Hitler's Consolidation Of Power

• New People’s Courts and Special Courts were created in March 1933.
• In October 1933 lawyers had to join the German Lawyers’ Front and swear loyalty to Hitler.

• On 7 April 1933 the Law for the Official Reform of the Civil Service was passed. ‘Alien elements’ (Jews, political opponents) were removed from courts, education and the civil service.
• The existing civil service stayed in place but lost influence as the NSDAP increasingly set up its own specialist agencies to develop and execute policies.

• SPD leader Otto Wels fled into exile in June after the party was banned. Other parties dissolved themselves.
• On 14 July Law against the Formation of New Parties.
• In November 1933 NSDAP won 92% of the election votes (8% = spoiled votes)
• In January 1934 the Law for the Reconstruction of the State was passed. Elected state assemblies were dissolved. Reich Governors were created – Nazi Gauleiters often appointed.

• On 2 May trades union officials were seized; all trade unions replaced by DAF (Nazi Trade Union).

• The SA murdered about 500 people.
• 100,000 political opponents were arrested.
• From March 1933 the SA had been violently overthrowing many state governments so that the Reich government had to appoint commissioners.

Most generals agreed with Hitler’s ideas about German nationalism, rearmament, and were anti-left wing. Hitler was wary of the army.

• Nazi infighting:
  • Himmler wanted the SS removed from SA control.
  • Goering resented Röhm and led Hitler to believe Röhm was planning a coup.
• Hitler needed élite support:
  • Röhm had spoken of a ‘second revolution’ to fulfil the socialist points of the 25 Point Programme. Hitler feared an élite backlash.
• Papen had publicly criticised the SA, with Hindenburg’s approval.
• The Army disliked the SA. Germany’s military was still run by the élite.

• The purge (named Operation Hummingbird) lasted from 29 June to 2 July.
• Overall, about 90 opponents of Hitler were murdered, including over 50 SA leaders.

• The night marks a watershed Hitler’s dictatorship: he crushed the radical SA, murdered his opponents and won the support of the élites – including the army.
• On 3 July 1934, Hitler passed a law legalising the actions having gained acceptance of his actions and legalised the murders of his opponents.
• The SS became independent of the SA and under Hitler’s personal command.

• Ian Kershaw (2001) argues that the Night of the Long Knives actually increased public confidence in Hitler as Fuhrer.
  • The 'Hitler Myth' is the idea that in the eyes of the millions of people who loved him, Hitler could do no wrong.
  • Hitler gave a long speech in the Reichstag a fortnight after the events and justified his actions, describing himself as the 'supreme judge' of the German people.
  • His public image was strengthened by the speech. People saw him as a defender of the little man against the big man.

• On 1 August 1934, Hitler passed a law concerning the Head of State of the German Reich.
• He merged the offices of President and Chancellor into Führer and Reich Chancellor.

• On 2 August 1934, Hindenburg died.
• Hitler became Führer of Germany.
• As head of the only political party allowed in Germany, all power was in his hands.

• The German Armed Forces took an oath of personal loyalty to Hitler:
  • ‘I will render unconditional obedience to Adolf Hitler, the Führer…’.