originally, though, the term denotes an event in Anglo-Saxon history, first reported by the Welsh historian Nennius in his ninth-century Historia Brittonum . [73] Hitler's speech was not reported in the German press, but the army was appeased by the speech. Following the purge, the Nazi's sculpted the media coverage to portray the event as a preventative measure against a revolutionary, violent, and . The Night of the Long Knives, which was originally published in Amazing Science Fiction Stories in 1960, feels surprisingly current the character names are the most dated-feeling aspect of the story. On the 28 February 1933, President Hindenburg signed the Emergency Decree for the Protection of the German People. The SA evolved out of the remnants of the Freikorps movement of the post-World War I years. The Reichstag, the German lower house of parliament, was set on fire on the 27 February 1933. The camps were brutal and had extremely unsanitary conditions. "[63] The statements that Schleicher had been killed because he wanted to partition Poland with the Soviet Union were later published in the Polish White Book of 1939, which was a collection of diplomatic documents detailing GermanPolish relations up to the outbreak of the war. By May, lists of those to be "liquidated" started to circulate amongst Gring and Himmler's people, who engaged in a trade, adding enemies of one in exchange for sparing friends of the other. [71], In late 1934early 1935, Werner von Fritsch and Werner von Blomberg, who had been shamed into joining Hammerstein and Mackensen's rehabilitation campaign, successfully pressured Hitler into rehabilitating Generals von Schleicher and von Bredow. They had placed many in the first Most of those killed were members of the "Storm Troopers" (SA) (German: Sturmabteilung). , who had previously been a separate organisation, now swore a personal allegiance to Hitler. In this photo, Rhm is talking to a group of SA men, who appear to be listening intently. On 30 June 1934 these tensions came to a head. SA violence in Prussia gravely concerned Gring. The law needed two thirds of the Reichstag to vote for it to pass. The novella is now in the public domain, so you can get it free on Kindle, but I want to recommend the audio version which is 3 hours and 17 . Reorganisation and the Bamberg Conference, The role of economic instability in the Nazi rise to power, The role of political instability in the Nazi rise to power, The role of the conservative elite in the Nazi rise to power. 1. Share Image. Long Knives phrase. info)) or "Operation Hummingbird" (Kolibri) was a purge that took place in Nazi Germany.It happened between 30 June and 2 July 1934 when the Nazi regime executed at least 90 people for political reasons. On the 23 March 1933, Hitler proposed the Enabling Law to the Reichstag. Night of the Long Knives (Classroom Activity) When the Nazi Party was first formed it was an anti-capitalist movement. He wrote about the cartoon in his book, Years of Wrath (1949): "Nazi Party members and S.S. men got out of hand, clamouring for jobs in a Nazified industry and in an army under Nazi control; but Hitler had promised the . Rhm left the Reichswehr in 1923 and later became commander of the SA. . By the end of 1934, the Nazis had managed to infiltrate and take control of every major aspect of German government. As chancellor, Hitler did not command the army, which remained under the formal leadership of Hindenburg, a highly respected veteran field marshal. Rhm's contempt for the party's bureaucracy angered Hess. This act was reinforced by the German Civil Service code of 26 January 1937, which retired any judges or judicial official who would not intervene in cases and rule in favour of the Nazis. As a result, a political struggle within the party grew, with those closest to Hitler, including Prussian premier Hermann Gring, Propaganda Minister Joseph Goebbels, Reichsfhrer-SS Heinrich Himmler, and Hitler's deputy Rudolf Hess, positioning themselves against Rhm. "They give . The day after the fire, Hindenburg signed the Emergency Decree for the Protection of the German People. Gring declared that the communists had planned a national uprising to overthrow the Weimar Republic. of any opponents, who were be framed as traitors to the republic. [48] Eicke and Lippert then shot Rhm, killing him. On 30 June, Himmler's SS and Goering's special police arrested and executed the leaders of the SA and other The message of the cartoon "They Salute with Both Hands Now" is that in the Night of the Long Knives, Hitler turned on his previously loyal supporters, the SA, in order to consolidate his position by eliminating the threat of Ernst Rohm and the SA and winning over the Army. . In British politics, the "Night of the Long Knives" was a major Cabinet reshuffle that took place on 13 July 1962. 54 Richard J. Evans At the same time, the apparatus of the police state began to look a good deal less coercive than it had done in the 1950s. [l] Luise Solmitz, a Hamburg schoolteacher, echoed the sentiments of many Germans when she cited Hitler's "personal courage, decisiveness and effectiveness" in her private diary. Originally designed and developed by the London Jewish Cultural Centre. I gave the order to shoot the ringleaders in this treason, and I further gave the order to cauterise down to the raw flesh the ulcers of this poisoning of the wells in our domestic life. The Night of the Long Knives. Select from premium Night Of The Long Knives of the highest quality. The Night of the Long Knives (in addition to Hindenburgs deatha few months later) helped Hitler and the Nazi Party to consolidate absolute power in Germany by removing their political opposition. com. It was the culmination of a chaotic week in Westminster, which saw furious calls for an overhaul . He lifted his arm in the Nazi salute and called out "Heil Hitler, I love Germany. From 20 August onwards, the Scribd is the world's largest social reading and publishing site. ultimate power over Germany, whilst maintaining an Also known as the "brownshirts" or "stormtroopers," the SA became notorious for their street battles with the Communists. Conservatives in the army, industry and politics placed Hitler under increasing pressure to reduce the influence of the SA and to move against Rhm. Gring alone had over a thousand people arrested. government, under President Hindenburg. [68] Besides working for the rehabilitation of Schleicher and Bredow, Hammerstein and Mackensen sent a memo to Hindenburg on 18 July setting out in considerable detail the circumstances of the murders of the two generals and noted that Papen had barely escaped. In his speech to the Reichstag on 13 July justifying his actions, Hitler denounced Schleicher for conspiring with Rhm to overthrow the government; Hitler alleged both were traitors working in the pay of France. As S.A. membership grew, they were becoming harder . Enraged, Hitler tore the epaulets off the shirt of Obergruppenfhrer August Schneidhuber, the chief of the Munich police, for failing to keep order in the city the previous night. Through these aspects the Nazis suppressed any opposition to their power, and were able to start the road from democracy to a dictatorship. I also almost always agree with what his cartoons are saying. By JAINDI KISEROWe all thought that it was President Uhuru Kenyatta's night of long knives a reference to Tory Prime Minister Harold Macmillan's sudden decision in 1962 to replace a . ", "The most general theorythat National Socialism was a revolution of the lower middle classis defensible but inadequate. The Night Of The Long Knives. This handbook will help you plan your study time, beat procrastination, memorise the info and get your notes in order. [72] In a speech given on 3 January 1935, at the Berlin State Opera, Hitler stated that Schleicher and Bredow had been shot "in error" on the basis of false information, and that their names were to be restored to the honour rolls of their regiments at once. Terror and intimidation became one of the main ways that the Nazis sought to control or suppress their opposition, and Germans in general. [57][58], A special fund administered by SS General Franz Breithaupt was set up for the relatives of the murdered, from which they were cared for at the expense of the state. It established Hitler as "the supreme leader of the German people", as he put it in his 13 July speech to the Reichstag. After Hitler had promised to protect the interests of the Catholic Church, the party conceded and supported the bill. [62] General von Reichenau went so far as to publicly give credence to the lie that Schleicher had been plotting to overthrow the government. An atmosphere of panic and terror followed the event. This represents how Hitler betrayed the SA, as they had been led to believe that they would gain power alongside Hitler. Opposition from outside the Nazi party was being strangled . Moonlight glistened on numerous silvery revolvers, contrasting with the sinister black uniforms. Reichswehr On 15 March 1938, following the German annexation of Austria three days earlier, Hitler gave a speech in front of the palace in Vienna. [69] The memo asked that Hindenburg instead create a directorate to rule Germany, comprising the Chancellor (who was not named), General Werner von Fritsch as Vice-Chancellor, Hammerstein as Minister of Defense, the Minister for National Economy (also unnamed), and Rudolf Nadolny as Foreign Minister. ", "After the 'Night of the Long Knives,' [Reich Minister for Justice Franz Grtner] nipped in the bud the attempts of some local state prosecutors to initiate proceedings against the killers. Close 'Here after let this be known as the night of the long side burns!' The SA used to be fiercely loyal to Hitler, and so would salute him with the Nazi salute (with one hand). In Rhm's view, President Hindenburg's appointment of Hitler as chancellor on 30 January 1933, had brought the Nazi Party to power, but had left unfulfilled the party's larger goals. Then followed a series of extrajudicial killings, in which scores of officials were assassinated. The Foreign Office even complained of instances where brownshirts manhandled foreign diplomats. On 17 March 1935, 700 pastors of the Confessing Church, which opposed the Nazis, were arrested. 1 Quoted in Richard J. Evans, The Third Reich in Power (New York: Penguin Books, 2005), 37-38. British cartoon by David Low, 1934 H I UN TL PR KE ER OM PT 'S IS ES They salute with both hands, now! [56] Germany's legal establishment further capitulated to the regime when the country's leading legal scholar, Carl Schmitt, wrote an article defending Hitler's 13 July speech. The atmosphere of terror that had followed the Reichstag Fire, and Hindenburgs and von Papens support, made the proposal seem legitimate and, to some, necessary. Facebook Twitter Email Copy Link. This hysteria helped to turn the public against the communists, one of the Nazis main opponents, and 4000 people were imprisoned. Moreover, it was not just the Reichswehr that viewed the SA as a threat. Wiskemann, Elizabeth, "The Night of the Long Knives", This page was last edited on 28 February 2023, at 06:34. The caption They salute with both hands now is a joke about the Nazi salute. In this hour I was responsible for the fate of the German people, and thereby I became the supreme judge of the German people. During a trip to Warsaw in January 1935, Gring told Jan Szembek that Schleicher had urged Hitler in January 1933 to reach an understanding with France and the Soviet Union, and partition Poland with the latter, and Hitler had Schleicher killed out of disgust with the alleged advice.