The Night of the Long Knives

• Who was the leader of the SA that Hitler feared opposition from?

  Ernst Rohm
• Why did Hitler fear the SA by 1934?

  Because many SA members were loyal to Rohm, who was more socialist than Hitler
• What was the size of the SA compared to the German army in 1934?

  The SA had 3 million members, while the army had only 100,000
• Why did army generals distrust Rohm?

  Because the SA's size threatened their limited army
• Who wanted the SS to replace the SA in importance?

  Heinrich Himmler
• What did Hitler believe Rohm was planning to do with the SA?

  To use the SA to seize power
• What happened on 30 June 1934?

  Rohm and 100 other senior SA leaders were arrested and shot
• What was the status of the SA after the purge?

  The SA continued to exist but was under Hitler's control
• Who was Gregor Strasser and what happened to him?

  He was a political opponent of Hitler who was murdered during the purge
• What were the main events of the Night of the Long Knives?

  • Arrest of Rohm and 100 senior SA leaders
  • Execution without trial
  • Elimination of potential political opponents
  • Strengthening of Hitler's control over the SA and the Party
• 1.Although Germany was now a one party state, Hitler still feared opposition within his own party, in particular from Ernst Rohm, leader of the SA.
• 2. By 1934, the SA numbered 3 million, and Hitler feared many of these were loyal more to Rohm than himself, who was more socialist than Hitler.
• 3. Rohm was also distrusted by the army generals, whose limited army of 100,000 was threatened by the 3 million strong SA, and by other Nazi leaders such as Heinrich Himmler and Hermann Goring who saw Rohm’s influence as a threat to their status in the Party. Himmler wanted his SS to replace the SA in importance.
• 4. Hitler believed that Rohm was planning to use the SA to seize power, so on 30 June 1934, Rohm and 100 other senior SA leaders were arrested at a meeting in Bavaria and shot without trial.
• 5. The SA continued to exist but no longer rivalled the army or the SS and was now firmly under Hitler’s control.
• 6. Hitler also used the opportunity to have other potential political opponents murdered in the carnage, including Gregor Strasser who had challenged Hitler’s leadership of the Party at the Bamberg Conference.