How did hitler become dictator?

• February 1933: The Reichstag Fire

  • A fire breaks out in the Reichstag building and a Dutch Communist is found nearby
  • Hitler blames the Communist and gets the party banned, eliminating a significant opposition
• March 1933: The Enabling Act

  • Hitler passed Article 48, allowing him to make laws and decisions without the approval of the Reichstag for 4 years
  • Hitler used this power to remove civil rights, ban all other political parties, and establish the Nazi party as the only party in Germany
• June 1934: The Night of the Long Knives

  • Hitler launches an attack on the SA, his private army, to eliminate the threat they posed to his leadership
  • Hundreds were murdered, including Ernst Rohm, and many were taken to concentration camps
• August 1934: President Hindenburg dies

  • With Hindenburg's death, Hitler combines the roles of President and Chancellor, becoming known as 'Fuhrer'
  • Hitler consolidates total control of Germany, becoming a dictator