Consolidation of Nazi Rule in Germany

• • In 1933, Hitler was Chancellor.
  • Hitler was determined to establish a dictatorship by getting ⅔ majority in the Reichstag. He could then change the constitution to give him the powers he wanted.
  • Nazis had control of most stations, newspapers, and the police.
• • Held massive rallies and spent a fortune on campaigns.
  • Opponents in SPD and PD found meetings disrupted by SA and SS.
  • Police did nothing to stop the SA and SS and sometimes even supported their actions.
• The Reichstag Fire:

  • 27 Feb 1933, Reichstag building was burnt.
  • Many Germans thought that the Nazis might have started the fire themselves. Seemed that it was the work of a lone and mentally unstable communist named Marinus von der Lubbe.
  • Hitler declared that the fire was the beginning of a communist uprising. Persuaded Hindenburg to pass the Decress of Protection of People and State. Gave Hitler sweeping emergency powers.
  • Police, SA, and SS arrested 4000 communists on the night of the fire alone.
• The Reichstag Fire:

  • Opposition party meetings, newspapers, and radio broadcasts were banned.
  • Made it difficult for the opposition parties to campaign
  • 5 March Election, Nazis won 288 seats.
  • With the support of 52 delegates from the German National People’s Party (DNVP), they now had 52% of the seats.
• The Enabling Act:

  • 52% was not enough, Hitler needed ⅔ majority to change the Weimar Consitution.
  • His idea was to introduce a new measure, the Enabling Act, which would let Hiler make and pass laws without consulting the Reichstag.
  • Only SPD voted against him. Communists were in prison. Many Reichstag members did not vote as either injured or intimidated by the SA and the SS. Catholic Centre Party decided to cooperate with the Nazis
• The Enabling Act:

  • Enabling Act was passed on 24 March.
  • Hitler was now effectively a dictator.
  • For the next 4 years, he would pass any new law he wanted. There was nothing President Hindenburg or anyone else could do.
  • Democracy in Germany had ended.
• Gleichshaltung (Coordination):

  • Hitler continued to strengthen his power in a process called Gleichshaltung or coordination (which means bringing everything together).
  • Involved bringing all aspects of the state under the Nazis.
  • In April 1933, Hitler passed a law banning Jews from civil service.
• Gleichshaltung (Coordination):

  • Became impossible to be promoted in civil service if not a member of the Nazi Party.
  • In May 1933, all trade unions were banned. All local council and state assemblies had to have a Nazi majority.
  • Over 400 local elected council members and 70 locally elected mayors were forced out. 
  • In July 1933, Hitler passed a law banning all other political parties. Germany became a one-party state.
• The Night of the Long Knives:

  • By mid-1934, Hitler started to see the SA, especially Ernst Rohm as a threat.
  • Rohm was asked by Hitler to lead the SA in 1930, but by 1933, there was growing tensions between them.
  • SA was nearly 3 million strong. Members were fiercely loyal to Rohm and supported his calls to tax elite groups (industrialists and land owners) to help the unemployed.
  • Army commanders were suspicious of Rohm. Thought that the SA was a disreputable force and were unsettled by Rohm’s talk of making SA into a 2nd German Army.
• The Night of the Long Knives:

  • 29-30 June 1934, squads of SS men arrested Rohm and other leading figures in the SA. Hitler accused Rohm of plotting to overthrow and murder him.
  • Rohm and 400 others were executed. Sa lost much of its prestige and influence. Many of its members were absorbed into the army and the SS.
  • The purge became known as the Night of the Long Knives.
  • Hitler also targeted old rivals. Von Papen was placed under house arrest. He resigned as vice-chancellor. Hitler offered him the post of Ambassador to Austria and accepted.
• Army and the Oath of Allegiance:

  • 2 Aug 1934, Hindenburg dies. The only person who could rival Hitler’s authority is gone.
  • Hitler took over as Fuehrer(supreme leader) of Germany, combining the roles of chancellor and president.
  • On 2 Aug 1934, the entire army swears oath of personal loyalty to Hitler.
• Army and the Oath of Allegiance:

  • Army agrees to stay out of policies and serve Hitler.
  • In return, Hitler spent vast sums on rearmament, brought back conscription, and made Germany a great military power again.
  • This not only maintained the support of the military and fulfilled the election promises, but also broke the TOV.