night of the long knives

• • 60% of SA unemployed & were loyal to rohm, put him in an ideal position to challenge hitler
  • rohm opposed hitler’s policies & criticised his links with army generals & wanted to help working class
• • army officers worried rohm was a threat due to SA being bigger; believed he wanted SA to replace army
  • SS leaders resented rohm as they wanted to reduce power of SA
• • hitler arranged to remove rohm & SA
  • Arranged meeting with rohm and 100 SA leaders at a hotel on 30 June 1934
  • rohm and senior officers were arrested and shot
• | killing of long knives

  • Von papen protesting to goerin; papen told SS had things under control
  • Papen’s press secretary was shot & staff arrested, telephone cut off
  • Hitler was acting illegally, murdering Ronald for power
• • goering said at a press conference that rohm had been planning a second revolution to replace hitler so the killing were in the best interest of Germany