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How Did the Night of the Long Knives Help Hitler Consolidate Power?

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The Night of the Long Knives was extremely significant in the establishment of the Nazi dictatorship and ultimately Hitler’s power. This night of brutal murder and elimination of the Sturm Abteilung (SA) gave Hitler the support of the army, which he need for both the creation of a totalitarian state and his future foreign policy and also relieved the pressures on Hitler. However, The Night of the Long Knives was also the continuation of many other events, which could be described as equally as important, such as the Enabling Act and the Reichstag Fire.

Ernst Rohm a professional soldier and once a close friend of Adolf Hitler was a major threat against Hitler’s power and reign. Rohm was a natural rebel who had strong revolutionary …show more content…

Almost in unification, the army praised the Night of the Long knives even though, general Kurt von Schleicher and Ferdinand von Bredow were among the many victims. The ill President Hindenburg, who was viewed as Germany’s military hero, sent a telegram expressing his “profoundly felt gratitude” and congratulated Hitler for, “nipping treason in the bud”. Although many Germans approached the official news of the events as described by Josef Goebbels with doubtfulness, many others though took the government at its word, and believed Hitler had saved Germany from chaos and destruction. The Night of the Long knives represented a triumph for Hitler and a turning point for the German government. It established Hitler’s image as “the supreme judge of the German people”. This event also sent a clear message to the public that even the most notable Germans were affected from arrest or even summary execution should the Nazi regime view them as a threat. Due to the Night of the Long Knives, it established a pattern of violence that would characterize the Nazi regime and desensitise the German citizens from executions of millions in the future.

The Night of the Long Knives helped Hitler, as almost all of his political enemies were wiped out during these nights. This meant the only force still capable of removing him from power was the army, which soon swore

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