How important was the Night of the Long Knives in consolidating Hitlers hold on power by the middle of 1934?

Question

Was it the main reason of keeping Hitler in power or was it other things, and why?

Answer 1

There were other events like the reichstag fire and the passing of the enabling act in 1933.

However the fact that there were no public protests on what happened during the Night of Long knives showed how powerful Hitler had become.

Finally, Hitler gained absolute power when President Hindenburg died in August 1934 and Hitler combined the posts of chancellor and president for himself.

Answer 2

The Night of the Long Knives (June 30 and Sunday July 1, 1934) (German, Nacht der langen Messer), also known as Reichsmordwoche, "Operation Hummingbird" or "the Blood Purge", was a lethal purge of Adolf Hitler's potential political rivals in the Sturmabteilung (SA; also known as storm troopers or brownshirts). The SA was the paramilitary organization of the Nazi Party that had helped the Nazis rise to power in the Twenties, culminating with Hitler being appointed Chancellor of Germany in 1933. The name, "Night of the Long Knives", is a reference to the massacre of Vortigern's men by Angle, Jute and Saxon mercenaries in the Arthurian myth.

Occurring over a weekend, the purge targeted SA leaders and members who were associated more with socialism than with nationalism, and hence were viewed as a threat to the continued support for Chancellor Adolf Hitler within the Army and conservative business community that had supported Hitler's rise to power. During this event, however, the Gestapo also targeted conservative rivals and elements within and outside the regime, and the purge did not focus on suppressing the Communists or Social Democrats, the Nazi Party's primary foes from the left.

Official records tally the dead at 77, though some 400 are believed to have been killed.

Answer 3

Contrary to one of the answers above, only Heines was caught in flagrante on the Night of the Long Knives, in bed with a young, Aryan(!) recruit. The problem was not that the SA leadership were homosexual per se, indeed a number of leading Nazis were, it was that they were becoming seen as such. More importantly, the SA were a largely amorphous organisation, and because they had roots in National Socialism going further back than Hitler, they formed the opinion they were untouchable. They began to take tactics of intimidation too far for Hitler, who had not yet consolidated power, and became a thorn in the side of Nazi public relations. They were replaced by the SS, who absorbed many of the remnants of the SA, but were a tighter, more closely knit group, more in tune with the Nazism of the mid 1930s. The SA were ideologically out-of-date, and Rohm especially had grown to despise Hitler.
Their destruction was a major factor in the streamlining of the Nazi party, and was more important in consolidating Hitler's control over his own party organisation than his hold on power, although there can be no doubt that the Nazis would not have been so successful with the SA as part of their machine.

Answer 4

I don't know about main reason - he was after all part of the elected government at the time - but very important nonetheless.
1. It got rid of the SA and Roehm who were getting restive at the lack of revolutionary change.
2. It decisively nailed the lid on any idea that any part of the regime was going to be socialist - despite the name.
3. It showed Big Business that, in the immortal words of Mrs Thatcher, he was someone they could do business with.
4. It consolidated his reputation with the country as the Strong Man who would crack down on lawlessness.
5. It cemented his relationship with the Army.
6. It showed potential opposition what they could expect.

Answer 5

Lots of things helped Hitler to stay and gain power, but the night of the long knives was a huge factor.

Answer 6

Some very interesting answers above - although they differ in detail. For more detailed reading can I recommend "The Order of the Death's head" The story of Hitler's SS by Heinz Höhne ISBN 0-330-02963-0, published by Pan and my "Berlin A journey in time and place" A history and guide to Berlin in one volume ISBN 1-904181-76-7 published by WritersWorld.

Answer 7

This night held very close to Hitler's heart mainly because he knew if he could conquer these men, then he would have conquered Germany's main governmental system. Once he had control of this sector of public servants, he had charge over the "whole" of Germany. This was a group of strict political figures who believed in the tradition of Germany and its long-standing ways.

Answer 8

Avondrow said what i was going to say, so give him the 10 since he was first. The SA were thugs and hoodlums, led by a gay leadership....how Arayan was that? The German General staff and masses fell under Hitler's sway as he became more 'respectable.'

Answer 9

It was very important in that Ernst Rohm & his S.A. were eliminated as a possible challenger to his sole dictatorship.
But very importantly ,it brought the Regular Army under his control,thus forcing Hindenberg to share the Chancellorship.

Answer 10

it has been said that the Military and the industrial leadership would never have become solidly behind National Socialism whilst Rhom was around, so it was probably very significant - also it led to the SA being Subordinated to the SS, which consolidated Himmler's powerbase.