Night of the Long Knives

Long ago, a leader named Hitler ruled Germany.

He had a large group called the SA.

A man named Röhm led this group. Hitler wanted to be the only boss. He did not want the SA to have so much power. Because of this, Hitler ordered many people to be killed. This included Röhm and his friends.

This event helped Hitler keep total control. It changed his country forever.

In 1934, a big change happened in Nazi Germany.

This event was called the Night of the Long Knives.

At that time, a man named Ernst Röhm led a group called the SA.

The SA were known as "Brownshirts." They were a large group of followers. Röhm wanted the SA to become the main army of Germany. This made the real German military worried. It also made Hitler worry about his own power.

Hitler decided to act. From June 30 to July 2, he ordered many people to be killed.

This included Röhm and other leaders of the SA. He also killed people who were against his rule. At least 85 people died, but some say the number was much higher.

This event helped Hitler take full control. The German military began to support him more. It was a major turning point for the country. After this, Hitler had much more power over the law and the people.

The Night of the Long Knives was a major event in Nazi Germany.

This event happened between June 30 and July 2, 1934. It was also called Operation Hummingbird or the Röhm purge. During this time, Adolf Hitler ordered many people to be killed without a trial. These killings were meant to help him keep total control of the country. This moment changed how the German government worked forever.

Hitler used specific groups to carry out these killings. The SS, a paramilitary force, played a very large role.

The Gestapo, which was the secret police, also helped. Reinhard Heydrich led part of this work. A personal police group belonging to Hermann Göring also took part. These groups targeted many different people. They aimed to remove anyone who might challenge Hitler's new power.

There were many reasons why Hitler chose to act. One reason was the SA, a large group known as the "Brownshirts."

The SA leader was Ernst Röhm, a longtime friend of Hitler. Röhm wanted the SA to become the main German army. This idea made the real German military very angry. The military leaders feared the SA as a rival. Hitler also wanted to stop the street violence caused by the SA. He wanted to look better to the public.

Many important people were killed during these few days. Ernst Röhm was the most famous person to die.

Other Nazi leaders, like Gregor Strasser, were also killed. Hitler even targeted people who were not in his party. He killed former Chancellor Kurt von Schleicher and Gustav Ritter von Kahr.

At least 85 people died, but some estimates say 700 to 1,000 people died. More than 1,000 other people were arrested.

This event helped Hitler become much stronger. It made the German military support him more.

The courts even allowed these killings to happen. This meant Hitler had almost total power over the law. He even called himself the administrator of justice in a speech. This was a major turning point for Nazi Germany. It helped turn the country into a place where only one party had control.

The Night of the Long Knives was a violent purge in Nazi Germany.

It took place from June 30 to July 2, 1934. Some people also called it the Röhm purge or Operation Hummingbird. This event involved a series of extrajudicial executions. Extrajudicial means the killings happened without a legal trial or court process. This purge was a major turning point for the Nazi regime. It helped Adolf Hitler consolidate his absolute power over the nation.

Several specific groups carried out the killings during these days. The primary instruments were the SS, which was a paramilitary force.

The SS worked alongside its Security Service, known as the SD. The Gestapo, or secret police, also played a major role. Reinhard Heydrich led part of the Gestapo's efforts. Additionally, a personal police battalion belonging to Hermann Göring participated in the violence. These groups targeted many people to remove any potential rivals.

One major cause for the purge was the role of the SA.

The SA was the Nazi paramilitary organization known as the "Brownshirts." Its leader was Ernst Röhm, a longtime ally of Hitler. The SA had grown to over three million members by early 1934. This large size made the regular German military, the Reichswehr, very nervous. Röhm wanted to merge the army and the SA under his own leadership. This ambition created a direct conflict between the SA and the professional military.

Hitler had several other reasons to target the SA and its leaders. The SA was often involved in street violence and thuggish tactics.

This behavior made the German public critical of the government. Hitler wanted to improve the government's image by reining in the Brownshirts. He also wanted to appease the Reichswehr leaders. These military leaders despised the SA as a rival and a plebeian rabble. Furthermore, Röhm supported a "second revolution" to redistribute wealth. This radical economic idea made Hitler uncomfortable.

Many significant figures were killed during the operation. The most prominent victim was Ernst Röhm, the SA's chief of staff.

Nazi leaders from the Strasserist faction, such as Gregor Strasser, were also executed. Hitler also used the purge to eliminate non-Nazi critics. This included former Chancellor Kurt von Schleicher.

He also killed Gustav Ritter von Kahr, a politician who had once suppressed Hitler. These actions settled old scores and removed political obstacles.

The scale of the violence was significant. At least 85 people died during the purge. However, some estimates suggest the death toll was much higher. These estimates range from 700 to 1,000 deaths. More than 1,000 perceived opponents were also arrested during this time.

This mass action effectively silenced many people who might have challenged the regime.

The Night of the Long Knives had lasting effects on German law and society. It strengthened the support of the military for Hitler. The German courts and cabinet quickly accepted the killings. They swept aside legal prohibitions against extrajudicial killings to show loyalty. This gave the Nazis a legal grounding for their actions. Hitler later called himself the "administrator of justice of the German people."

This event marked the absolute consolidation of judicial power in Nazi Germany.