H6: Nazi Consolidation of Power

🔥 The Reichstag Fire (27 February 1933)

Events

• 27 February 1933: The Reichstag was set ablaze; van der Lubbe was arrested inside the building
• 28 February 1933: Hindenburg signed the Decree for the Protection of the People and State (the "Reichstag Fire Decree")
• Hitler claimed the fire was the start of a Communist revolution
• 4,000 Communists were arrested in the following days, including KPD leader Ernst Thälmann
• Van der Lubbe was executed in January 1934; there is still debate about whether he acted alone

The Reichstag Fire Decree

🗳️ The March 1933 Election

• The KPD won 81 seats but these were all annulled - Communist deputies were arrested or in hiding
• SPD leader Otto Wels was the only person to speak against the Enabling Act in the Reichstag
• The SA violently disrupted opposition campaigning; 69 people were killed in political violence during the campaign
• Goebbels controlled radio broadcasting, giving the Nazis a huge media advantage
• Despite all these advantages, the Nazis still only won 43.9% - showing that a majority of Germans had NOT freely chosen Nazism

📜 The Enabling Act (23 March 1933)

How Hitler Passed the Enabling Act

• Communist deputies were prevented from taking their seats (arrested under the Reichstag Fire Decree)
• SA troops surrounded the Kroll Opera House (where the Reichstag was meeting) and intimidated deputies as they entered
• The Centre Party was persuaded to support the Act after Hitler promised to respect Catholic rights (a promise he later broke)
• Only the SPD voted against (94 votes); 444 voted in favour
• The Act needed a two-thirds majority: with Communists excluded, this was achieved

🚫 Banning Parties and Trade Unions

The Elimination of Opposition (March-July 1933)

🔪 The Night of the Long Knives (29-30 June 1934)

Causes

• The SA threat: By 1934, the SA had grown to over 3 million members. Röhm wanted the SA to absorb the army and become the new German military. The army (only 100,000 strong) was alarmed
• Röhm's ambitions: Röhm wanted a "second revolution" - after political revolution, a social revolution with the SA as the core of a people's army
• Army support: Hitler needed the army's support to become President when Hindenburg died. The army would only support him if he destroyed the SA
• SS rivalry: Himmler and Heydrich (SS leaders) wanted to eliminate the SA as a rival power base
• Rumours: Röhm's homosexuality was used as propaganda to discredit him and the SA

Events

• Hitler flew to Munich and personally arrested Röhm and other SA leaders at a hotel in Bad Wiessee
• The SS execution squads killed SA leaders across Germany over 2-3 days
• Röhm was offered the chance to commit suicide; when he refused, he was shot
• Other victims included: Gregor Strasser (Nazi left-winger), General von Schleicher (former Chancellor), Gustav von Kahr (who had blocked the 1923 Munich Putsch)
• On 3 July 1934, the cabinet retroactively legalised the murders as "necessary for the defence of the state"

👑 The Fuhrer State

Hindenburg's Death and the Final Step (August 1934)

• 2 August 1934: President Hindenburg died aged 86
• Within hours, Hitler announced that the offices of President and Chancellor would be combined
• He took the title "Fuhrer und Reichskanzler" (Leader and Chancellor)
• Every soldier in the army was required to swear a personal oath of loyalty to Hitler - not to the state or the constitution, but to Hitler personally
• A plebiscite on 19 August 1934 gave Hitler 90% approval - though the vote was not free or fair

Timeline to Total Power

❓ Practice Questions

✅ Answers

1. The Reichstag Fire (27 February 1933) allowed Hitler to persuade Hindenburg to issue the Reichstag Fire Decree (28 February), which suspended civil liberties including freedom of speech, assembly, and the press. This gave the Nazis legal authority to arrest 4,000 Communists, ban opposition meetings, and use SA violence freely. It created an atmosphere of fear before the March 1933 election, helping the Nazis win 43.9% of the vote.
2. The Enabling Act (23 March 1933) was critically important because it gave Hitler the power to make laws without the Reichstag for four years. This single law destroyed the Weimar Constitution and created the legal basis for dictatorship. Without it, Hitler could not have banned parties, abolished trade unions, or created the one-party state. However, it was not sufficient on its own - the Reichstag Fire Decree had already suspended civil liberties, and the Night of the Long Knives was needed to eliminate internal threats. The Enabling Act was the legal cornerstone of the dictatorship but required other measures to make it complete.
3. The Night of the Long Knives was very important because: it destroyed the SA as a rival power base; it secured the army's support for Hitler (crucial for becoming Fuhrer); it eliminated potential opposition within the Nazi movement itself; and it showed that Hitler ruled by terror. However, other events were equally or more important: the Reichstag Fire gave Hitler emergency powers; the Enabling Act gave him legal dictatorship; and the banning of parties eliminated all organised opposition. The Night of the Long Knives was essential for securing the army's backing, but without the Enabling Act, Hitler could not have consolidated power at all.
4. Hitler was able to ban all parties by July 1933 because: the Reichstag Fire Decree (28 February) suspended civil liberties, allowing the arrest of opponents; the Enabling Act (23 March) gave Hitler the power to make laws without the Reichstag; the KPD was effectively destroyed first (March 1933); trade unions were abolished on 2 May, removing workers' ability to organise; the SPD was formally banned on 22 June; and remaining parties "voluntarily" dissolved under pressure. The Law Against New Parties (14 July) completed the process. Each step was made possible by the powers gained from the previous one.
5. Hitler used a combination of legal and violent methods. Legal methods included: the Reichstag Fire Decree (signed by Hindenburg); the Enabling Act (passed by the Reichstag); laws banning parties and trade unions; and the plebiscite of August 1934. These gave the dictatorship a veneer of legality. However, violence was equally important: the SA terrorised voters and opponents; the Reichstag Fire was exploited to justify emergency powers; the Night of the Long Knives used murder to eliminate threats; and the constant threat of arrest by the SS/Gestapo kept the population compliant. Hitler's genius was using legal methods to authorise violence - the Decree and Enabling Act made SA and SS violence state-sanctioned. Both were essential; neither alone would have been sufficient.

🎯 Exam Tips

• Know the exact sequence: Fire (27 Feb) → Decree (28 Feb) → Election (5 Mar) → Enabling Act (23 Mar) → Unions banned (2 May) → Parties banned (14 Jul) → Night of Long Knives (30 Jun) → Fuhrer (2 Aug)
• The Enabling Act was passed using LEGAL methods (vote in the Reichstag) but under ILLEGAL conditions (Communists excluded, SA intimidation)
• The Night of the Long Knives was RETROACTIVELY legalised - this shows the complete absence of rule of law
• Always distinguish between consolidation of power (1933-34) and the RISE to power (1929-33) - these are different topics
• The army oath (2 August 1934) was crucial - it meant the army was bound to Hitler personally, not to the state
• The Nazis never won a majority in a free election - Hitler consolidated power by destroying democracy from within

📝 Exam Technique

⚠️ Common Errors

✍️ Model Answer

📊 AO Deep Dive

📝 Exam Questions by Topic

• AQA Past Papers - Topic Questions -- AQA
• Edexcel Past Papers - Topic Questions -- Edexcel
• OCR Past Papers - Topic Questions -- OCR
• Eduqas Past Papers - Topic Questions -- Eduqas
• CCEA Past Papers - Topic Questions -- CCEA

🎬 Video Resources

• BBC Bitesize - GCSE History
• History Hit
• Mr IB History