Chapter 6- establishment of Hitler's dictatorship

• February 1933

  • reichstag burnt down and Hitler blamed communists
  • Hitler asked Hindenburg to pass emergency 'protection law'
  • Hitler had power to deal with Germany's power
• March 1933

  • Hitler had majority seats now
  • 4000 communists were jailed & their newspapers banned
  • centre party politicians joined Nazis
  • many party politicians were bulkied into passing the enabling act
  • Hitler can now make laws without reichstag approval
• April-May 1933

  • Nazi's were put incharge of all local government councils
  • the Gestapo were formed (secret police)
  • first concentration camp for political prisoners
  • trade unions are banned
• July-August 1933-34

  • Hitler banned all political parties other than nazis
  • banned the establishment of new parties
  • Germany is now a one party state
  • Hitler murdered opponents
  • Hitler becomes president calling himself Der frührer
  • he made army swear oath to him
• what was the SA and what did they do ?

  • protect hitler from harm
  • leader was Ernst rohm
  • he worried hitler because he felt like he was becoming more powerful
  • Rohm wanted to combine th SA & army
• what was the night of long knives ?

  • Hitler arranged to meet at a hotel in Bavaria with SA leaders
  • Hitler shortly before dawn had the SS storm into the hotel
  • Rohm & other SA leaders were arrested and later shot dead
  • over th next few days 400 political opponents were executed
• what were the impacts of the night of the long knives ?

  • rivals dead
  • rise of the SS
  • rule of murder
• what effect did rivals dead have ?

  many of those who Hitler regarded as a threat were dead
• what effect did the rise of the SS have ?

  • led by Heimlich himmler
  • now responsible for Hitler's security
  • along with the Gestapo they formed a police state
• what effect did the rule of murder have ?

  • Hitler did not hide what he did
  • his acts established murder as a method of nazi government