Goering and Prussia

• he played an important role in the early days of Hitler's government.
• Goering came from a rich background. His father was involved in the expansion of the German empire in Africa and therefore was respected among nationalists before WW1. He had a reputation as a dashing hero and a man of action.
• Pilots were regarded as modern-day knights in shining armour, due to their skill and the glamour of their contribution to the war effort.
• Goering's wealth and reputation meant that he had respect of German aristocrats.
• Goering played a leading role in the winning the co-operation and approval of aristocrats in government.
• Some people in established political parties were suspicious of Hitler because of his lower m/c background were even more concerned about Rohm due to the SA's thuggery. Goering's background was useful in winning these people over.
• Goering was given the position of minister of interior in Prussia in Hitler's first cabinet. This gave him control over law and order in the largest and most powerful German state.
• Goering used the police in Prussia to persecute l/w political opponents. He appointed 50,000 members of the SA as auxiliary police officers. The SA unleashed terror on the Nazis l/w opponent, as well as using their new found power to persecute Prussian Jews.
• SA violence was facilitated by legal changes that Hitler made in his first months in office.
• Hitler's first opportunity to make a radical change to the German law came as a result of the Reichstag Fire, which the Nazis presented as a major attack on the German nation.