Key facts about the Night of the Long Knives
- The Night of the Long Knives started on 30 June 1934, and lasted until 2 July 1934
- It was a purge (a violent removal of a group of people) of right-wing political opponents by the Nazi Party
- It was also used to tame the violent and radical paramilitary wing of the Nazi Party
- Up to 200 people were killed and thousands were arrested
- Many Germans, including the army and the courts, either approved or didn't resist the purge
People you need to know
- Paul von Hindenburg - German nobleman, popular military officer and president of Germany from 1925 until 1934.
- Adolf Hitler - leader of the Nazi Party and Führer of Germany.
- Franz von Papen - German nobleman, officer and politician. He was German chancellor in 1932 and vice-chancellor under Hitler in 1933–1934.
- Ernst Röhm - head of the SA and founding member of the Nazi Party.
- Gregor Strasser - an early and powerful member of the Nazi Party, who disagreed with Hitler personally and politically.
Starting on the night of the 30 June 1934, the Nazis removed their political opponents and paramilitary supporters in a single purge in what became known as the Night of the Long Knives. [caption id="attachment_2277" align="alignleft" width="198"]
Ernst Röhm[/caption] Having gained political power in the 1933 election, Hitler needed to make sure his position was secure. He had already silenced those on the left such as the Social Democrats and the Communists, but now he needed to do the same with the trouble makers on the right. More importantly, he also needed to curb the enthusiasm of the Party’s paramilitary wing, the Sturmabteilung or SA. The SA, under the leadership of Ernst Röhm, were violent and radical, putting off many potential Nazi supporters in the army, the courts and politically. Röhm was pushing for a second revolution to redistribute wealth amongst society and the Party was in danger of splitting into factions. He also presented a personal threat to Hitler: in wanting to absorb the German military, the Reichswehr, into the SA, he would have become immensely powerful and a real threat both to Hitler and to Hitler’s future plans. Gregor Strasser had also caused a split in the Party. He had been a prominent member in the early years, but drifted further away from Hitler both in ideology and strategy until he left the Party in 1932. With him went a number of his supporters and, despite the fact Nazi Party members were now obliged to swear an oath of loyalty to Hitler, many of Strasser's sympathisers remained. Something had to be done.
Hitler's response was codenamed Operation Hummingbird. Starting on 30 June 1934, 85 named individuals were arrested and executed without trial, including Strasser and the Vice-Chancellor, von Papen. Röhm was arrested and offered suicide in prison, which he declined, so an SS officer named Lippert did it for him, shooting him three times in the chest.
While only 85 people had been targeted during the purge, the actual death toll could be as high as 150-200, with many using the opportunity to settle old arguments. Thousands more people were arrested and imprisoned, a fate often the same as death. [caption id="attachment_2278" align="alignright" width="300"]
President Paul von Hindenburg[/caption]
The purge finished on 2 July, leaving the Nazis with a need to present it in a sympathetic light. On 2 July, it was announced on the radio that Hitler had foiled a plot to overthrow the government, but that quick action had been taken for the safety of the state, and he was roundly applauded by the army and President Hindenburg. When an act was passed retroactively legitimising the purge on the grounds of defence of the state, the judiciary did nothing to prevent it. They had therefore shown they would be compliant, which set a dangerous precedent for the regime's later atrocities. Many have pointed to the Night of the Long Knives as the point where hope of positive change in Germany died, along with Hitler's political opponents.
The violence perpetrated on the Night of the Long Knives would only escalate as the Third Reich continued. Ironically, it was fear of violence which had been used to legitimise – and normalise – a violent act, and as the supposed enemies of the state increased during the next 10 years, so did the Nazi violence against them.
Things to think about
- Were the leaders of the SA a threat to Hitler?
- How complicit were the judiciary in the Night of the Long Knives?
- What were the lasting effects of the purge?
- What does the Night of the Long Knives tell us about Nazi Germany and the Nazi government?
- What effect did Nazi propaganda have on public opinion, and what lessons did the Nazi leadership learn from it?
Things to do
- Look at the reaction to the Night of the Long Knives from the press around the world. This could include cartoons (such as the David Low one above) and newspaper articles. What do you think the general opinion of the purge was, inside and outside Germany?
Further reading
The best person to read to gain an understanding of Nazi Germany and Hitler is Ian Kershaw. He has written extensively on the Third Reich, but one (or two) of his best is the biography of Hitler that was first published in two parts and has now been abridged into one volume. There are few good books in print that are solely concerned with the Night of the Long Knives. Charles Rivers Editors' book, The Night of the Long Knives: The History and Legacy of Adolf Hitler's Notorious Purge of the SA, provides a very short introduction to the purge.
